Love - Durham University

Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration of Homosexuality
in Hip-Hop and R&B
CAMERON CREES
The twentieth century brought some remarkable and revolutionary civil rights movements.
With socio-political change, comes cultural change; the two move in tandem. The apogee for Civil Rights
Movement is still at a peak and has not faltered since the end of the Second World War. As oppressed
peoples begin to bang a drum, a cultural and musical reaction occurs. Sixto Rodriguez’s music became a
symbol of hope throughout anti-Apartheid and anti-racist movements in South Africa; the late Pete Seeger
campaigned prolifically against the Vietnam War and the Clearwater Campaign. Music has an incredible
ability to challenge social conventions, working in parallel to a social conscience; artworks always mirror
“the social process surround[ing] them” (Adorno: 335). Analysis of popular music is a study into the
sociology, psychology, and semiology of music as “studying popular music is an interdisciplinary matter”
(Middleton: 74). Gay rights are on the social conscience in contemporary culture. Although there is much
acceptance throughout Western society, there are attitudes of homophobia entrenched in certain genres of
music. Homosexuality has breached almost every genre of music apart from hip-hop and, to some extent,
R&B.
The birth of hip-hop is contentious, but its cradle was nineteen-seventies, New York City. Hip-hop is
an umbrella term for “[a] youth sub-culture, originating amongst the black and Hispanic populations […],
which comprise elements such as rap music, graffiti art, and break-dancing”.1 Hip-hop and R&B music are
associated with this sub-culture and acts as a self-identification tool of an oppressed populace. This
synonymy between music and a self-awareness of identity meant that hip-hop was, and still is, used as a
genre to highlight a minority population considered subordinate to majority. Due to the lack of any
‘authoritative’, objective property of style of music, the identity of hip-hop becomes discursive. This makes
hip-hop easily transmutable across genres. With this ability to amalgamate into different genres, the
identities and political connotations are transferred with this migration. It is important to note, “music is
capable of transmitting the affective identities, attitudes and behavioural patterns of social definable
groups” (Middleton: 74). A question arises at this point; if the hip-hop identity is adaptable and liberal, why
is there a detrimental attitude towards homosexuality?
Rose states that “[h]ip-hop culture emerged as a source for youth of an alternative identity” (216) to
create a sense of belonging, where competition “remains a never-ending battle for status” (217). A sense
of masculinity within a violent gang culture was a signifier of a high status. For example, ‘Mack Rap’ – a
subgenre of hip-hop – emphasises a boasting of extreme wealth, money-flaunting and heterosexually
virulent images. A term for this behaviour has spawned within criticism of ‘Mack Rap’, describing it as “Big
Willy-ism”. This is one of countless examples in which a virulent ideal of male heterosexuality equates to
higher status in hip-hop. A tool of disparagement is the antithesis and therefore, homosexual representation
is used to belittle. This deprecation has permeated throughout the whole of hip-hop culture and therefore
homosexuality is considered as subordinate and inferior. Examples of lyrics in hip-hop range from
Notorious B.I.G. (Mister Cee); “So any time you’re ready Mister Cee We gon’ get hardcore on these homos”
to Eminem (Marshall Mathers);2 “I’ll knock you fuckin’ faggots the fuck out”. Homophobia is so fierce
1
Entry for “Hip-hop”, Oxford English Dictionary.
Although this example of Eminem’s homophobia is intense, some critics believe that actually
Eminem’s many pseudonyms and adopted characters are a way of dealing with his genderphobia.
2
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Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
within hip-hop that Posdnos, a member of the trio De La Soul, has to justify that his relationship with fellow
group member, Mase, is heterosexual in the song Can’t Call It – “I’m not gay but I’m quick to say Mase is
my man”.
Frank Ocean’s Thinkin Bout You is not rap as defined as a genre in which “lyrics […] are spoken
rhythmically”.3 However, over the past two decades, a homogenisation of R&B and hip-hop has manifest
presence. In the early nineties, hip-hop artists and producers begun to use R&B samples, hooks and
compose original R&B material. Simultaneously, “hip hop aesthetics have also exerted an enormous
influence on the instrumental and studio production techniques as well as altering the singing styles of
current R&B” (Weheliye: 30); the aesthetics of hip-hop or rhythm and blues are not a one-way street.
