39. Frank Ocean - “Solo”

Whenever I listen to this track the phrase “living my best life” comes to mind. It’s a phrase that’s easy enough to understand, but like everything born of the Internet it possesses a shadow, or a dark underside that it can’t escape. We all know that much of what we see on social media is a facade. Its the highlight reel of one’s reality, or in many cases a completely crafted and curated depiction of daily life. It’s not real, and yet it possesses a power, a sort of intoxicating aura fueled by affirmation and comparison. It’s an unavoidable contradiction, and it can be just as damaging as it is inspiring.

Frank Ocean gives voice to that contradictory existence upon this track. He toes the line between the light and the dark, balancing upon the manic tightrope as it sways from left to right. In one moment he’s living his best life, doing himself, chasing self-love, [insert any other trite, aphoristic advice that inundates various inspirational and influential social media posts]. However, in the next he’s swaddled within a sort of depressive darkness. He’s lonely and broken, floating into existential despair, ungrounded from reality, and untethered to anything meaningful or sincere. It’s a heartbreaking thing to witness, and yet sadly all too common and relatable.