Dissect - S3E17 - Godspeed + Futura Free by Frank Ocean

Episode Date: September 18, 2018

We dissect Blonde's closing tracks "Godspeed" and "Futura Free." You're gonna wanna listen to the end on this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Spotify Studios, this is Dissect, long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes. I'm your host, Cole Kushner. Today we conclude our season-long analysis of Blonde by Frank Ocean. On our last episode, we dissected Siegfried, a song that revealed Frank's feelings of alienation and estrangement from society, leading to an existential crisis. Sigmfried ultimately finds resolution in Frank's realization of the fragility of life and our place in the universe, an understanding that brings with it perspective, a prioritization of experience, and a sense of internal peace. This sentiment comes to a thematic peak as Blonde continues into its penultimate track, the brief but beautiful Godspeed. Godspeed was written by Frank Ocean and Malay,

and features production by Ocean, Malay, Omas Keith, and James Blake. The song contains a handful of religious overtones, most obviously in its title Godspeed, but also in its frequent. references to the Bible, its feature of gospel singer Kim Burrell, the use of the church-style organ, and the song's extensive use of the Amen cadence. We covered this cadence at length in our episode on Bad Religion, but as a refresher, the Amen cadence is a harmonic resolution that features a move from the subdominate chord to the tonic or home chord. The nickname Amen stems from this cadence's frequent use in church music when the choir sings Amen at the end of the piece. In Godspeed, the chords that make up the Amen cadence are the subdominate G-flat major,

which then moves to the tonic or home chord D-flat major. The word Godspeed is an expression of good wishes to a person going away or starting a journey. Ocean's Godspeed is an acute expression of this sentiment, a sentiment we've heard over and over throughout blonde. We find Frank wishing well a former partner or lover while saying a final goodbye to them. Frank begins Godspeed singing, I will always love you. This seems to make direct reference to the popular song titled I Will Always Love You. Originally written and performed by Dolly Parton in 1973, the song was later covered by Whitney Houston in 1992,

where it spent 14 weeks at number one. The song outlines the dissolution of a relationship in which the song's narrator leaves a lover, but does so in a respectful, loving way. We turn to the song's final verse as evidence, quote, I hope life treats you kind, and I hope you have all you've dreamed of, and I wish you joy and happiness, but above all this, I wish you love, unquote. This is the precise sentiment that we'll find expressed throughout Godspeed, so we assume Frank's reference to I Will Always Love You a deliberate decision.

We even get implications that Frank is the one leaving, as he pauses pregnantly between his statement of I will always love you and how I do. The latter addendum seems to imply that his love is personal, perhaps not a love he seeks to pursue or live out in a relationship, but love nonetheless. Frank continues playing into the song's religious overtones, quote, let go of a prayer for you, just a sweet word, the table is prepared for you. This latter line seems to cite the Bible passage Psalm 23, quote, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life." Again, we're getting references to Frank's everlasting love for this person, a love that will be there and with this person forever,

despite the separate journeys they both now embark upon. As Godspeed continues, the artist's Young Lean is heard as the source of an abstract vocal loop. It's not clear exactly what he's saying, but many believe, myself included, it sounds like, ball so hard, boys for sex. I'm not sure if there's semantic relevance here, Rather, it seems a pass is more used for its texture, as evident in its heavily affected rhythmical qualities. There will be mountains you won't move. Frank continues Godspeed singing, wishing you Godspeed, glory, there will be mountains you won't move.

Still, I'll always be there for you. The mountains you won't move line seems to reference yet another Bible passage, this time from Matthew 17. Quote, He said to them, because of your little faith, for truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. Frank's partner will encounter hardships, will struggle,

will face obstacles or mountains on their journey. Frank reminds this person that during these times of distress, still I'll always be there for you, offering them solace and a place or person to count on. Frank continues this sentiment as Godspeed continues. Frank sings, I let go of my claim on you. It's a free world. This is a sentiment we've heard expressed throughout blonde, this emphasis on an understanding of the freedom of the spirit. We think of this worldview contrast with the song like Bad Religion on Channel Orange. There, Frank ended the song, Howling to the Heavens, I can never make him love me, never make him love me, an acute expression

of the unrequited love he feels for the song's subject and the suffering it causes him. It prioritizes and places the emphasis on his own feelings, leading to a kind of emotional claim he's putting on the other person. This is a much narrower, self-centered scope when compared to the scope Frank exhibits throughout Blonde. Indeed, Blonde is filled. with songs about failed relationships, yet they demonstrate a maturity in their blamelessness. That is, Frank doesn't place judgment or condemn either side. Rather, he's able to see the failure as the result of something larger, and perhaps beyond anyone's real control. Bad timing, uncontrollable circumstances, differing priorities as two people grow older. This evolution

and worldview allows him to state something like, I let go of my claim on you. It's a free world. In other words, live your life, all live mine, and there's no whole. hard feelings. Frank concludes Godspeed seeing you look down on where you came from sometimes, but you'll have this place to call home always. There's a few possible meanings here. Looking down on where you came from could reference their relationship or the place they grew up. We also consider the possibility of it being both, that like much a blonde subject matter, this relationship took place during Frank's teenage years. He acknowledges that while this person may feel like they're above their hometown, above the relationship of their youth,