Reasons for this mutual amalgamation of both genres are due to a synonymous concept of black identity
and having many similar musical and aesthetic qualities. R&B is entrenched in one of the largest Civil
Rights movements in the twentieth century; the US Black Rights movement utilizes music as a tool
exemplifying racial struggle. An example of hip-hop adopting R&B is Dr. Dre’s Xxplosive. A hook and
chorus sung by Nate Dogg in an R&B style and the song heavily samples the R&B classic by Erykah Badu,
Bag Lady. The combinations of these elements create a heavy R&B aesthetic. An example of R&B adopting
hip-hop is Destiny’s Child Say My Name with a heavy rhythmic vocal as if the song were rapped. When a
genre adopts another genre, many political and sociological qualms are transferred. An example of this
political transference into another genre is R. Kelly’s R&B Thug with a blatant hip-hop gangster theme even
in the title. Both genres deal with issues of identity, which migrate from one to another. Frank’s Ocean’s
album imports many overt characteristics of hip-hop.
Music can be used as a tool of resistance and to establish a place within culture and society.4
Paradoxically, hip-hop creates this strange dialectic of allowing the voice of the oppressed to be heard, yet
simultaneously oppresses homosexuality. Macklemore (born Ben Haggarty) & Ryan Lewis and Frank
Ocean use popular music to establish a homosexual voice in hip-hop music and contemporary culture.
Macklemore’s is an overt expression of gay rights within a homophobic society; Macklemore’s Same Love is
a social and cultural commentary on a sociological ideology built on the heterosexual norm and demands
equality. Frank Ocean’s is a love song subtly referencing his experience with homosexuality thus rebelling
against the stereotype and prejudice found within the genre. Ocean struggled to come to terms with his
sexual identity but ‘came out’ in the interim period between his first and second album. His song Thinkin
Bout You from his second album channel ORANGE has subtle nuances to his sexuality.5 Both artists
belong to genres entrenched in homophobia. However, the genres originate from a “resistance against a
dominant ideology or culture” (Rose: 218). The contention here is how the artist uses homophobic genres
to represent songs centred on homosexuality.
Philip Tagg’s checklist of musical analysis is an astute guide when trying to establish a
methodological approach for analysis of popular music (Tagg: 37). However, Tagg does seem to focus on
the message of music without the appropriation of lyrics. There is much focus on the more ‘traditional’
music-based analytic work – for example in his analysis of Kojak – but the addition of lyrics can alter and
change the definitive message of the song. Isaac Hayes’ title music to Shaft would not possibly have been
considered “Blaxploitation” if it was not for its blatant 1970s ‘Black Power’ message expressed in the lyrics.
A concurrent analysis of both lyric and music is necessary as both have the ability to alter and modify the
message of a song. Naturally, interpretation does not just depend on lyric or music, but is dependent on a
number of factors; “[songs] consumption is not merely passive. A song’s meaning is not immutable,
independent of context” (Herman and Hoare: 93).
For more information, Stephens, Vincent. "Pop Goes the Rapper: A Close Reading of Eminem's
Genderphobia." (1999).
3
Entry for “Rap”. Oxford English Dictionary. Italics are my own.
4
An example of the study of music as a tool of resistance is Women and Popular Music: Sexuality
Identity and Subjectivity. Sheila Whiteley
5
A more explicit example of homosexuality in Ocean’s music is Forrest Gump from channel
ORANGE. However, the decision to analyze Thinkin Bout You is that the gay subtlety that permeates
through the song are more lucrative rather than the slightly more overt themes that exist in Forrest
Gump.
