Frank Ocean’s 10 best songs, according to Rolling Stone

Few contemporary artists balance innovation, emotion and narrative like Frank Ocean. Since his debut, the singer has become synonymous with authenticity and a sensitivity that transcends R&B. Each release is an event — an emotional plunge that redefines how we understand music and vulnerability.

Even with a short discography — basically nostalgia, ULTRA (2011), Channel ORANGE (2012), the visual project Endless (2016) and blonde (2016) —, the legacy of Frank Ocean It’s immense. In just a few albums and singles, he shaped the sound of a generation, inspiring artists of different styles — from hip hop to experimental pop.

Frank Ocean remains one of the greatest enigmas in modern music. Between the sacred and the everyday, the digital and the human, his work portrays contemporary vulnerability. Few artists can say so much with so little — and perhaps that’s why, even though he hasn’t released anything in years, he remains one of the most influential and revered voices in music today.

Therefore, putting together a definitive list is almost impossible. But, to celebrate his birthday this Tuesday, 28th, the Rolling Stone Brazil chose the 10 best songs from Frank Ocean — tracks that condense his poetry and ethereal sound.

Honorable mentions

Before the list begins, it’s worth remembering some tracks that were left out:

“Thinking About You”

The first big success of Frank. Released in Channel ORANGEis a melancholic ballad that combines soft synths and fragile falsettos when singing about longing. The song introduced the artist to the world as an intimate storyteller, far from the R&B standards of the time.

“Songs for Women”

Present on the mixtape nostalgia, ULTRAis one of the tracks that best captures the free and charismatic spirit of Frank Ocean. With smooth alternative R&B beats and a production that mixes sensuality and melancholy, the song reflects on making music to win over women, but the tone is ambiguous — between self-criticism and charm.

“Sweet Life”

With production of Pharrell Williams — noticeable in the first four beats — and irony worthy of Marvin Gaye, “Sweet Life” is an elegant critique of bourgeois Californian comfort. Fifth track Channel ORANGEcombines dry beats, striking bass and a melody that hovers between sarcasm and disenchantment.

“Pink + White”

Third track blonde and one of the most vibrant productions on the album, it is a layered dream where Frank remembers the colors of the sky on the day he fell in love. With keyboards Pharrell and vocals by Beyoncethe song is one of the favorites of his discography. Ocean.

“Pink Matter”

Partnership with André 3000is the most philosophical moment of Channel ORANGE. The song mixes soul and psychedelia to discuss masculinity, pleasure, existentialism and spirituality — a dialogue between body and mind, the pink matter of the title — which shows Frank at the height of his lyrical maturity.

Below, the 10 best Frank Ocean songs:

The selection below is not in chronological or popularity order, but in emotional impact and artistic relevance. These are songs that capture different facets of Frank Ocean: the introspective poet, the chronicler of love, the social critic and the sound experimentalist.

10. “Alabama”

One of the first songs on the project Endless, “Alabama” it sounds like a poem recorded in the air. With the participation of Samphais minimalist and almost spiritual, combining two contrasting voices in a fascinating way. Although short, it proves that Frank can turn a sketch into art.

9. “Nikes”

The opening track of blonde marks the moment when Frank takes on its experimental aesthetic once and for all. The filtered voice and verses about consumerism, grief and love create a generational manifesto. “These b*tches want Nikes / They looking for a check”, he sings, referencing the brand’s swoosh, monetary checks and social approval — there was no way I could miss it.

8. “Self Control”

Possibly the most painful song ever blonde. Built on a guitar strumming and vocal layers that dissolve at the end, “Self Control” is an elegy about lost love and emotional maturity. Vulnerability in its purest form.

7. “Lost”

One of the biggest hits of Channel ORANGE — and perhaps the most contagious — comes in seventh place. With production of Malay, “Lost” is tropical pop about escape, ambition and drug dealing. The irony: even uniting such antagonistic themes, Frank manages to tell a cohesive story with a bubblegum chorus.

6. “Nights”

Divided into two parts, “Nights” is exactly in the middle of blonde. The first songs represent the day of the album, clearer and more lively. After the memorable transition, the project changes tone, BPM and feeling, literally marking the transition from day to night.

5. “American Wedding”

Of nostalgia, ULTRA, Frank handle “Hotel California”from Eaglesand turns it into a tragicomic story about marriage and disenchantment. The courage to reinvent a classic — even without authorization from Glenn Frey — and the lyrical subtlety make it one of the most creative moments of his early career.

4. “Close to You”

A short but devastating interlude of blonde. Inspired by the version “They Long to Be (Close to You)”from Stevie Wonderthe track synthesizes the Frank intimate: distorted, confessional and beautiful in its imperfection. In less than two minutes, he conveys a lifetime of desire as he talks about wanting to be close to that person.

3. “Pyramids”

Entering the podium, the nine-minute epic of Channel ORANGE. Divided into three acts, the track tells the story of three Cleopatras as a metaphor for the exploration of the female body and love capitalized today. Sonically, it has it all: from synthesized ballads to more traditional R&B. It’s the best track on the project.

2. “Solo”

The song that sums up the philosophy of blonde: isolation, self-acceptance and the power of solitude. With a simple organ and a levitating vocal, Frank divides the song title into two: “solo”, for alone and “so low”, for being at rock bottom, when describing how he feels after a break-up.

1. “White Ferrari”

The most emotional of all. “White Ferrari” is the highest point of blonde and perhaps the entire 2010s. Inspired by the love of Frank for motorsport and in “Here, There and Everywhere”of the Beatles — with credits to John Lennon — is a song about love, time and transcendence. Minimalist to the point of silence, with an incredible second part about how each fragment of an old relationship sees it today.

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