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Luis Santa Cruz

Trishia Briones

ENGL 1301-123

October 9th, 2023

Blondes Don’t Cry

Blonde is the third studio album of singe song writer Christopher Breaux otherwise

known as Frank Ocean. Blonde is an album with many details hidden in the songs and the cover.

However, the cover tells the listener what they are in for once they click play. The cover tells a

story from the title displayed on the front, the white background and the artist on the front cover.

These give the listener an experience even before playing the album. Frank Ocean put a lot of

detail in this minimalist cover and the lore is extensive the more you look into the meanings and

intentions of the art.

The word “Blond” on the cover is a part of one of the two types of spelling they use for

the album. The word “Blonde” that’s used on streaming services and in marketing shows a

message of duality. This is because Frank Ocean uses the French context of the word. Blond

which is used on the cover is the masculine context of the word while the official name “Blonde”

is the feminine context. Frank Ocean, who is known to be a part of the LGBTQIA+(Lesbian,

Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual) community uses this dual

spelling to show his struggle coming to terms with his sexuality identity, and masculinity. He

confirms this in a pitchfork magazine interview where Frank Ocean states “There’s no fantasy on

this record, or any of the music…It’s all, for better or worse, autobiographical—just my
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experience, the foundation of what’s made me who I am today.” This album incapsulates

growing up as a man struggling with his identity and coming to terms with his sexuality.

The white background of the album represents new beginnings, innocence, and purity.

The white color is apparent throughout the whole album even having a song named “White

Ferrari”. The themes of new beginnings, innocence and purity are heavy themes within the

album. The album is a reflective and retrospective of the artist’s life. The meaning of the white

describes how his life changed from pure and innocent to more into a dark one the more he grew

up. He confirms this in an essay he published in his “Boys Don’t Cry” magazine that

accompanied the album. Frank Ocean states “Boys do cry, but I don’t think I shed a tear for a

chunk of my teenage years.” The quotes means that it’s a coming-of-age album and the white is

symbolism for his early years.

The main vocal and imagery point of the album cover is the picture of the artist that is

placed in the middle. The picture is of the artist covering his eyes in the shower while sunlight

creeps in from a source not seen in the frame. Many people have interpretations on what this

image means and defines. The image of Frank Ocean in the shower references the

photographer’s (Wolfgang Tilman) called “Me in The Shower.” They were also heavily involved

int the art for this album. Since the photographer and Frank Ocean have had the same

experiences coming to terms with their sexuality as they are both part of the LGBTQIA+

community. This references the point of duality that is also seen on the cover. In addition, the

pose can also indicate that Frank Ocean is crying and covering his face, so the “viewers” won’t

see him cry. This reinforces the message of him dealing with his masculinity, and the catchphrase

or slogan for this album is “Boys Don’t Cry” and the picture on the cover tells us that the

statement isn’t true.

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In conclusion, Blonde’s album art and the message behind it has a very comprehensive

backstory and tells a story just by the cover itself. Frank Ocean’s third studio album and the art

accompanied is his magnum opus. From the double spelling of the word Blonde/Blond shows his

struggle with his masculinity and sexuality. The white colored background tells the reflective and

introspective of his early being pure and innocent but losing that as he came of age in the album.

The white color tells his story from the start of his life. The portrait of Frank Ocean front and

center of the cover shows him being emotional. This picture shows him covering his face in the

shower and he is apparently crying. It matches the mood of the album as the lyrics encapsulate

the loss of youth and innocence. It also serves as a contradictory as the slogan or phrase of the

album states, “Boys Don’t Cry” and shows a message of masculinity. Frank Ocean Crying on the

cover shows how he struggles with his masculinity and contradicts the phrase. The album art

encapsulates Frank Ocean’s Personal story and his coming of age. Blonde is considered a

masterpiece by many for its lyrics and music. However, art is overlooked and underappreciated.
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Works Cited

Kim, M. (2017, November 8). Frank Ocean shares a personal essay from his boys don’t cry

zine. The FADER. https://www.thefader.com/2016/08/20/frank-ocean-boys-dont-cry-

spread-essay

Sam. (2017, May 11). Album art analysis: Blond(e). Medium.

https://medium.com/@shmam_/album-art-analysis-blond-e-ed45d1d770fe

Wheelock, K. (2020, October 26). Wolfgang Tillmans and the story of blond ’s cover. KJ

Archives. https://kjarchives.com/articles/the-history-and-photography-of-emblondems-

cover