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Boys Don't Cry
2016
Boys Don't Cry
the purple collection
the color
pressing play on "nikes" for the first time felt as if spring had just awakened. i had finally felt the pleasure of "green" i was derived from for months.
“We’ll
let
you
guys
prophesy
We
gon'
see
the
future
first”
“But
we
both
know
that
deep
down
The
feeling
still
deep
down
is
good”
coming off of "nikes", there was no time to recover from the sight of leaves, and "ivy" maintained the emotion. frank's voice and guitar only darkened the hue.
the name speaks for itself, but the instrumentation amplifies it. the record just switched to summer and that immediate rush hits you the same way when listening to "pink + white".
“You’d
kneel
down
to
the
dry
land
Kiss
the
Earth
that
birthed
you
Gave
you
tools
just
to
stay
alive
And
make
it
out
when
the
sun
is
ruined"
“Be
yourself
and
know
that
that’s
good
enough
Don't
try
to
be
someone
else
Don't
try
to
be
like
someone
else
Don’t
try
to
act
like
someone
else,
be
yourself”
yellow, to me, signifies hope - exactly what i hear whenever "be yourself" comes on. hearing words from someone unrelated to you, like frank's friend's mom is doing here, keeps your ears open.
with keys so bleak-toned, frank's voice is brought out in an almost white. while listening, i hear the album cover - this shade of white surrounding his portrait.
“it's
hell
on
Earth
and
the
city’s
on
fire
Inhale,
in
hell,
there’s
heaven
There's
a
bull
and
a
matador
dueling
in
the
sky
Inhale,
in
hell,
there’s
heaven”
“In
comes
the
morning
haunting
us
with
the
beams
Solstice
ain't
as
far
as
it
used
to
be
It
begins
to
blur,
we
get
older”
Blonde is composed of surprisingly low - but intentional - amounts of instrumentation and "skyline to" is that textbook example. when vocalizing about the morning, the quietness that is a sunrise sneaks
through.
as a listener as well as a songwriter, hooks do what they intend to do, pull me in to question. the ending of "self control" bleeds this blue from the hook through his voice - a big highlight on Blonde.
“I,
I,
I
know
you
gotta
leave,
leave,
leave
Take
down
some
summertime
Give
up,
just
tonight,
‘night,
'night
I,
I,
I
know
you
got
someone
comin'
You’re
spittin'
game,
oh,
you
got
it”
“I
know
you
don't
need
me
right
now
And
to
you,
it’s
just
a
late
night
out”
on "good guy" frank switches to piano for showing his colors. but instead of releasing some wavelengths unheard before, he decides to keep the keys mundane - proving the song's meaning more.
the epitome of the songs on Blonde, "nights" shows the transition from day to night, the time where purple leaks from the sky. as if the album starts a new chapter, frank encourages us to restart our day when the sun goes down.
“New
beginnings,
ah
New
beginnings,
wake
up
ah
The
sun's
goin'
down”
“So
low
that
I
am
no
rookie
but
feel
like
a
kid
Looking
at
the
other
kids
With
astonishment
while
I'm
on
punishment
Watching
the
summer
come
close
to
an
end”
with no frank on the actual track, but rather the great andre 3000, solo turned from its almost-white to blue. as a complete rejuvenation, solo (reprise) is a reminder that frank is the same person day and night, while acting as one of the best double entendres of the whole record.
frank comes back from his one song hiatus sounding as if he had gone to war. deep into the night, this song is reminiscent of the inner battles we face all while the dark sky lies above us.
“This
is
the
blood,
the
body,
the
life
right
now
The
height
right
now
Might
be
what
I
need”
“That's,
it
means
like
it's
jealousy
Pure
jealousy
for
nothing”
as the name suggests, this story about a man who rejects his girlfriend's facebook request, emphasizing the importance and power of being present. a shade of purple - partly for love and partly for loss.
when listening to Blonde, as you do with any album, you age while the tracks play - a bittersweet realization when it comes to music. to me, pink represents the processing (very much talked about in "close to you) of a similar realization.
“But
we're
getting
older,
baby
Don't
have
much
longer,
baby”
“I'm
sure
we're
taller
in
another
dimension
You
say
we're
small
and
not
worth
the
mention
You're
tired
of
movin',
your
body’s
achin'
We
could
vacay,
there's
places
to
go”
being one of my favorite parts of any song ever, the end of "white ferrari" shows the longing to see the world with a lost lover. i believe that plum represents this emotion and sound the best.
sonically "seigfried" sounds as if it is underwater, such as a nostalgic throwback to childhood swimming pools. the prisms made by light hitting the water is what i picture in this song, and an aqua represents it best.
“See
some
colors,
light
hang
glide
off
the
moon”
“This
love
will
keep
us
through
blinding
of
the
eyes
Silence
in
the
ears,
darkness
of
the
mind ”
again with a piano-like opening, "godspeed"'s simplicity causes the meaning to stand out more. while it is still night outside, we are creeping towards daylight and the sky right before the sun starts to rise again shows this well.
a reflection on the past while understanding the present, "futura free" is finally daylight again where the nine-minute outro connects to me most - longing for people to see me and my art, and the sense of pride i hope to feel someday when someone appreciates it.
“‘Play
these
songs,
it's
therapy,
momma’
‘They
payin'
me,
momma’”