DELISA: With his vulnerable lyricism and impressive production, Frank Ocean has become one of
today’s most beloved artists.
DELISA: After the release of his last album
2016’s ‘Blonde’, fans keyed in on the standout track “Nights” and its beatswitch.
DELISA: These beat switches have become synonymous with Frank and have been a part
of his music since the beginning - like on his 2011’s debut mixtape ‘Nostalgia Ultra’
when he flipped Mr. Hudson’s “There Will Be Tears.”
But where does this come from? And is Frank the first to do it?
[COLE] As a listener, we go from this melodic upbeat song // Out of that kind of blossoms
this really emotional beat.
If you were just to hear that beat on its own, it would not be as effective
as it is.
DELISA: That’s Cole Cuchna from Dissect - a podcast that breaks down one artist’s
work each season.
And for his third season, Cuchna broke down ‘Blonde’ track by track.
DELISA: He explains how the switch is an example of what he calls Frank’s compositional brilliance.
COLE: From the chaos and relentlessness of the disorting dueling guitars, comes an airy nocturnal
beat with subtle reverb drenched piano samples.
DELISA: Cuchna likens the beat switch on “Nights” to “A Day In The Life” by The Beatles,
which also uses chaos as a transition.
COLE: We get order out of chaos and the understated beauty of the new musical material is dramatically
enhanced by the ugliness that preceded it.
DELISA: The harshness in the switch up we hear on tracks like these results in a theory
called musical frisson defined as quote:
DELISA: These musical surprises can make the listener physically feel something like chills, goosebumps or even tears.
This is because quote:
DELISA: This unexpected change is exactly why Frank’s beat switches resonate so strongly
with his fans.
DELISA: And back on “Nights,” Frank uses
a stuttering guitar riff to transition into the next part of the track, but the audible
swell underneath is what grabs the audience’s attention.
The riff and then the little swell is the brief little BLIP that just kinda very concisely swells to this moment of catharsis
which is the beat switch.
Without that middle section, the beat switch would not work in my opinion.
DELISA: According to Cole, this switch, which lands at 3:30 on the track, directly splits
the album into two 30 minute efforts.
Prior to the switch the album’s production is more bright and laced with romantic themes,
like on “Pink + White” and the first half of “Nights.”
DELISA: And on the back half of “Nights” and songs like “White Ferrari,” 'Blonde'
becomes a more melancholy view of love and life.
COLE: Oh shit, this is not only a great musical moment, it is actually this moment of it's
the light switch of the whole entire album where it changes.
DELISA: But we don’t just see the elusive artist applying this theory on “Nights.”
“Pyramids,” off 2012’s ‘channel ORANGE,’ has a similar musical occurrence.
DELISA: The first part of the track includes
bouncy and glitchy beats….
DELISA: While the second half provides an
almost painfully slow and mesmerizing cadence.
DELISA: But unlike “Nights,” the descent on “Pyramids” is more gradual.
COLE: So, the interesting thing about "Nights" and "Pyramids" is that they actually use the
same technique to transition from part one to part two, but the expression
of that technique is totally different sonically.
DELISA: Rather than splitting the song into different themes, this beat change gives Frank
the opportunity to explore a larger story.
COLE: In "Nights" you can argue, it moves from day to night, "Pyramids" moves from time period
to time period.
That allows him to tell this really expansive story about a single character in a really
unique and creative way.
DELISA: A similar use of a beat switch to continue a narrative from a different perspective
can be seen on Stevie Wonder’s “Ordinary Pain.”
DELISA: Frank is a noted fan of the music legend, with Ocean covering Stevie’s Talkbox medley cover
on 2016's 'Blonde.'
FRANK: I found this cover that Stevie did of a Carpenters song called “Close To You”
and it was like I had to sing it and his rendition made it my favorite song.
DELISA: Ocean, Stevie Wonder and the aforementioned Beatles aren’t the only artists to incorporate
beat switches into their music.
DELISA: Tracks like Kendrick Lamar’s 2010 cut "m.A.A.d City"...
DELISA: Kanye West’s “New Slaves” equipped with an assist from Ocean...
DELISA: And “Sicko Mode's" transitions
from Travis to Drake throughout the record.
DELISA: Whether it's moving through moods, personalities or time, beat switches are a
unique way to elevate a story and shock the listener.
DELISA: What’s your favorite beat switch?
Let us know in the comments.
DELISA: I’m Delisa with Genius News bringing
you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.