“I’m sure we’re taller in another dimension // You say we’re small and not worth the mention” Frank Ocean, “White Ferrari”
Firsts are always special. They stay with you, no matter how much life changes.
The first time these lyrics of “White Ferrari” by Frank Ocean, the 14th track on his 2016 album Blonde, hit my ears, something shifted. The song compelled me to set aside whatever I was working on and just listen. Listen to the barrage of choral vocals colliding, while pieces of “Here, There & Everywhere” by The Beatles lie hidden in the instrumentals. The displaced strumming of the acoustic guitar somehow synced with the abrupt glitches, while soft static faded to oblivion. It felt, quite possibly, like the world had paused, leaving just you and the track as silent spectators. It was a lullaby that stared at grief in the eye and refused to look away. In four minutes, it said everything nineteen-year-old me couldn’t put into words.
Ocean’s music has stayed constant through all the ups and downs — from playing “In My Room” during lockdown to walking home to “Ivy” after class. Between university and the beginnings of adulthood, there was always a Frank Ocean song that appeared on shuffle, catching me off guard.
As I write this piece as a 22-year-old, I still feel that same confusion (the one that hangs out with my writer’s block). How do you chronicle the legacy of a living artist who does not release music anymore? What makes his songs escape the quick cycle of social media hype? His music moves to its own rhythm, untouched by marketing or trends. But what is it that makes even the calmest listener tear up? Has Ocean found a way to express every emotion we don’t have words for?
Frankly (pun intended), it all ties back to his unabashed intentionality, the resonant sense of purposefulness that I, too, find solace in. Whenever I feel consumed by insecurities or fear, I remind myself of how this man, too, started from humble beginnings: An English major dropout who had no singing background. However, he let his ever-flowing love for writing do the talking. He did not start as the next big thing, but as a songwriter, working for stalwarts like John Legend and Beyoncé.. Amid that, he silently dropped his debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra. No press tours or flashy promotionals, just a raw shuffle echoing shades of nostalgia, love, heartbreak, and that deep-rooted, unexplained early-twenties melancholy. The mixtape, which came post his devastating shift from Louisiana to Los Angeles post-Hurricane Katrina, reflected his inner turmoil through production choices. Take the track “Strawberry Swing” (one of my favorites from the mixtape), which ends with the blaring of an alarm clock. As a listener, it almost felt like a signal to snap out of those maladaptive fantasies and face reality. Even the poignant verses of “We All Try,” such as I believe you when you say that you’ve lost all faith, stood out through the noise.
Authenticity — which could easily be his middle name — is something I try to carry into my own writing. When he came out in 2012 through a Tumblr post, it caused seismic shifts in the music world. Songs from Channel ORANGE like “Thinkin Bout You” and “Forrest Gump” felt diaristic — full of love, longing, and vulnerability. And “Bad Religion” became the soundtrack to many sleepless nights. Even “Skyline To” from Blonde spoke openly about queer love and its conflicts (‘Got your metal on, we’re alone // Making love, takin’ time // Till God strikes us’). Through his words, Ocean has always used his art to talk about what others avoid. His message has stayed clear and honest across everything he’s made.
At the height of his career, Ocean knew when to step back. It’s honestly inspirational to see an artist be so unafraid of putting everything he has worked towards on the back burner and consciously disappear. Poof, just like that. Many fans pointed to his brother’s passing as a possible reason.
Living in a time of extensive artist rollouts, concert fatigue, and constant social media validation, it’s endearing to see such a global musician vouch for the opposite. While I’m still grappling with the demons of internalized hustle culture, Ocean’s actions stood for creative replenishment, reiterating that it’s okay to stop, to “be left behind” and go off-grid. It shows how sacred his bond with his art really is. He’s always valued depth over fame, painting every song with emotion and care. Even when his lyrics cut deep, they somehow soothe. When life feels heavy, his music becomes the cure.
Sometimes reassurance comes from the most unexpected places. Whether I’m writing, traveling, or just doing everyday things, his songs bring a sense of company — a quiet reminder that things will be okay.
Even though he hasn’t released new music in years, I’m not bitter. I’m not his biggest fan, but I am his most loyal listener. As the seasons of life unfurl, I keep re-visiting his songs, be it “Pyramids,” “Moon River,” or “She.” His vulnerable discography resembles that of a friend, with whom you can pick up from where you left off. Unbeknownst to him, he has left a vast treasury of emotional complexities that never grow old, one that can be dusted off, peeled, or torn apart. With each track, he leaves spaces in between for us, the listeners, to catch a glimpse of exactly what we are feeling. From genre-bending tunes to raw, masterful verses, his timelessness exceeds generations.
Like I said, firsts are, and continue to remain, special. As I reach the end, still listening to “White Ferrari,” safe to say, it still hits just as good as the first time, managing to evoke that very sense of stillness when everything seems to be falling apart. So, Christopher Edwin Breaux (yes, I’m using his government name), thank you for scoring the most beautiful, gut-wrenching, and cinematic moments of my life. On your birthday, I can honestly say I’ve cried to a Frank Ocean song — more than once.
The post Frank Ocean’s Birthday Feels Like a Good Day to Remember Why We Fell in Love With His Music appeared first on Rolling Stone India.
Every track carries the kind of emotion that refuses to age
The post Frank Ocean’s Birthday Feels Like a Good Day to Remember Why We Fell in Love With His Music appeared first on Rolling Stone India.