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Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
“Same Love” – Analysis
There are some running tropes throughout Same Love. The concept of marriage is prevalent in this
song; Macklemore wrote and recorded the song as the Washington Referendum 74 was drafted, which
legalised same-sex marriage in Washington State.6 This effected Macklemore personally as his uncle is gay
– “I thought I was gay because […] my uncle was”. Another trope is the revivification of US civil rights
movement with reference to the Black Civil Rights movement of the mid-twentieth century. A subtheme
closely linked to the Black Rights Movement is the motif of gospel.
The song opens with a tonal centre of E major and instantly introduces the theme of marriage.
The sound is similar to that of a rotary organ sound, which is closely associated with Gospel music and
therefore, Christian marriage. It is a wave of sound as individual notes of the chord are difficult to
distinguish. Piano notes ring through the opening chord like wedding bells. There is a slight layered effect
as the piano notes are individual samples. The vinyl crackle effect is added to the sampled piano notes to
create a more vintage sound to the pre-introduction alluding to the Golden Age of Records, which was at
the same time as the Black Civil Rights during the mid-twentieth century. The notes are played in what
seems to be in a random order (within the key of E major). Macklemore’s pianist – Noah Goldberg – plays
with these random notes with a kind of lilting rubato creating an image of youth as it reflects the playing
style of an untaught child. When coupled with the first line of the song, these musical techniques reflect the
developing ideology through childhood. The song follows the growth through life, which is represented
brilliantly by the director, Jon Jon Augusto, in the respective music video. The chimes and the glockenspiel
give connotations to a fairy tale marriage. The pinging metallophones and idiophones play at the close of
the song too; when combined with the video, the marriage of the two gay men provides a circularity and
continuity to the song, as if the message of the song is everlasting (similar to a fairy tale, marriage ending of
“happily ever after”).
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (rapper and producer, respectively) use the R&B song People Get
Ready, The Impressions, as a sample for Same Love. Curtis Mayfield composed People Get Ready after
marching through Washington D.C. for Black Civil Rights. It is common for black R&B artists to propose a
“new vision of black identity and politics […] who used the ghetto sound as a tool of civil protest” (Demers:
45). Mayfield notoriously utilises music to inspire people to act. Politicised songs by Mayfield include Keep
on Pushing or We’re Rolling On. Other examples of R&B songs and artist that have politicised theme are
War by Edwin Starr and America is My Home by James Brown.7 Many civil awareness songs have centred
on the hook in Mayfield’s People Get Ready, for example Bob Marley’s One Love and Bruce Springsteen’s
My City of Ruins. Mayfield’s song was contentious at the time as many saw black equality as morally
incorrect and now has become the social norm. This reconsideration of social thought is imported through
the medium of Mayfield’s song into Macklemore’s. People Get Ready has become ubiquitously combined
with a conscious, civil struggle; in this sense, Macklemore samples music as a “tool of civil protest”.
Macklemore extracts components from People Get Ready for his own. Macklemore utilises a similar
string technique. After the modulation in People Get Ready, there is at crescendo and decrescendo of
tremolo strings on D in each phrase of the verse; this is similar to bars 42 to 46 in Same Love. Rather than
a tremolo effect in People Get Ready, Macklemore employs quivering semi-quaver motif. Mayfield and
Macklemore use the strings to create a richer texture in both songs. During the first verse of People Get
Ready, there are pizzicato B quavers on the off-beat by the high strings on beats three and four at bars 6
and 8. At bar 23 in Same Love, a staccato semi-quaver motif enters on the off-beat. It is a staccato
electronic noise that enters at a similar moment of Mayfield’s song. The antiquated sound of a steam train
is not just a sound motif symbolising forward motion of society but also the pivotal crux of Mayfield’s People
Get Ready – “There is a train coming”. A train sound is introduced at bar 69; it begins quietly and then
builds as if the train is approaching. This technique of word painting across the songs revitalises the motif
of the train. Even the structure of Same Love is similar to People Get Ready as the introduction consists of
one loop of the four bar motif, starting at the tonic, going to the submediant, then to the subdominant and
then repeating. The similarities evoke images of the Civil Right Movements in the social and subjective
mind of the listener. Therefore the similarities import political force from Mayfield’s song into Macklemore’s.
