By Virginia Luemba
Frank Ocean has been one of the most influential artists in the past decade. Having only released two studio albums, his music still captivates his fans. Though we are (patiently) waiting for another album, his music remains timeless and manages to fulfil his fans through a range of different moods. Here’s a guide on what Frank songs to listen to while we wait for new music:
In need of an energy lift? ‘Monks’ from his 2012 album Channel Orange is the perfect song to play when you’re on your way to a 9am class and need something to make life feel bearable. The opening chords frankly make the journey to campus feel like a walk in LA.
Most people in university tend to feel adulthood looming and crave feeling youthful again. ‘Ivy’ from Frank’s 2016 Blond album is the perfect song to cry to whilst contemplating the dreaded thought of no longer being young. His lyrics “we’ll never be those kids again” capture the feeling of the realisation, while applying for internships, that your teen years are well and truly behind you.
If you’d like to forget about this impending doom of leaving your teen years behind you and need a Frank song for when you’re getting ready to go out, ‘Novacane’ is the best song to play. His lyrics “I can’t feel a thing” will likely resonate with most LSE students, but I wouldn’t advise using this as an excuse to do an excessive amount of drugs, which he also mentions in the song.
Many people go through heartbreak during university, which really adds to the excessive workload at LSE. If you need help mending the pieces of your heart, ‘White Ferrari’ will be a shoulder for you to cry on if your flatmates are busy doing their readings. You might shed a few tears while listening to it, but probably no more than when watching an economics lecture in the Peacock Theatre.
The best motivation for attending all of your lectures is the hope you’ll bump into your campus crush. ‘Thinking Bout You’ is the perfect song to listen to if you’re feeling a bit delusional and are obsessed with a man who cares more about his spring weeks than your existence.
It’s not uncommon to start questioning your purpose in life while at LSE and debating whether it’s even worth living. Luckily, Frank has made a song to help us cope with that. ‘Pink Matter’ finds Frank questioning what the human brain is made for, what the sky and stars mean, and what a woman’s body is made for. So if you ever find yourself wondering what you’re doing here, this is the perfect song to help ease your imposter syndrome.
If LSE were to do a survey on how students feel studying here, I’m sure an overwhelming majority would vote stressed as the most common feeling. A song that not only captures this feeling but also relieves it, is ‘Nights’. It is best known for the beat drop that comes in exactly halfway through the song, a drop that is guaranteed to relieve any type of stress you’re feeling.‘Nights’ contemplates how demanding a busy life can get when you’re working towards a better future.
To end on a positive note, a song that’s perfect for whether you’re sad, depressed, angry or well, essentially any emotion, we have ‘Pyramids’. Any Frank Ocean fan can agree that this song is 9 minutes and 52 seconds of mastery, as he explores themes of race, religion, sexuality, and love. So, no matter whether you’re heartbroken, deluded or stressed, there’s no situation or mood that a bit of ‘Pyramids’ can’t solve.
