Blonde

Frank Ocean · 2016

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What it is

Frank Ocean's second album, released independently the day after his video album Endless. Sparse guitars, organ, ambient textures and pitch-shifted vocals carry songs about memory, love, youth and loss, among them "Nikes", "Ivy", "Pink + White", "Self Control" and "Nights".

Why it matters

One of the most acclaimed albums of the 2010s. Its minimal, drifting sound and intimate writing reshaped R&B and pop songwriting, and it is often called the decade's best album.

Listening to it

Length: 1 hr.

Your notes

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Connects to earlier albums6

Built on
Pet Sounds · The Beach Boys · 1966
Blonde's lush arrangements and layered harmonies show the strong influence of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys' leader on Pet Sounds.
Wikipedia, "Blonde (Frank Ocean album)"
Samples
Revolver · The Beatles · 1966
On Blonde, "White Ferrari" interpolates "Here, There and Everywhere" from Revolver, by the Beatles.
Wikipedia, "Blonde (Frank Ocean album)" (sample credits)
Built on
Songs in the Key of Life · Stevie Wonder · 1976
Blonde draws influences from Stevie Wonder, the songwriter of Songs in the Key of Life.
Wikipedia, "Blonde (Frank Ocean album)"
Producer or player
James Blake · James Blake · 2011
Blonde was produced by James Blake, whose James Blake came before it.
Wikipedia, "Blonde (Frank Ocean album)" (producer in the infobox)
Producer or player
A Moon Shaped Pool · Radiohead · 2016
Blonde features Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, whose A Moon Shaped Pool came before it.
Wikipedia, "Blonde (Frank Ocean album)" (personnel)
Producer or player
Lemonade · Beyoncé · 2016
Blonde features Beyoncé, whose Lemonade came before it.
Wikipedia, "Blonde (Frank Ocean album)" (personnel)

Connects to later albums4

Producer or player
Flower Boy · Tyler, the Creator · 2017
Flower Boy features Frank Ocean, whose Blonde came before it.
Wikipedia, "Flower Boy" (personnel)
Built on it
Melodrama · Lorde · 2017
Lorde was inspired to write "The Louvre", from Melodrama, after listening to Frank Ocean's Blonde.
Wikipedia, "Melodrama (Lorde album)"
Built on it
Ants from Up There · Black Country, New Road · 2022
A song on Ants from Up There takes its inspiration from Frank Ocean's "White Ferrari", from Blonde.
Wikipedia, "Ants from Up There"
Producer or player
Only God Was Above Us · Vampire Weekend · 2024
Only God Was Above Us is by Vampire Weekend, whose Rostam Batmanglij produced Blonde.
Wikipedia, "Blonde (Frank Ocean album)" (producer in the infobox)

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