Music here is evoking the public imaginations to instil the concept of equality and civil rights for
homosexuals.
6
For more information, http://washingtonunitedformarriage.org/
This James Brown song is a brilliant example of R&B and rap combining in a politicised song
commenting on society.
7
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Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
Macklemore is updating the political activism to homophobia embedded within not just hip-hop and
R&B culture, but society at large. Each verse of Same Love consists of ‘speech effusive’8 rap. ‘Speech
effusive’ is the term used to describe the genre of rap that spills over into the rhythmic boundaries of the
meter and is not constrained to regular syntax or rhyme. The benefit of speech effusive rap is the rapper is
not constrained to a format or rhythm and the delivery – or more colloquially, his ‘flow’ – is built on
naturalistic polyrhythms. This allows for a varying delivery, which is up to the discretion of the rapper. The
effect that effusive rap has on the message of the song is the ability to emphasise certain moments of each
verse which in turn highlights the message of the song. Macklemore’s rapped rhythm is illustrated in Figure
2; it illustrates where the rapper is speaking.9 Macklemore’s flow highlights certain parts, for example the
clarity of “I thought I was gay” is emphasised, as it stands alone distinct from other words and rhythmic
patterns. Generally, the first half of the phrase has a more stunted flow followed by a longer and more
fluent latter section. The fourth row down contains six equal measures of three units in the first half. This
trio of clustering is used as a powerful rhetoric technique in political speech, reinforcing Macklemore’s
message. The extended flow then is foregrounded by the previous enumeration, which, in turn,
accentuates the sardonic irony of “Playin God”. The irony is that “right-wing conservatives [who] think it’s a
decision” are being blasphemous, not homosexuals; they have religious motivations believing
homosexuality can be “cured” when they themselves are “Playin God”. The attention drawn to this moment
by a rest after the line gives the line a pertinent sense of ironic humour.
Figure 1. Same Love Bars 38 - 4210
A typical convention within rap is a self-awareness of the song. Macklemore does not stray far from
convention with “Here we go”; he is entering the song and aware that he has to perform. However, the
symmetry in the first line of “I though I was gay” and “Here we go” being the first and the last line of the
verse, could be argued as a quasi-criticism of the deeply rooted homophobia entrenched in the genre.
8
Term accredited to Krims, Adam. Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge
UP, 2000. Print. p. 50
9
Figure 2 does not indicate precise syllabic delivery or note lengths, but illustrates the delivery of
flow.
10
All accreditations for each figure are in Appendix.
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Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
Macklemore saying, “Here we go” could also be read as a complaint, showing his irritation with the inertial
state of homophobia. The coupling of both the hip-hop convention and the fear of the genre as a whole is
an attempt by Macklemore to help the genre to overcome its fear. “Here we go” is used as a derogatory
criticism of genre and the country “who still fears what [America] don’t know”. The use of pause in the flow
after “Here we go” acts as the rapper’s sigh of despondence.
Figure 2. Same Love Bars 1-20.
Text
When I was in the 3rd grade I thought that I was gay,
[…]
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five hundred years ago.
Richard Middleton’s 1993 investigation in “Popular Music Analysis and Musicology: Bridging the
Gap” gives a particularly lucrative model when transferred to Macklemore’s Same Love. The concept
of questioning society’s norms is highlighted in Figure 1. The musical and vocal gesturing is that
of questioning and then answering; generally in each section, the first half of the melodic gesture rises as if
the intonation is ascending similar to questioning and then, the latter section falls in gesture as if the rapper
is answering the question. Macklemore is questioning the flaws within society and providing an equalitarian
answer within the musical gesturing.
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Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
Figure 2. Same Love Bars 78-82.
