Thesis: Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” is the swan song of the conceptual album, a thematically streamlined masterpiece exploring sexuality, materialism, and race through the dual lens of his own deeply personal experiences as both a perpetrator and victim of circumstances created by those issues.

How to tie the sources in: 

Album:

For the album, I’ll be using the cover art with the band aid and alternate spelling and tying it in to theme of sexuality/masculinity through the chris brown fight. Introduction to all themes in Nikes, through song/video.  Beat switch in Nights directly in middle of album – emphasis on duality, change in production style, transition from active to passive lyrical content, frustration with themes (solo reprise) . Explain how themes from one song tie into the other. Ex. From Ivy to pink+white (relationships), from pink+white to be yourself (self-reliance). Last few songs transitioning from frustration to acceptance ex. (godspeed-futura free) (how far is a lightyear 9.4x1012km, song is 9.4 min) 

Nikes video:

Partying, drugs (materialism), explicit sexuality, pictures of asap yams/pimp c/trayvon martin (race), shift in verse lines up with shift in cinematography (duality), tie in to song as introduction

Coming out letter:

Tie into theme of sexuality, contrast to the chris brown fight, tie into duality

Chris brown fight report:

Tie into sexuality/masculinity, contrast to coming out letter, tie into duality

Streamlined phases of album:

Stages of grief:

• Denial of issues from a personal or relationship(breakup) standpoint (nikes)
• Anger  (ivy)
• Bargaining pink&white (idea of “we have no control anyways, so why not just go with it”, weather analogies) to eventual depression (realizing the weather will destroy everything anyways)
• Good guy is acceptance (self reliance) and also solo (comfortable being lonely/ending on perfect authentic cadence)

Reminiscence: 

-skyline to-first half of nights frank reminisces on his past relationships in a stream of consciousness delivery

Frustration:

-Andre 3000 was a very deliberate choice for solo reprise, jaded artist with a frustrated verse sets the tone

-Facebook story

Frustration/letting go transition:

White Ferrari: Frank chooses to see the beauty in an old relationship before he truly found his first love (another man as referenced in letter)

Letting go:

Siegfried: acceptance that he will never fit in to the “american dream”

Godspeed/futura free: realizing it’s okay to let go