Too, pointing towards the future helps Frank validate the length of the song. Moreover, we understand Frank’s motives from the first half of “Pyramids,” where he sings: “ We’ll run to the future, shining like diamonds.” From the beginning, Frank is alerting us to the majesty of “Pyramids,” how it expands upon a tragedy with real-world imagery and glimmers of hope. Frank is merely the vessel, and he empties himself to the best of his abilities to allow the Cleopatra narrative to be fluid and pure. Here, Cleopatra owns her body-she owns her history. Frank’s aim with “Pyramids” is to, as much as a man can, return the power men siphon from women back to their rightful owners.
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He seems to say Cleopatra understands the pithy desires of man and knows how to bend them to her will-to her benefit. Frank does not levy pity on Cleopatra, does not weigh her choice of labor on any moral scales. We cannot escape the male gaze, but we can applaud Frank for giving our Cleopatra agency as she moves from past to present. We cannot escape the fact that Frank is a man looking at a woman. There is, of course, the complication of desire. Frank attempts to note how desire and strength weave together to create something timeless and irreverent. The supposition here is that Cleopatra can never really die, much like desire can never really die, much like Black women themselves are eternal. Frank could have concluded the song there, but he chose to continue the history of Cleopatra, of the Black woman. After the first half of the song, our Cleopatra dies as she does in myth, by the bite of a poisonous serpent. Instead, Frank chose to sew two halves together to make one astounding whole. “Frank Ocean.” Wikipedia, 2017, en./wiki/Frank_Ocean.“Pyramids” could have been released as two complementary songs on channel ORANGE. The use of a slower transition makes it easier for the listener to prepare for the sharp change in style and meaning. The use of bass in beginning contrast with the ending guitar by adding some “funk” to the intro, while the ending guitar solo is slowed down and drawn out. The combination of the slower tempos and dynamic changes in sound add to the overall mellow mood. As this realization sets in, the chorus is repeated and the music dies down to a solemn guitar solo. After the lull, the tempo speeds up again as he starts to explain his relationship with a prostitute named Cleopatra, “working at the pyramid, working at the pyramid tonight.” As he continues he expresses his love for this women even though he is her “pimp” and they cannot be together. The beginning is referencing history with subject being on a women named Cleopatra. This shift is also the turning point in the meaning of the song. Then half way through, there is dance break that leads the listener into almost a completely different song. After the first verse the tempo begins to pick up then slows down again during the chorus. When the music starts, tempo are slower giving the song a weightless feeling. He then changes the style of the song to a more modern “club” impression until the end of the song where it slowly fades away with a guitar solo. The music becomes more faint, smooth creating that same calm atmosphere he began with. This theme continues when the story changes mid-way through the song. Ocean eases the listener into the song with a soft intro then shifts to a louder, heavier bass that forces attention to the story. DynamicsĪnother factor that adds to complex nature of this song is the variation is sound. With the length of the song (9:53) distinct change within the song creates the illusion that these two parts are completely separate songs. The first half of the song has a different chorus than the second half. The beginning starts with the chorus then leads into a transitional verse which then flows into the actual first verse. While listening this song, it is separated into parts. This song in particular is credited as “nearly 10-minute epic that touches on everything from club music to good old-fashioned slow jam R&B” (Dobbins) Pyramids was written by Frank Ocean and James Ryan Ho and was produced by Frank Ocean, Malay, Om’Mas Keith in Hollywood. He had previously made mix tapes and would post his music on SoundCloud. In contrast to my analysis of a song from the 20’s, this song was released very recently.įrank Ocean is a younger artist this song is actually from his 2012 debut album. I have recently found that I am starting to prefer relaxed music.
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