Antithetically, the chorus falls and rises as if seen in Figure 3. Mary Lambert is making a statement
about her sexuality rather than questioning society as if she demands acceptance – “And I can’t change,
even if I tried”. Macklemore represents the heterosexual and calls upon the majority to question the
intrinsic homophobia, while Lambert represents the statement that all love is equal. In this sense,
Macklemore has fashioned the message into the architectonics of the song. Mary Lambert’s far from
auspicious upbringing places much contextual meaning on the both the chorus and the final section. Her
father sexually abused her and she was then bullied at High School for being a lesbian. She recalls how
she felt when she was in school explaining her sexuality thus, the theme of recalling the formative
childhood years returns in the chorus. Furthermore, her love is contradictory to the social norm as “She
keeps me warm”.11 For more substantiation on the potency and simplicity of the message, look at Figure 4.
Lambert sung the backing vocals and layered over herself in the chorus. The descending motif is
reminiscent of church bells at a wedding (Figure 3). The repetition of the motif accentuates likeness to the
repetitious wedding bells linking back to the legalisation of gay marriage in the US. At the repeat of the
chorus in bars 82, the snare drum then plays a drum roll with a militaristic march. The driving crochet
11
Italics are my own addition.
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Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
piano fifths create this sense of onward march-like motion towards equality. The combination of snare
drum and piano arguably refers to the Black Civil Right marches on Washington but also could refer to
simply the determinism to get equality for the gay community. All of these factors make the chorus a
monumental hook forcing a political statement, which reflects the musical gesture.
Macklemore’s video accompanying the song follows the life from birth to death of a gay man; he
fights the social conventions throughout his life and eventually marries another man. The video is set in the
US but has no distinct location; an artistic attempt to universalise the message of making the marriage of
same sex legitimate throughout the whole of the USA. The video is a collage of an anonymous man and
vintage video of Civil Rights Movements moving chronologically through the twentieth century with
particular reference to the sixties Black Movement. Music and video has the power to “recapture the
aesthetic agency […] possessed (or which possessed them) at the time” (DeNora: 143); playing clips from
Civil Rights movements in the US instils the rekindling of social activity. Macklemore’s Same Love has a
continuous and developing message of equality. DeNora suggests that “Music moves through time; it is a
temporal medium” (142) and is a continuous process of unfolding. This process of revelation is expressed
through the narrative.
The anachronistic music video creates a timeless sense of equality universal to all oppression, thus
instilling the audience with political endeavour. The anonymity and sense of circularity to life – the narrative
following the entire life and death of protagonist – gives the video further timelessness. The song contains
many nationalistic images of the American flag and of Washington D.C. affiliating a patriotic sense of duty
to political motivation for equality. There is no screen performance of Macklemore or Mary Lambert, instead
follows the narratives and not the music, emphasising the anti-homophobic message.
Thinkin Bout You – Analysis
The verse of Thinkin Bout You is on the peripheries between being sung and rap. The difference in
pitch between the verse and the chorus accentuates the employment of such a high falsetto; the chorus is
naturally the mellifluous hook and is the most memorable part and defines the song and conversely
highlights the low and unvaried melody of verse. The verse is sung as sprechgesang and has little pitch
range and thus purports to be a kind of rap. The sparsely textured accompaniment – which is a trope more
common to hip hop than R&B – allows the narrative of the verse to come through rather than a pop
melody.
Of course each one of these components has an effect on the song and how the listener interprets
the song and its message. Hip-hop and R&B are intrinsically linked to identity (as stated above). Obviously
the message of Ocean’s song is that his first love changed his view on himself and ultimately changed his
identity. It is not an overtly homosexual love song as it has no names and few pronouns, concealing gender
and Ocean’s sexuality. He came out on his blog – tumblr – just before the release of channel ORANGE,
saying that the first person he loved was a man and that the man did not reciprocate his adoration12.
Thinkin Bout You deals in homosexuality in a more subtle way, focusing on the nuanced and
personal message of Ocean’s sexuality. It runs through a kind of personal chronology of acceptance that he
is in love with a man. Simultaneously, the homosexuality is such a covert message that the message could
be missed.13 A particularly prevalent theme that runs through this song and should be expressed within the
analysis is the theme of an interior conflict of battling emotions expressed the ‘swelling’; the lover cannot
reciprocate the emotions experienced by narrator. Ocean’s first love “wouldn’t admit the same”14 and
expressed his reciprocation three years after the supposed affair. For an example of ‘swelling’, look at
Figure 5. The internal torment swelled inside Ocean until his first love expressed the previously denied
feelings. This is reflected in the swelling of emotions until the ultimate verse and the climax of the song.
