My life a year ago: the tail end of the hot summer in Las Vegas. My first summer as a college graduate, living in my first apartment just miles away from the city lights. At the time, I was in the middle of my internship at Cirque du Soleil, also another first (my first 9-5). To be completely honest, it was a hard time for me, as the reality set that working in corporate just wasn’t for me. Spending a majority of my week in a place where I didn’t belong was very taxing to my spirit.
You know what got me through those long days? This album. It gave life to my soul and pulled the strings of my heart. The melodies, the flow, the poetry permeating the entire album. The imagery, the love, the truth. The way Frank’s stream of consciousness seemed so intricate yet relatable to anyone. My boyfriend and I were long distant at the time too, so I often found myself solo on the dance floor, off tabs of that acid. Singing my heart out to these songs, albeit off key, was the release and comfort I needed, at a time where I felt my soul withering away to the system (dramatic, I know).
In honor of Blonde’s 1 year Anniversary, I picked some of my favorite lyrics from the tracks I had on heavy rotation: Ivy, Nights, Solo, and Self Control.
Ivy –the perfect summer ode to breakups, whether it was ending a romantic or platonic relationship. Nostalgic, dreamy lyricism with melancholic production.
Skyline To –the soundscape of summer, perfectly expressing the ever fleeting nature of time.
Solo –ah the feeling of night cruises, windows down, blasting this song; singing as loud as you could. The story telling is truly impeccable here.
Self Control –sometimes we outgrow people. Sometimes we’re not always on the same page. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be part of the story anyhow. This love ballad reminds me of just that.
Nights –Now this was my anthem. The perfect fusion of rap and r&b. There’s a blunt attitude about it yet delicate vulnerability. Can’t forget that fucking breakdown too.
Not visually expressed, but other favorites from the album were: Close To You, Solo (Reprise), White Ferrari, and Pink + White. What were your guys’ favorite songs/lyrics from the album?
