The Description Of Frank Ocean's R&B Album "Channel Orange"

Contemporary R&B’s narrative displays the perspective of “how the artist can relate to some of the problems revolving around love that most of their audiences might encounter or the love narrative makes the audience want to look for or find love.” R&B music and music videos are mostly sexual, such as Chris Brown's music, but Frank Ocean's music does not entirely follow that convention, especially Channel Orange. Channel Orange opens your eyes to both the triumphs and the strifes of life, and describes much more than sex, money, and fame, but also the meaning of life and true emotion, and Ocean achieves this through the somber lyrics but upbeat melodies and rhythms. Danez Smith wrote, “He [Frank Ocean] writes with a poet’s eye, blends the colloquial with the fantastic with the gospel in almost masterful ways that create something lush.”

Besides already challenging the social norm of masculinity by producing songs with vulnerable lyrics through the genre of contemporary R&B, Ocean also challenges this norm in Channel Orange by singing in a higher-pitched voice, opposed to a deeper tone or rapping, as well as alluding in Channel Orange that he has fallen in love with a man. This has been a controversial topic since the release in 2012, and to this day, Ocean has kept quiet about his personal life regarding the topic of sexuality and only wants the listeners of Channel Orange and the rest of his music to focus on the story rather than the technicalities. Each song from the “Start,” being the first track, to the “End,” being the last track, is a story; it is not called Channel Orange for nothing. Each song is structured similarly to an episode of a TV show, and it is in chronological order. This is what makes Channel Orange different from other R&B albums. Most of contemporary R&B has a theme or message, but does not discuss a specific story in chronological order.

The album title Channel Orange is a reference to a neurological phenomenon known as grapheme-color synesthesia. This phenomenon is a form of synesthesia in which an individual’s perception of numbers and letters are associated with different colors. Grapheme-color synesthesia is known to be “involuntary, consistent, and memorable,” meaning that if an individual experiences this phenomenon, they cannot control it and they will be able to remember what color they associate with which person, number, or letter. This fact makes perfect sense due to the reasoning behind the title of Channel Orange. Orange is the color that Ocean claims to have associated with the summer he first fell in love.

As previously mentioned, Channel Orange contains themes of unrequited love, sex, psychedelics, and existential longing. The album also delves into “decadence, being trapped in economic inequality, drug dependency, and the struggle between secularity and spirituality, a prevalent theme in R&B.” Ocean alludes to his own personal experiences with these themes in tracks from Channel Orange such as “Bad Religion” and “Forrest Gump.” Channel Orange is loved all over the world and interpreted in many different ways. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times found Channel Orange to be "rife with the sting of unrequited love, both on the receiving and inflicting ends" with "lovers who tantalize but remain at arm's length.” Sasha Frere-Jones believes Channel Orange is "a combination of decadence and spiritual ache similar to Prince’s.”

In 2018, the common themes in music are money, sex, drugs, and fame, which Frank Ocean approaches differently in his music. His view has a deeper meaning, debating if the money, sex, drugs, and fame are worth it. He believes that love will always prevail, and that to be in love with someone, one must have a deep and sound connection with them intellectually and put aside physical beauty. This theme is a recurring message of Frank Ocean across all of his songs, as he sings, “I couldn’t gauge your fears, I can’t relate to my peers,” in his song “Seigfried” from Blonde (2016). In his song “Pink Matter” from Channel Orange, he says, “What do you think my brain is made for, is it just a container for the mind? This great grey matter.” This line especially suggests his yearning for a deeper connection; his brain, which he calls grey matter, is made for more than just being a container for the mind. It is refreshing to see a different view on these topics than the typical vain views that our society has become accustomed to listening to. Most contemporary R&B artists are very straightforward with their lyrics, while Ocean’s lyrics are more metaphorical and not as straightforward.

Each of the 17 tracks of Channel Orange has touched the hearts of many, and that is what is important about music. As Plato said, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Each song is interpreted differently and has a special meaning to each person. Frank Ocean has made contemporary R&B is one of today’s most thoughtful and meaningful genres, full of emotion and soul, and touches one on a personal, purely human level. It is a conversation between what is important and what isn’t, the truth about life, and resonates with love, passion, sadness, the pursuit of happiness, and vulnerability. Frank Ocean does more than letting us listen and feel the emotion he feels; Ocean allows us to understand these feelings and relate to them through contemporary R&B.

Although he doesn’t necessarily follow all of the conventions of this genre, he does in terms the sound of his music and the instruments used. Other than that, Frank Ocean does his own thing. The point is, great musicians do not always follow the conventions of a particular genre. They push the boundaries and the rules to share their story in a way unlike other artists do. Frank Ocean accomplishes being able to both follow and not follow the normal conventions of the genre of contemporary R&B. Channel Orange is special, being his first official released album, and many would agree that musically, Ocean is a genius. If you like Channel Orange, you’ll love the rest of Frank Ocean’s music. That being said, sit back, put on your headphones, and give a listen to the musical masterpiece that is Channel Orange.