Chanel - Frank Ocean (2017)
The first time that I heard this song was this past summer. One of my friends had the aux in the car and they put the song in the queue. When it started playing they announced that it was Chanel by Frank Ocean; I didn't know who that was and I hadn't heard the song before so I just listened. I remember that I liked it immediately. I have a very weird music taste that relies mostly on beat and less on lyrics - I often don't listen to the lyrics of a song until maybe the fifth or sixth time i've heard it. The reason that I liked this song so much when I first heard it was because it had a really chill beat that I could just vibe along with. I know that "vibe" is a really vague and non descriptive word but I use it a lot when talking about music, so yeah.
As a result of my often inattention to a song's lyrics, I only have a few lines of Chanel memorized, even after months of listening to it,"My Amex and Mastercards/ I got new money/And it's all cash/ I got new bags/And they all collabs." If you were to listen to this part of the song compared to the other parts, you would probably be able to discern why I only know these lines. Not only are they annunciated relatively clearly and slowly, but they are also sang on a very beat-reliant part of the song, meaning that they are easy to sing along to.
It was sometime in the fall of 2018 that I learned what the song's actual meaning was. The friend that had originally introduced it to me had just found out herself and told me to google it. Turns out that this song is about Frank Ocean's bisexuality. The song name, Chanel, is actually referring to the dualistic nature of the Chanel logo, and comparing it to the duality of being bisexual. Throughout the song Frank Ocean's lyrics maintain this theme of duality; whether it be by commenting on the injustice in law enforcement, bringing up his partner's straight acting, or even referencing a W-12 engine in luxury Volkswagen vehicles.
The song's reliance on complex metaphors and obscure references went completely over my head for a long time. I regret not listening more closely to the lyrics, because now that I understand all of the lyrics and their hidden meanings, I like and appreciate the song even more. Now it is not only a catchy beat that I "vibe" along to, but rather a complex statement on a pretty big issue in society today that is at the same time fun to listen to.
Overall, I really liked how you immediately explained why you chose the specific song, and how you listen to songs differently than most people. I also really liked how you wrote this blog in your own voice, using words like "vibe". Your analysis of some of the lyrics were interesting as well, like when you explained what the song was really about. Overall, I think your post was very well written and it seems like you came to understand the song very well.
ReplyDeleteRyan, I enjoyed how you started off by explaining how you were introduced to the song and how you perceived it. I also liked how you had an informal tone throughout the post, it made it easy to understand and fun to read. Including how you viewed the song before and after knowing the meaning was very coherent and interesting. You know we share similar taste in music so I'll be sure to add this to my playlist!!
ReplyDeleteRyan, first off I had never heard of this song but your introduction left me intrigued immediately. I thought your analysis was to the point and this may seem weird but I felt like reading your post took the reader on the journey you had when you were uncovering this song. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteRyan,
ReplyDeleteI am writing here for the second time, as my first comment deleted itself. As a result, my comment will be unintentionally more harsh, and I apologize in advance. First off, to the average reader, your use of awkward slang was offputting. I mean, to repeatedly use the word “vibing” in a literary context is clearly a mistake. In addition to this, your sentence structure and vocabulary in general came off as lackadaisical and weak. In the future, I would suggest a far more formal style, as this blog posting is the basic equivalent of a seventh grader’s diary entry. I suppose this posting is most disappointing to me because of how capable I know you are of writing a coherent and impressive piece of writing. Please, at least for the sake of your own reputation, retain a semblance of professionalism in your writing, especially the writing which is published online. Despite all of this, I still believe in you. You’ll get em next time champ! (I hope). Best regards, Enzo.
Hey Ryan, I've never actually listened to this Frank Ocean song so as soon as I saw that you responded to it, I put it on. As I listened and read your blog, it helped me understand what you were saying about the metaphors within it, especially the main one about Chanel's logo and Ocean's sexuality. Also, establishing your personal connection to the song at the beginning of your post helped me follow your points throughout it. Overall, I think that this was an excellent blog post, and I honestly wouldn't have changed anything about it. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWow Ryan! I really enjoyed reading your unorthodox method of listening to music. I feel as though your review of the song could have possibly been more personal rather than explaining that you like the beat. You could have also included more examples of metaphors in the song rather than stating it has metaphors. Overall, decent job.
ReplyDelete
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