Frank Ocean’s “Nights” and Drug Addiction
By: Murad Shahmammadli
Tags: Frank Ocean, Music, Rape Culture, Rap, Hip Hop

Frank Ocean’s “Blonde/Blond” is considered, by many, to be an instant classic. On the first listen the album seems dull and facile. However, Frank rewards his attentive listeners with a glimpse into the deepest parts of his mind and heart.

I consider “Nights” to be the most obscure and the best song on the album. The lyrics are mysterious and haunting, with a hint of spirituality mixed with a strong feeling of anxiety. If I had to describe the song in one word, it would be “transcendent”. The beat gives a feeling similar to Pink Floyd’s psychedelic-rock classics, such as “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”. The last 40 seconds of the song, where Frank Ocean almost mumbles the chorus, give me an out-of-body experience.

The song is divided into three parts — The High, The Middle, and The Comedown.

In the first part, Frank’s tone is excited, almost anxious. The beat is hurried and vibrant. In this part, Frank is high on cocaine.

The middle is the most profound part. Frank’s tone becomes more lethargic and the beat is slowed down. It acts as a bridge between the high Frank and the Comedown Frank. The middle also shows us the duality of Frank and the whole album. The album is originally titled Blonde(Feminine), however on the cover, it’s written “Blond”(Masculine). Throughout the album, Frank explores the duality of his masculine and feminine side. The beat switch, which happens exactly at the 30-minute mark of the 60-minute album, is a single moment of singularity encompassing both Frank’s masculine and feminine side. Maybe that’s why it’s considered one of the best beat switches in the rap industry.

The beat during the Comedown is more relaxed and somber, even depressed in a way. The tone is melancholic as if Frank is regretting relapsing back into drugs.

The song itself is about a relationship Frank had with a certain person. However, through his masterful word usage, Frank simultaneously tells us about his relationship with drugs, since he used to struggle with a coke-addiction. Here, we will mainly focus on the lyrics relating to his drug abuse.

The High

This is the “Day” part of the song. Here Frank is high and he shows us the masculine part of himself.

The first two lines of the song:

Round your city, round the clock

Everybody needs you

Are about a drug dealer. Everybody, especially addicts like Frank, needs their dealers round the clock to satisfy their dependency.

Breathe ’til I evaporated

My whole body see through

This pair of lines can be attributed to smoke sessions as well as meditation. When Frank gets high, he feels like he is flying and he is evaporated and his body feels “see-through”, like a ghost. This can be a hint at Frank’s depression. He feels like an outcast like people don’t notice him because he is a ghost.

If I get my money right You know I won’t need you

Here, Frank claims that if he earns enough money, he won’t need drugs. Unlike the saying, most people believe that money can actually buy happiness, and most of the time drug addiction, or any other kind of addiction, arises from the lack of happiness in one’s life. So once Frank is rich enough to buy himself happiness, he won’t depend on cocaine to make his life livable.

I ain’t tryna keep you, Did you call me from a séance?, You are from my past life

In those lines, he is talking to drugs. Frank is trying to overcome his addiction — “I ain’t tryna keep you”. However, his dependency is acting up again, and the drugs are calling him back again through a seance, but Frank considers them to be from his past version — now he is a changed man.

The Middle

As mentioned earlier, the middle part is a period between the high and the comedown, where Frank is not yet depressed, but he is aware of what's coming.

Wanna see nirvana, but don’t wanna die yet

Nirvana is a state, that represents enlightenment and euphoria. Frank wants to feel the pleasure, but he doesn’t want to die for it. So instead, he chooses drugs that induce the feeling of euphoria.

This is also a clever wordplay about the band “Nirvana”, whose lead singer Kurt Cobain has died. Frank wants to see him, but he doesn’t want to die to see him.

The Comedown

Here, we move into the nightfall. Here Frank’s voice changes to a calmer and a higher pitch, displaying his feminine side.

Here Frank tells a story of him moving out of Louisiana after hurricane Katrina.

“Nights” by Frank Ocean is just one of those songs that resided in me. It is undoubtedly a modern masterpiece, that will be cherished and adored by listeners for generations to come.