by Griffin Blum
Throughout the course so far, we’ve discussed in great detail how artists from disadvantaged backgrounds or lower societal standing have had to fight for representation in the music industry. We’ve focused primarily on artists of color and women, but Frank Ocean presents a unique blend of characteristics that make his music truly significant. Shortly before Ocean ever released a studio album, he released a letter where he came out as bisexual. While he never explicitly placed a label on his sexuality, he implies throughout his music that the whole point isn’t about labels, but how it makes you feel. His second studio album “Blonde” is one of the most dense and powerful album’s I’ve ever heard, as it delves deeply into his upbringing, and how he dealt with the hardships of growing up as a black man, and the duality or fluidity he faces in regard to his sexuality. I will use evidence from the readings to discuss how Frank changed how his listeners viewed sexuality and personal emotions, much like women and people of color changed their own narratives in the past.
Women have had it rough in the music industry to say the least, as any movement they made towards an independent voice in any genre is often met with backlash, or hesitation at the very least. “The paradoxical reality of the woman who finds herself in rock or soul or hip-hop is that the music offering escape is also an implement of violation.” (Powers, 2008) Many of the tracks in “Blonde” are Ocean casually delving into his past relationships during his youth, with men and women alike, and what he learned from those experiences. “Ivy” is about how he was upset about breaking up with a past love, but he doesn’t hold any grudges over how it ended, rather he feels thankful about the time they shared. This relates to Powers’ quote because while the population at large has generally became much more accepting of non-straight relationships lately, Frank nonchalantly states that no matter what type of relationship, the feelings between the parties is the same, and can be just as intense. People usually think of heteronormative culture we live in and how it needs to be abolished or torn down, while Ocean normalizes his fluid sexuality, because the same feelings are present.
Singers from the past have always been influential in their musical style without getting recognition, much like Memphis Minnie’s powerful stage presence. “Through the smoke and racket of the noisy Chicago bar float Louisiana bayou, muddy old swamps, Mississippi dust and sun, cotton fields, lonesome roads, train whistles in the night…All these things cry through the strings on Memphis Minnie’s electric guitar.” (Hughes, 1943)Frank Ocean uses sheer scale and power to translate significant feelings in the listeners just like Memphis Minnie does. During the song “Self Control,” Ocean reaches a crescendo at the outro, while building up a sense of sadness and pity that his former love has moved on, and he fell victim to his feelings, losing his self-control. When the finale begins, a sense of frission, or goose bumps, overcomes the listener as his beautiful vocals and the melody complement each other allowing the listener to empathize with the same emotions as Ocean, whether you can relate first hand or not. These musical tools are very powerful, and when utilized correctly, give a song tremendous significance, especially if seen live like the description of Memphis Minnie describes.
Lastly, Frank Ocean announced the release of “Blonde” in 2014, but the album kept getting pushed back until late summer of 2016 when it finally came out. He has talked on multiple occasions about the pressures the music industry puts on him, the fans and the record labels alike. In “Futura Free,” the final song on the album, he discusses why he took so long to release “Blonde,” and what he was afraid would happen if it got out too soon or kept it hidden from the world longer. The most important thing he mentions is that once he releases the album, it’s gone forever, so it really doesn’t matter how long audiences have to wait. Jennifer Lena discussed how hidden the histories of famous musicians is. “By attributing credit for bold innovations to single individuals, we have a fragile, thin explanation for the very complex world in which these innovators lived.” (Lena, 2012) Frank Ocean significantly changed the game for musicians, and how they’re allowed to express themselves in music, but the whole story of the innovation very rarely gets told in full, like people wouldn’t necessarily know the truth about what Ocean went through without Futura Free.
In conclusion, Frank Ocean faced many large obstacles on his way to a music career, and they bear fruit with his second studio album “Blonde.” He still existed in a society that wasn’t fully ready to accept a queer musician, let alone one who would tell his story in such a way that his sexuality was hardly even acknowledged. But he simply let his product do the talking, much like women and people of color in the past have, as it speaks volumes far greater than hardly any other form of protest. “Blonde” is one of my favorite albums of all time, as it gives me emotions that no other media can, and Ocean’s uphill battle to getting it made is entirely worth the wait.
Critical Models:
Works Cited:
Hughes, Langston. “Here to Yonder: Memphis Minnie.” Chicago Defender, 1943
Lena, Jennifer C. Banding Together: How Communities Create Genres in Popular Music. Princeton University Press, 2012.
Powers, Ann. “A Spy in the House of Love.” Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture, vol. 12, no. 1, 2008, pp. 40–43., doi:10.1353/wam.0.0013.
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