Frank assures this person that his love is a place of comfort, a kind of home that always can be relied upon. As Godspeed continues, we hear strings swell into an abrupt environment change. The organ is replaced with a soft, percussive keyboard as a choir of Frank's voices sound as if they're playing from an old-time radio. Here Frank is singing, this love will keep us through blinding of the eyes, silence in the ears, darkness of the mind. This is an extremely poetic way of expressing that as we age, as our eyesight goes, as our hearing fades, the love remains unbankished. It's the eternal guiding principle through our inevitable decay. To this point, gospel singer Kim Burrell sings over Frank's backing vocals,

I will always love you until the time we die. It's the most straightforward expression of perhaps the most prominent theme of all a blonde, the transcendent potential of love, and the capacity of our memory to forgive and let live, to find beauty and recollection, and the choice to preserve in our hearts, not hate, not animosity, but love. Godspeed punctuates this message one last time time before Blonde moves on to its next and final track, Futura Free, a song we'll discuss in detail right after the break. Welcome back to dissect. After our analysis of Godspeed, we now move to Blond's final track, the subject of the rest of today's episode, Future. Futura Free.

or creation of a piece of art from a diverse range of available things. Frank's diverse range of available things are sounds that he cuts and pace in a unique and almost abstract way. Random samples are spliced in and out, looped in the background, patterns and textures change and morph abruptly, and any notion of traditional song structure has been abandoned. The first half of Futura Free is based on a pretty straightforward chord progression, D-flat major, A-flat major, B-flat minor, and G-flat-major. We first hear this progression played backwards on the piano. That is, the recorded audio is literally reversed using digital software.

The natural decay of the piano, when reversed, now acts like a kind of swell or build-up into the chord hits. Behind these chords is a simple, steady, lo-fi drumbeat. After a single repetition of this progression, the regular non-reversed piano chords are then added on top of the backwards chords. Later, we have the addition of either a synth or heavily affected electric piano. When Frank enters the track, his voice is pitched up, a technique we've heard throughout blonde. But the effects prominent used here on Futura Free resembles how it was used on the album's opening track, Nike's, the first of a few callbacks to this song. If I was being honest, I say long as I can fuck three times a day and not skip a meal, I'm good.

I used to work on my feet for $7 an hour, call my mama like mama. I ain't making minimum wage, mama. I'm on, mama. Now I'm making 4'000, 600K mama to send on my feet mama play these songs it's therapy mama they paying me mama I should be paying them I should be paying y'all honest to God I'm just a guy I'm not a guy sometimes I feel like I'm a god but I'm not a guy if I was I don't know which heaven would have me mama let me run this bitch and I'm running to the ground mama

galaxy. God damn, fuck these lanes, I want to-n-na. Fuck these lanes, y'all want to fuck these niggas. Fuck these niggas. As we've noted throughout our analysis of Blonde, Frank stated that he used pitch alteration to make himself sound younger. That would seem to be the case here on Futura Free, as he begins by recounting his life before finding commercial success through Channel Orange. Despite his success, Frank doesn't feel his needs of change. all that much, and his quote-unquote teenage mentality begins the song. If I was being honest,

I'd say as long as I could fuck three times a day and not skip a meal, I'm good. He of course plays off the standard notion of three meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, replacing meals with sex. He continues by recounting his days prior to fame, working jobs for less than minimum wage, and calling his mother to express his frustration. He then contrasts this with the amount of money he makes today for playing and performing music, and he's still in disbelief that he gets paid for doing what he loves, for what he finds therapeutic. Quote, Now I'm making 400, 600, 800K Mama, to stand on my feet, mama, play these songs, it's therapy, mama. They pay in me, mama, I should be paying them. He then addresses the listener directly, I should be paying y'all, honest to God.

