Ever since I read a Reddit post detailing a theory that Frank Ocean’s album Blonde is divided up into four sections corresponding to the four seasons, I’ve understood the album as one complete year.
“Nikes” kicks off a lonely start to the year, then spring comes with its promises of a budding love. Come “Solo,” “Skyline To,” and “Self Control,” the narrator lets loose and becomes more daring in his love yet more independent and free-spirited. Summer peaks with “Nights” until the beat change – summer begins to disintegrate.
With the sonically chaotic “Solo (Reprise)” and “Pretty Sweet,” summer self-destructs, and the narrator is left nostalgic, introspective, and a little lonely with the start of fall.
The intimate, poignant, and heart-wrenching “White Ferrari” closes off fall. Then my personal favorite song from Blonde, “Seigfried,” unravels the last ends of the year through winter. With echoing and whispering vocals, dissipating melodies, and kaleidoscopic harmonies, “Seigfried” and “Godspeed” make up winter.
“Futura Free” is a montage of the youth, romance, vitality, regret, thrill, and nostalgia of the entire year – launching into another one.
Below, I’ve detailed the dates of the year each song corresponds to, along with an appropriate time of day and some locations for the most memorable listening experience.
Nikes: January 31st, 10-11pm, alone in a room, especially after a party is over
Ivy: February 14th (Valentine’s Day), 4-5pm
Pink + White: February 26th, 4-5pm, sitting on a lawn
Be Yourself: March 5th, 6-7pm
Solo: April 15th, 4-5pm
Skyline To: May 14th, 3-4pm, with a clear blue sky overhead, maybe with a few puffy white clouds
Self Control: June 6th, 7-8pm
Good Guy: June 28th, 7-8pm
Nights: July 24th, 9-10pm, preferably walking alone in the streets with headphones on
Solo (Reprise): August 10th, 8-9pm
Pretty Sweet: August 30th, 8-9pm
Facebook Story: September 27th, 6-7pm
Close To You: October 4th, 6-7pm
White Ferrari: November 10th, 7-8pm, alone in a room
Seigfried: November 30th, 10-11pm, alone in a room
Godspeed: December 14th, 9-10pm
Futura Free: December 31st, 11:45pm
Nadia Jo 