Each component of the song swells until the climax where the true emotions of the narrator are expressed.
Homosexuality is portrayed in certain musical techniques. The use of a doubled male voice, at bars
11-13, portrays romance between two men. Aesthetically, the doubled voice gives the highest falsetto more
texture, as male high falsetto can be texturally thin. The use of unison highlights the romance represented
12
Ocean, Frank. Tumblr Post. OFWG: KTA. http://frankocean.tumblr.com/image/26473798723
Web. 3. May. 3. May. 2014.
13
Almost all analysis found so far has given a heterosexual reading (not surprisingly due to the
heterosexual message found in the video) but the song is more subtly homosexual.
14
Ocean, Frank. Tumblr Post. OFWG: KTA. http://frankocean.tumblr.com/image/26473798723
Web. 3. May. 3. May. 2014.
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Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
by the same sex singing therefore portrays the male voices in a united homosexuality in the melody. Rather
than the typical male and female love duet – such as Lionel Richie and Diana Ross’s Endless Love – Ocean
doubles the vocal part into two men. This is a clear homosexual allusion in the production of Thinkin Bout
You. However, the unrequited nature means that he is layers his own voice onto his own rather than having
a partner. In bar 10, the quieter repetition of the word “ahead” sounds like a kind of mental echo,
portraying the internal conflict experience by the singer. This is the contraction of the swelling effect.
The narrator is replaying the hook and thus the main message of the song. There are clear allusions to the
subtle homosexuality that runs throughout the song.
The theme of a swelling of tormented emotions is also portrayed through musical techniques.
The opening strings have a tonal ambiguity and introduce the swelling minum chords in each bar.
On a micro level, a swelling effect is created by the accompaniment. A synthesiser plays the chords and
the swelling effect creates the sound of one synth cycle each minum chord. The chord progression
constantly falls down and up creating an further swelling. The verse has this swelling motif through each
vocal line reflecting the synth swelling (Look at Figure 6 for illustration). At the chorus, the pitch of each line
ascends and descends, the melodic phrase then contracts with the echo. The entire structure of the song
expands and contracts by developing texture and musical techniques until the climax at bars 33 to 37. The
swelling then decreases as the ultimate chorus returns to a replica of the first chorus (and then 4 bar
outro). The second verse occasionally and sporadically vocally doubles some words such as “Idaho”,
“Thought you” and “Got a”. There is a clear development in the verse, which pre-empts the climax within
the ultimate verse. The penultimate chorus adds swelling of strings with the synth. The climax of the song
is in the ultimate verse where Ocean alters the narrative voice – “how could I forget how you feel?” – the
singer then becomes the lover (second narrator). The symmetry of “feel” at the end of the lines presents a
kind of symmetry that the second narrator feels. The chords remain the same as the verse but the melody
and accompaniment changes to a solo guitar and drums. Ocean sings in a pitch above sprechgesang and
not in falsetto. The singing style changes from a quasi-rap to a pitch area more synonymous with typical
R&B. When coupled with the musical changes it arguably makes sense that the narrator changes to the
lover; the climax changes the message and tone of the song as we once thought the love experience by the
first narrator was unrequited but now the second narrator hives the listener hope as “We’ll go down this
road” together.
The message in the climax is the most emphatically homosexual in the song. The struggle of going
down the road until “it turns from colour to black and white” presents the struggle against prejudice and
homophobia. The metaphor of colour could be read as an allusion to the racial civil rights movement and
drawing a parallel of the civil rights movement. The metaphor of travelling as a symbol of resistance and
fighting any prejudice that exists (which was used by Mayfield). Ocean is utilising this common metaphor
for travelling to express his dream of sexual equality. The reference of “my first time” alludes clearly to
Ocean’s tumblr post – “It was my first love”.15 The conceit of the second narrator hiding the true emotions
from the first is another biographical reference to Ocean’s first love.
