The returning motif of the song is that Ocean “can see both side like Chanel”, referring to the Chanel emblem and hinting to his bi-sexuality. Back in 2012, Ocean came out as bisexual, which was a big moment for the Hip-Hop/RnB scene, also having appeared in many Odd Future songs ( Odd Future being known for their brash, offensive lyrics, of which sometimes included homosexual slurs), it came to a bit of a shock for the world but was followed with incredible support.
What Frank has always excelled at is pouring his personal life and feelings into his music without seemingly pushing it down your throat, and Chanel is no different. Some lyrics seem slightly mumbled and thrown away at some point which is the only downside, but it’s very minor. Ocean has more of a rapping tone to his voice for a majority of this song too which hasn’t been touched on much since Super Rich Kids from his debut album Channel Orange, which is refreshing. Lots of references about ‘new money’ and being rich also hint to the song being written post- Blonde, as he released his second album independently and made lots because of it.
Layered vocals is a key focus point of Ocean’s music, giving that fuller sound and the etherial backing vocals rich with reverb drift straight through you. The song from the start is a beautiful mix of piano, bass and jazz-influenced percussion, (drums and percussion being absent for the majority of Blonde, showing a progression in instrumentation).
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