Frank then plays off the notion of God, singing, I'm just a guy, I'm not a God. Sometimes I feel like a God, but I'm not a God. Frank admits that despite us humility, at times his status and success gets to his head, but seems to be able to always return to this feeling of normalcy. Next we get what might be an allusion to his sexual preference, as he says, If I was, I don't know which heaven would have me, Mama. Most major religions have long histories of viewing homosexuality as a sin, so Frank finds it hard to imagine any religion that would embrace him. As Frank continues, he also notes that he's not fit for the role of God anyway, saying,

let me run this bitch, I'm a run it into the ground, mama, the whole galaxy. Frank then repeats variations of fuck these N-words. It's perhaps him portraying himself feeling like a god or superior, while simultaneously displaying why his immature mentality would make for a terrible master of the universe. Frank's bravado persists as this long stream of consciousness style verse continues. I'm gonna stick around. I'm gonna let my nuts hang. You got some just like me, don't you?

Or maybe not just like me. You know, I'm Africano or Americano. And even if you have Japanese roots run deep, family tree, throw a big shadow. Tech called me, please give me immortality. I'm going rapidly, paid in drastically. Yeah. I pull a zip down. Wet your lips first, lick the tip now.

Smoke some. Frank begins this bizarre section claiming how big his penis is and ends with the unification of the human species. He says, I'm going to stick around, I'm going to let my nuts hang. Aside from a defiant boast, this could be a reference to the ghetto boys song, Got to Let Your Nuts Hang. The ghetto boys are from Houston, where Frank lived briefly after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. Frank calls out the ghetto boys and the three rappers that comprise them. a group in the song Unity on his album Endless, singing, Ghetto Boys, North Face Too Cold on

these hoes. Peace out to Willie D. Bushwick Billy and Face. Frank also included a ghetto boy's song on his blonded radio playlist, so he seems very familiar with their discography. Futura free continues, N-word, you got some just like me, don't you? Or maybe not just like me. You know, I'm Africano-American, and even if you're half-Japanese, roots run deep, family tree throw a big shadow. Frank plays off the stereotype of black men having large penises and Asian men having small ones. But despite this difference, Frank points out that roots run deep, family trees through a big shadow, which alludes to the fact that we're all connected, that all human ancestry can be traced back to Africa where it's believed mankind was born. Frank then continues with a series of lines about death and decay.

Tech company, please give me immortality. I'm going rapidly, fading drastically. Frank wishes that amidst the current technological revolution, one of these big tech companies is able to create something that allows immortality or eternal life. Frank then continues with the line or pull the zip down. This works first as the zipper of a body bag, but also the zipper of his pants, bridging into a section about oral sex, as he says next, wet your lips first, lick the tip now. But with the next line, we also realize Frank is talking about smoking weed, as he says, smoke some. Licking then becomes licking the edges of rolling paper to create a seal around a joint. Now, we're going to back up just a little bit, because just before the tech company immortality lines, Frank enters with a background track of soft, melodic vocals

that are interjected between and behind the prominent pitched up vocal passage. Let's listen again to this part, focusing our attention on the backing vocals only. And even if you have Japanese roots front D, family tree, throw a big shadow. Tech called me, please give me immortality. I'm going rapidly, fared in drastically. Yeah. I pull a zip down. Watch your lips first, lick the tip now.

Smoke some. Some of these lines are a little hard to make out, but Frank sings, jamming to the rhythm, it's a face-to-face. Keep me high, Kastrati. Poonani fade the stress. Bugatti left some stretch marks on that freeway. The latter lines here are extremely clever, as Frank rhymes Castrati, Poonani, and Bugatti. Castrati is plural for Castrato, which is what a male singer is called when their testicles are removed before puberty so that their voice doesn't drop lower and register.

Saying, keep me high castrotti is then a clever play on being high on drugs and or sex, as the next line says, Punani fades distress. Punani is slang for vagina, which Frank plays off of singing, Bugatti left some stretch marks on that freeway. Bugatti is a French sports car, and stretch marks are a playoff of skid marks that tire leaves when peeling out. When placed in context with the lines that preceded, leaving stretch marks on that freeway could be likened to stretching out of vagina. Futura Free continues with a sung passage about Tupac Shakur, and we finally hear Frank's natural, unaltered voice for the first time. Frank sings, they trying to find Tupac, don't let him find Tupac.

He escaped the stress. Frank is one of course who sees value in anonymity, and he discourages those who believe Tupac isn't dead to leave him be, that if he indeed isn't dead, his fake death was an attempt to escape the pressures and stresses of being a successful artist. Given all the talk about death and escaping the stresses of life via drugs and sex, this illusion to Tupac is right on home on Futura Free. By singing La Dada-da-da, we might speculate that Frank was quoting Tupac's Hail Mary from his final album, The Don Kiluminati, the Seven Days theory.