The album version has an introductory track of which the main feature is the Sony PlayStation 1
console start-up sound. This console was released in the mid-nineties when Ocean was in his early teens.
This allusion to his formative years gives continuity to the following track on the album – Thinkin Bout You –
as the song, as stated, is about the formation of his identity through his first love.
15
Ocean, Frank. Tumblr Post. OFWG: KTA. http://frankocean.tumblr.com/image/26473798723
Web. 3. May. 3. May. 2014
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Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
Melody A powerful yet subtle
call to equality. The
tone of voice makes a
forceful but not
overwhelming quality.
It is a call to arms as
the voice pre-empts
the bar with an upbeat. The subtlety
comes from the
elevation in pitch
followed by descent.
This sound reflects a
statement rather than
a question thus
alluding to the vocally
and political power
behind the hook.
Type of Relation Complimentary to
the
accompaniment.
Both balance the
strong political
message with a
subtle and
engaged tone.
Delivers message
without being
overwhelming
Piano Energy like a
perpetual march
in
a
forward
motion
without
seeming forced.
It
is
not
aggressive yet not
docile.
The
forwardness
arguably comes
from the off-beat
left hand driving
the
chord
changes.
The
march
comes
from
the
continual crochet
marketing
the
rhythm.
Accompaniment Type of Relation It is the
combination of all
of these constituent
parts that develop
and enhance the
accompaniment,
which thus, in term,
is complimentary to
the melody and
enhances the
message of the
song. Other Parts Bass continues
this energy but
does not
overwhelm the
piece. The drums
have a jazz style
due to the
irregularity of the
bass drum. The
brass has
militaristic
connotations
when coupled
with the motif of
the march. This
concept is
overcome by the
use of one single
tonic chord. Figure 4. Same Love Bars 22-25.
Melody Type of Relation Hardly any melody
whatsoever.
This allows the listener
to focus in on to the
narrative of the song. It
seems to belong to a
genre closer to rap
than to R&B. The
rhythmic phrasing of
lines such as "My eyes
don't shed tears"
belong to kind of
"speech effusive" kind
of rap rather than R&B
singing. The lack of
pronouns do not define
the sexuality. It points
towards the
unconventional sex as
Ocean is being vague
in melody and lyrics
The lyrics and
use of swelling
effect create a
word painting
expressing his
emotional
discontent. The
word painting of
a swelling chord
with imagery of
tornados and
rain. As a kind of
pathetic fallacy of
crying and rain.
The change of
chord to an E♭
when crying I
mentioned preempts the
swelling to them
"bawl[ing]".
Synth The use of major
sevenths in the
chords creates a
bewitching
and
haunting feel to the
accompaniment.
The swelling of
individual chords
emphasise
the
emotional swelling
and repression of
emotions.
The
subtle
chord
changes to E♭
major 7 or A major
emphasise certain
moments of the
song. For example,
A major at bar 6 is
a
biographical
reference to Ocean
expressly telling his
lover that he is on
his mind (Tumblr)
Accompaniment Type of Relation The
accompaniment is
sparse and simple.
Change comes with
the interesting and
irregular chord
progression, which
do not belong key
(E♭ major and A
major marking
features within the
song. The chord
progression and
beat are far from
orthodox
progressions within
R&B popular
music.
The irregularity
explains his
emotions towards
another man and
how he felt that
these emotions
were irregular but
how he has come
to terms with it. Figure 5. Thinking About You Bars 1-4. 85
Other Parts A fairly regular
hip-hop beat.
The use of
reverb with the
snare makes a
wet sound giving
the drums this
concept of
swelling. The
effect of the
reverb creates
an echoing
empty sound
reflecting the
emptiness in the
emotions of
unrequited love.
The three dry
snare beat at
the end of the
phrase. Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
Figure 3. Thinkin Bout You Bars 1-4.
