“The loose and bright Sweet Life” AMG and Super Rich Kids both explore decadence. “Sweet Life,” “Not Just Money,” and “Super Rich Kids” WK “Its lyrics address sex, conception, early parenthood, and childhood dreams.” WK It is repurposed here “as an AM radio jingle and interlude about bullshit.” WK It flows in to Sierra Leone, which “incorporates chillwave and quiet storm styles with chime sounds, lo-fi beats, and polyphony similar to Prince’s 1985 song ‘Paisley Park.’” WK “Ocean’s singing exhibits quickly descending chord succession and is overdubbed against his spoken vocals.” WK The narrator recounts teenage lust for a girl, comparing their relationship to changes in the fortunes of Sierra Leone regarding diamonds and civil war. This is based on James Fauntleroy’s 2010 song of the same name. It was a top-40 pop hit and reached the top 10 on the R&B chart. The album kicks off with Start, a forty-five second “snippet of ambient sounds, bits of silence and flickers of noise, including a PlayStation booting up.” WK This segues into Thinkin’ ‘Bout You.” AMG, a “low-key torch song” WK with a “longing falsetto shuffle.” AMG The song features “soothing synth cycles, sparse keybards, muffled electronic percussion, and lyrics addressing a lover with white lies.” WK He originally wrote it for singer Bridget Kelly, but it became the first single for Channel Orange.
New York Times Magazine noted “chord changes straight out of Wonder’s Innervisions airy vamps that nod to Gaye’s Here, My Dear.” WK The Washington Post’s Chris Richards also noted links to Gaye and Wonder, as well as modern R&B artists D’Angelo, Maxwell, and Erykah Badu. While working in the studio, Ocean played Marvin Gaye, Jim Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Sly & the Family Stone, and Stevie Wonder for inspiration. Ocean “sings with casually expressive vocals, free-form flow, conversational crooning, and alternating falsetto, and tenor registers.” WK The album was a mix of neo-soul, alternative R&B, electro-funk, jazz-funk, and psychedelia. While much was made before and during the album’s release about Ocean’s possible homosexuality or bisexuality, the real story was the music itself. He also attracted Tyler, the Creator André 3000, John Mayer, and Earl Sweatshirt into guesting on the album. Ocean wrote songs for the album with producer and songwriter Malay, who’d also worked on Ultra, Nostalgia, and he attracted Pharrell Williams as one of the album’s producers. It was named Album of the Year by Acclaimed Music, Spin magazine, and Dave’s Music Database. The album didn’t disappoint: it was nominated for an Album of the Year Grammy and won for Best Urban Contemporary Album. It all set up big expectations for Ocean’s official debut, Channel Orange. The former was a top 20 hit on the R&B chart and found its way onto the Billboard Hot 100. That never materialized, but singles for “Novacane” and “Swim Good” emerged. Despite a lack of conventional promotion, it developed a cult following and critical acclaim and there were even plans for Def Jam to officially release it. Lost (12/17/12, 46 AU, 53 UK, gold single)Ĥ.243 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)įrank Ocean released his debut, the mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra in 2011.Super Rich Kids (with Earl Sweatshirt) (3/11/13, gold single).Thinkin’ ‘Bout You (4/17/12, 32 US, 7 RB, 94 UK, platinum single).Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Sales (in millions): 0.69 US, 0.3 UK, 1.16 world (includes US and UK)
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