It’s hard to tell what music is going to become timeless; which genres, songs and artists are going to survive the ever-changing industry and the even more varied tastes among listeners. Raise your hand if you thought disco was going to stick around for longer than a decade and that Carl Douglas would be “Kung Fu Fighting” until he died on stage. Well, disco died (thank goodness) and while Carl Douglas didn’t, his music career was buried with it.
What makes music timeless is its importance for a generation, its influence and its ability to be revolutionary. One problem—among many, many others—with disco was the lack of substance. Carl Douglas’ words didn’t change anyone’s life, at least not in the same way that John Lennon’s “Imagine” did. One listen to the timeless “Imagine” and your views on life change immensely. If “Kung Fu Fighting” did that for you, well, good for you, I guess? But for the rest of the article I’m going to refrain from mentioning disco any more, so this may be your exit point.
“Imagine” outlined a revolutionary thought process, one that conflicted and still conflicts today with just about every politician, economist and military-man’s stance. That’s what makes it timeless, the fact that it calls into question everything that humans live by and forces the listener to reflect on their own ways of life. To prevent the streets of Madison from being littered with discarded Daily Cardinals and the offices from being burned down in protest, let me preface what I’m about to say with a very simple disclaimer: Frank Ocean is not John Lennon and in all probability never will be.
But I’m not ruling it out entirely, if only because Ocean has created a song that might be just as important for present day society as “Imagine” was for the early 1970s. “Forrest Gump” has the lyrics to change the world and Frank Ocean has the talent to change the industry. It is one of the most important songs for our generation, and it will prove to be timeless.
The song is about Frank Ocean’s boyhood crush on another boy (a crush that that he undoubtedly vividly remembers today) along with his struggle to live in today’s society with that crush. Ocean tackles the issue of gay rights in a way that no other artist has done before. He turns inward, exposing his vulnerabilities about dealing with his sexuality for the entire world to hear and see.
Musicians have discussed or represented these issues in the past; he’s certainly not the first one to address sexual orientation. What makes it truly unique is where his influence lies, as the hip-hop culture Ocean is affiliated with has historically espoused opinions of bigotry and homophobia.
His origins lie in a rap collective, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, whose members are not shy about using homophobic slurs (although their leader, Tyler, the Creator, has stated he is not homophobic and that said words are just hurtful). Odd Future caters to young, male rap fans, a much different community than, say, the fans of an openly gay band like Queen. Stripped down to the basics, Frank Ocean is a music idol to young men, and with “Forrest Gump,” he has come out of the closet to his fans.
The position that the listener is put in sounds eerily similar to the one that John Lennon created with his peace anthems that rang in the ears of America’s youth. They are both a call for action against the norms of society, only Ocean’s is more thought provoking. Peace was a general desire for Lennon’s fan base in the ’60s and ’70s.
In contrast, Ocean may have shocked some of his devoted fans with his message; they may not have known he was bisexual when they were drawn to his music. “Forrest Gump” puts each listener in a position where they have no choice but to acknowledge the talent of the musician and to also analyze the weight of his words. The lyrics address something that goes largely ignored by Washington but that affects millions of people daily. To the true music fan and the open-minded individual, it’s a magnificent work of art dripping with genuine empathy and passion. To the bigot and the homophobe, this song is scary. They’ll ask, “How can someone so gifted be bisexual?”
During the Grammys, Ocean stood on stage and sent a shiver down peoples’ spines when he belted “Forrest Gump” to millions of viewers around the world in an incredible display of bravery and emotion. In his mind, the issues that the song deals with have been sitting on a backburner for too long and thankfully, whoever is in charge the Grammys agreed. Unfortunately, channel ORANGE was snubbed when it lost album of the year to Mumford & Sons’ more marketable Babel.
The song speaks to every confused mind—adolescent and adult—and is a loud, beautiful voice for equality. Frank Ocean is on the way up and his influence is rising. While “Imagine” was and is an anthem for peace, “Forrest Gump” is an anthem for one of today’s biggest issues and comes at a time that desperately needs it. In a way, the two songs deal with the same issue: the idea of world peace and equality for all. But while “Imagine” is an idealistic vision, “Forrest Gump” represents the living, breathing side of the issue that exists on a very concrete level. The question isn’t whether the song will be timeless; the question is whether it will be timeless because it caused major legislative progress, or because it will be trying to do so for the next 40 years.
Got a zeitgeist in mind yourself? Send Jonathan an email at jashapiro4@wisc.edu.
