Unraveling the Symbolism Behind Frank Ocean’s Songs
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Frank Ocean’s music is the epitome of love, hardship, depression, and all raw emotion. Through Ocean’s use of widely applicable metaphors and imagery, his songs paint vivid visuals that tell a story with a variety of interpretations. Listeners are taken through a symbolic journey as they listen and interpret each of his songs. Frank releases his vulnerability and discloses personal experiences that allow us to reflect on and comprehend through our own scope. His music invites all ranges of emotions, whether you are crying in your room to “White Ferrari” or screaming with your head out the car window to “Lost.” Frank used his album Channel ORANGE to symbolize themes of nostalgia and love, whereas Blonde dives deeper into vulnerability and trauma. While Frank delivers messages of all sorts, he tends to incorporate hidden messages and other small connections that most may not realize.
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One of Frank’s most popular songs, “Pink + White”, portrays a coming-of-age song in which the lyrics take you through a journey of introspection of youth and adolescence. The lyrics “it’s the same way you showed me” symbolize a passage of time where transitions of life are reflected on, and how some things never change after all. As he ties in themes of nature and paints pictures of the sky, he symbolizes the beauty of nature and how it keeps us grounded. The mood is nostalgic through lyrics such as “cannonball off the porch side, older kids trying off the roof,” which reflects Frank’s attempt to reflect on the simpler times of his youth. Frank Ocean goes even further to symbolize hardships and separation of two people in the song when saying “You showed me love.” This line is both universal and heartbreaking but ultimately ends the song on a note of appreciation for previous love.
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The song “Super Rich Kids” from the Channel ORANGE album investigates the lives of kids who grew up under their parents’ fortune. This song reflects children who come from extreme wealth, but Frank is not referring to himself with these lyrics. He sings “The maids come around too much, parents ain't around enough,” which are lyrics that seem to mock the lifestyle of these kids’ circumstances, but also highlight their struggles that society often seems to overlook. Frank indirectly conveys that this was not his upbringing but manages to acknowledge the trauma from lack of parental supervision and the greedy social circle that makes up these kids’ childhoods.
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“Biking” by Frank Ocean (featuring Jay-Z & Tyler the Creator) is an all-time favorite song of mine that explores levels of powerful lyricism. While it may seem from the first listen that “Biking” reflects joy from the simplicity of life and mundane beauty, the song digs far deeper. “Biking” symbolizes the ups and downs of life and how one must rise above challenges and look towards the light. Frank reveals his drug addiction through the metaphor “I’m in the field, I’m ridin’ low, I’m ridin’ high, I’m ridin’ high.” This line proves his constant battle with addiction and shares a lower time in life with his audience. While hardship can definitely be detected in the song, lines such as “God gave you what you can handle” and “I’m biking with me and my Daniel” symbolize a sense of positivity in moving forward and having a strong community that is with you through the cycles of life. “Biking” is far more than the action of riding a bike, it symbolizes stages of life, community, and addiction.
Strike Out,
Writer: Bella Ferretti
Editor: Blake N. Fiadino
Tallahassee