Released: 2012
Yo, we’re about to dive deep into Frank Ocean’s joint “Thinkin Bout You,” a track that etched itself into the hearts and minds of true heads and casual listeners alike. This cut is a bittersweet ballad, where Frank flexes poetic chops to paint a vivid picture of love, longing, and the raw emotion that spills when you’re caught up in the feels for someone who’s no longer around. It’s that deep yearning for a past flame, served up with Frank’s signature suave.
The song kicks off with the line, “A tornado flew around my room before you came,” vividly conjuring up the chaos of emotions love can bring. But when Frank says, “Excuse the mess it made, it usually doesn’t rain,” he’s clapping back at the stereotype of that perpetually sunny California vibe – just like the rare rain in L.A., his tears are rare but intense. The hook, “I’m thinkin ’bout you,” hits like a refrain of longing, each repetition a wave of reminiscence crashing over him as he wonders if somewhere out there, she’s feeling the same pull.
In the second stanza, Frank goes deeper into the love facade. “No, I don’t like you, I just thought you were cool enough to kick it,” – this ain’t nothing but posturing, a front to guard his feelings. When he says he got a beach house to sell in Idaho, it’s a slick metaphor; Idaho’s about as landlocked as it gets, just like Frank’s own emotional lockdown, a place where a beach house doesn’t make sense. And that fighter jet he can’t fly? It symbolizes something dope he has but can’t use – like his deep feelings for shorty that he can’t express now she’s out of the picture.
Then Ocean switches gears, reminiscing about the bond they shared – she was his first, a unique connection that’s still blazing in his spirit. “We’ll go down this road ’til it turns from color to black and white,” he croons, suggesting that the memory of their love will persist until everything else fades away. It’s all about the timeless nature of those raw emotions and experiences, immortalized in his mind.
The recurring question, “Do you think about me still?” feels like a direct line thrown out into the void, waiting for that echo back. And the repeated musings about forever show the depth of his contemplation, the idea of an eternal connection despite the present disconnect. When he’s asking, “Or do you not think so far ahead?” it’s part plea, part accusation – like, how could she not feel the weight of what they had?
Throughout “Thinkin Bout You,” Frank Ocean delivers a masterclass in vulnerability, lacing his lyrics with metaphors that resonate on a frequency that’s both personal and universal. He takes us through the highs of love’s inception to the gut punch of its absence, leaving listeners in a state of reflective empathy. It’s that love letter you write but never send, a sonic memoir of the heart that, true to form, Frank Ocean turned into pure art.