Unlike Same Love, Ocean’s video for Thinkin Bout You has very little allusions to any sexuality.
The video central narrative is of an Amerindian witch doctor saving a young girl at the demand of a young
man (we assume the woman is a lover or family member). The man sacrifices himself to save the young
woman’s life thus proving his unconditional love. The video expresses heterosexuality images but the
message of love at any cost remains. The wound on the man’s face and the pain he endures in sacrificing
shows the tumult he pays to save her life. A parallel can be drawn between the anonymous man and Frank
Ocean’s suffering experienced through love. The analysis of the song independent from the video has clear
biographical references to Ocean’s homosexuality. The ambiguity of the video is an attempt to express the
tumultuous experience of love and how deep love affects us. The video is an example of the engrained
homophobia within society that Ocean has chosen to represent the song through a video without
expressing his homosexuality.
In conclusion, both songs deal with homosexuality in contrasting ways. Ocean’s song adopts
a personal stance of sorrowful unrequited love towards a “boy”. The critical reception praises the song for
“evoking touching and kissing in a velveteen womb” (Calvert) but contains little reference to its homosexual
undertones. Ocean seems to address the prejudice that exists without any kind of activism; however, it is
one of the first love songs about homosexuality in a homophobic genre, which is a genuine step towards
Macklemore’s demand for equality. Macklemore’s song has been praised as being one of the “most
profound songs” (Nunn) hip-hop has ever produced; the video was awarded the 2013 “MTV Video Music
Award for Best Video with a Message”.16 A genre that once entrenched with homophobia is revising its
maxim on homosexuality saying that now homosexuals are “Just regular people with jobs. Now they are
accepted, not classified” (Hattenstone). Music adapts to the social and political landscape. Music is only as
stubborn as the people within the society in which it forms.
Appendix
Figures 1, 3 and 6 – these illustrations of musical gesturing are accredited to Middleton, Richard. (1993).
Figure 2 – this graph, that illustrates the stresses of rapper’s flow, is accredited to Krims, Adam. (2000).
16
For more information http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/archive/winners-by-category.jhtml
86
Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
Figures 4 and 5 – these graphs that illustrate the museme stack are Tagg, Philip (1982) attempt on a
structuralist approach to popular music interpretation.
Discography
Destiny’s Child. The Writing’s on The Wall. 1999. Columbia. 494394 2
Dr Dre. 2001. 1999. Aftermath Entertainment. 490 823-2
Edwin Starr. War and Peace. 1970. Motown. MS 9023
Eminem. Marshall Mathers LP. 2000. Aftermath Entertainment. 069490629-2
Erykah Badu. Mama’s Gun. 2000. Motown. 153 259-2
Frank Ocean. channel ORANGE. 2012. Island Def Jam Music Group. B0015788-02
Isaac Hayes. Shaft. 1971. Stax. STX 88002
James Brown. Classic James Brown. 2001. Polydor. 5315047
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. The Heist. 2012. Not signed to a label.
R. Kelly. TP-2.com. 2000. Jive. 9220262
The Impressions. People Get Ready. 1965. ABC Paramount. ABCS-505
--- Keep On Pushing. 1964. ABC Paramount. ABCS-493
--- We’re Rolling On. 1967. ABC Paramount. 45-11071
The Notorious B.I.G.. Ready to Die. 1994. Bad Boy Entertainment. 78612-73005-1
Various. High School High. 1996. Atlantic. 7567-92709-1
Various. Endless Love. 1981. Mercury. SRM-1-2001]
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87
Kaleidoscope 6.2 Special Issue, Cameron Crees,“‘Thinkin Bout Same Love’: An Exploration
of Homosexuality in Hip-Hop and R&B”
Cameron Cress
St. Cuthbert’s Society
Durham University
Cameron Cress is a second-year student reading Combined Honours Arts at St Cuthbert’s Society,
Durham University. This paper was prepared as part of the ‘Popular Music Studies’ module under the
guidance of Dr Laura Leante.
88