Blonde & Endless on Frank Oceans Tumblr

Unlike most artists, Frank Ocean has solely stuck to Tumblr to voice his opinions, occasionally reblogging photos and once in a blue moon– announcing an album. Dating back 7 years, the blog has framed Oceans biggest accomplishments, memories and desires. It’s also a gateway into his career. Everything he’s done can be traced back to the now iconic URL of frankocean.tumblr.com. Ocean posts lyrics, pictures and random notes that find themselves ending up on his carefully crafted albums as samples, lyrics or visuals.  It’s as they’re posted as reminders to be used later on. Hints to Channel Orange can be seen years and months before the album was released but today we look at Blonde & Endless on Franks Tumblr.

November 15th 2016:

I’m aware this isn’t on his Tumblr and this was released after Blonde & Endless but there’s an interesting point in this little intro that goes way beyond the date. The mention that Frank has lived in Hotel’s for months now without a permanent home. A nod he would also make on “Sideways”

Mentioned In: “Sideways”

“Cause only God can forget it All this hotel livin’ Might as well pay the mortgage what I’m spendin”

June 21st 2016:

Frank reflects on the Pulse night-club shooting. The killer used several kinds of weapons to unleash mayhem leaving 50 dead (including himself) and others injured.

Mentioned In: “Nikes” (Video Version:

“if you’re in the party don’t bring your shotty, love everybody”

April 28th 2014:

Frank uses the line “How come the ecstasy only depresses me” in Endless

Mentioned In: “Mine”

“How come the ecstasy always depresses me so?”

January 20th 2014: 

Mentioned In: “Futura Free”

“Tech company, please gimme immortality”

September 21st 2013:

Frank’s moved to London was one of the biggest influences on Blonde and his life. Fans who were following the wait for this album know that once he went to London, he absolutely vanished from the face of the Earth. In LA, he’d be spotted around but in London it was extremely rare for someone to snap a picture of Ocean except a couple of lucky instances.

Hs reason for choosing London and you can definitely feel the chilling and cinematic atmosphere on the project. Frank loves to document his life through Tumblr and we as fans, won’t know what it means till years later on and in some instances, never.

July 4th 2012:

Frank revealed he fell in love with another man when he was 19 and details the relationship he had with this person and how they ended up at the end. It’s a tragic and brave story, one which shocked the music industry to its core and also ended up being on Blonde. Mentioned In: “Ivy”

The most nostalgic track on Blonde. Ivy takes a look into the concluding years of Franks innocent and carefree summers.

“I thought that I was dreaming when you said you loved me” - Ivy “He wouldn’t tell me the truth about his feelings for another 3 years” - Open Letter

Frank waited years for his lover to reciprocate the love he had for him so when he finally told frank he loved him back, he couldn’t believe it. It started from nothing, had no chance to prepare, I couldn’t see you coming” - Ivy

“4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost.” - Open Letter

Frank had no idea that his friendship with this man would blossom into something much more special. He had just met him and eventually spent the entire summer with him, in no way shape or form was he prepared for this to happen. His love for this guy “started from nothing”. “But we both know that deep down The feeling still deep down is good” - Ivy

“Thanks. To my first love, I’m grateful for you. Grateful that even though it wasn’t what I hoped for and even though it was never enough, it was. Some things never are.. and we were. I won’t forget you. I won’t forget the summer. I’ll remember who I was when I met you.”

Frank finally comes to term with his lover and accepts them as someone who’s helped him become a better person. In Ivy he reminisces about the times where they endlessly had fun as he does in the letter.

June 6th 2012:

One of the only times Frank has ever been this explicit about his sexual preference since the open letter. The GIF was posted before Frank posted the letter  but once it was out, it gave it so much meaning and still resonates with him & the line in “Futura Free”.

Mentioned In: “Futura Free”

“I don’t cut bitches no more”

December 26th 2011:

Frank samples a line from Elliot Smith’s “A Fond Farewell”

Mentioned In: “Siegfired”

“This is not my life, it’s just a fond farewell to a friend”

June 10th 2011:

In one of his most popular posts to date. Frank gives his younger self some advice, wisdom and details what’s going to happen to him. In it he mentions a couple of struggle jobs he’d have to work which he breifly mentions in Futura Free 5 years later.

Mentioned In: “Futura Free”

“I used to work on my feet for 7 dollars a hour Call my momma like momma I ain’t making minimum wage momma I’m on momma I’m on”

What The Ending of “Futura Free” Means..

Frank Ocean said that there’s no fantasy on Blonde, only reality and that’s what the album revolves around. Frank facing the reality of heartbreak and remembering his past lovers. It’s a love letter to his 29 years on Earth. 

Throughout Blonde, Frank takes the listener on a journey through his life, chapter by chapter, not chronologically but abstractly.  He explains how the women he loved only wanted materialistic possessions on “Nikes”

“These bitches want Nikes, they lookin’ for a cheque – These bitches want Nikes, but the real ones” 

He sings about falling in love for the first time when he was 19 on “Ivy” and remembers the destruction of Hurricane Katrina on “Pink + White”. 

The album is written in a way that explores Franks life yet allows him to be creative and build atmospheres which is why it’s so minimalistic. It’s just Frank and his reality. It’s not fantasy like Channel Orange. 

Frank romanticizes about his ex lover on “Self Control” and pleads for them to spend a night with him for old times sake. Blonde is raw, honest and brave. It’s Frank at his most vulnerable and he’s not afraid to expose his feelings for someone who’s not his anymore. 

“Keep a place for me, for me I’ll sleep between y'all, it’s no thing” 

Frank recalls a date night he was on in New York City in possibly the most important track of the album, “Good Guy”. He comes to a realization that the man he’s on a date with isn’t interested in anything other than a good time whereas Frank wanted something special. It explores the constant variable of Frank constantly finding himself lost in the game of love. 

“Nights” takes us back to Franks younger days where he’s working late night shifts and having to deal with his worried girlfriend all in the midst of Hurricane Katrina destroying his home. 

We go to “Close to You” where Frank is in the shower wondering where his destructive relationship with this person is and where it’s going. He’s coming to terms that the relationship is at it’s end and the only way he can remember his lover is through memories of them.

“I’ll be honest, I wasn’t devastated But you could’ve held my hands through this, baby”

—-

“Just like mine, versions of these belong to you After a while They’re keeping me close to you”

“Godspeed” is Frank accepting that his lover and him were never meant to be and he wishes them the absolute best in their journey through life and lets them know he’ll be there for them if they ever need him.

Then “Futura Free” arrives, where he goes through the themes of the entire album in one song. Working minimum wage jobs, getting into the industry, controversies, remembering his friends. He’s looking back at his life and recalling all the moments.

and then, a sudden stop –

The Interview 

An interview starts with the theme of the album playing, Franks brother and friends are present. The interview is Frank going back in time and remembering for the last time in the album, his life before the fame, a time where could hang out in the streets with his family and friends and not have to worry about anything else. The interview represents a time of innocence and care freeness. “Futura Free” is the pinnacle and present of Franks life and represents how far he has come. 

The album ends off with the question:

“How far is a light year?”

It asks us how far we have come and how far we will go in life.

The legendary outro pitch corrected brings out Frank’s natural voice. In an interview with The New York Times Magazine. Frank stated he pitched up vocals on Ivy to make himself sound younger and further capture the essence of his youth. The second half of Nights is about Franks life after Hurricane Katrina and working night shifts to stay afloat hence why the original vocals are pitched up.