After Frank's reference to Tupac, Futura Free begins to shift musical environments. Frank begins another stream of consciousness-style verse, while the piano chords behind him change. After a few measures, a new drum pattern enters. I keep quiet and let you run your phone build up. I know you lot of tough. I ain't on your schedule. I ain't on a new schedule. I've been a job since 2009.

I ain't on no sex flow. You see I'm changing, I feel like Selena. They wanna murder a nigga. Murder me like Selena. You must ain't get the memo. I don't cut bitches no more. But your bitch is my exception. Come get out of my four door.

I only got one photo. Remember when I had that Lexus now. A friendship don't go back that far. Tiles slept on my sofa, yeah. Niggas go back that far. Frank begins this passage directly addressing his fan base or the public at large for the chatter leading up to Blond's release. Quote, I'll keep quiet and let you run your phone bill up. I know you love to talk. I ain't on your schedule. I ain't on no schedule. I ain't had me a job since 2009. I ain't

on no sales floor. You say I'm changing on you. Frank was well aware of the four-year anticipation of his album. He told the New York Times, quote, a lot of people stopped me on the street. when I hadn't put out music in a while, literally would yell out of an Uber, Frank wear the album, unquote. This passage brings the song full circle, back to the opening verse in which Frank described working odd jobs for less than minimum wage. He points out that he's now free from schedules, that his time is his own, that he's free now to create when and where he wants, regardless of the impatience of the public. Indeed, he told the New York Times regarding endless and blonde, quote, I know that once it's out, it's out forever, so I'm not really tripping

on how long it's taking, unquote. Frank continues Futura Free singing, I feel like Selena. They want to murder a N-word. Murder me like Selena. Selina was a pop star who was murdered by the president of a Selena fan club in San Antonio. After appearing to address his fans directly in the opening of the verse, it would seem Frank is using this obsessive fan idea as a bridge to the possibility that he may be killed by one such fanatic. Frank continues, you must ain't get the memo. I don't cut bitches no more. This appears to address his open letter or memo released prior to Channel Orange that made explicit his sexual preference. It also nods to the skit that appears after the song Good Guy, in which a male says, I ain't got bitches no more.

By saying, ain't get the memo, Frank might also be sly alluding to his current boyfriend, Memo Guzman. Frank continues by pivoting, but your bitch by exception, come get her out of my foredoor. I only got one foredoor. Frank is talking trash to an unnamed adversary, claiming to have sex with this girl in his four-door car, despite him preferring men. Saying that he only has one four-door implies that the majority of his vehicles are now two-door sports cars. As we've seen a number of times on this song, Frank then contrast this current car reference to one of his past, saying, remember when I had that Lexus, no, our friendship doesn't go back that far. Tyler slept on my sofa, yeah, N-words go back that far. Frank here is reminiscent.

missing about his time and odd future, when Tyler the creator used to sleep on his couch before finding financial success of his own. As Future of Free continues, Frank becomes self-referential as he acknowledges this to be the last song on the album. She don't give head anyway. Cause what Nicky say. That's what she tell her, man. What a difference this is mixed. Niggas won't fight in the streets.

Now shit's gotta make my answer. Yeah, you hit me on an email. Should I all that act in my network? Y'all gist is chest now. Now Fetch, I ain't running for a nigga. Ain't ran since track needs. That's the only time I ran from a nigger. You could change this track.

Now, I could have changed this bitch a long time ago. You know ain't, no. No, and with you. No, shout out to Holly Grove, I'm from that seventh though. Twinsno and Lance no, punk no and Matt no. Shit went 180 on me, please run that back, though. After celebrating the completion of his album by smoking a joint, Frank refers to his beef with singer Chris Brown.

He says, N-words want to fight in the streets. Now shit's starting to make my hands hurt. This is referring to Frank's altercation with Brown and Friends at an L.A. studio in January of 2013. Frank's hand was so badly injured that he wore a bandage around two fingers, which restricted his performance at the upcoming 2013 Grammy Awards. Frank then sings about being mentored by Jay Z about the fight. Quote, Jay hit me on the email, said I ought to act my net worth. Dog, this is chess now,

not fetch. Jay implies that Frank is too smart and successful to be caught up in schoolyard antics now. He should be playing chess, perhaps pushing Frank to press charges against Brown, to take the matters off the streets and into the courts. Frank ultimately did not press charges and instead took to Tumblr to clear the air. Quote, As a child, I thought if someone jumped me, it would result in me murdering or mutilating a man. But as a man, I'm not a killer. I'm an artist and a modern person.

I'll choose sanity, no criminal charges, no civil lawsuit. Forgiveness, albeit difficult, is wisdom. Peace, albeit trite, is what I want in my short life. peace, unquote. Frank continues Futura Free, I ain't running for an N-word, ain't ran since track meet, that's the only time I ran from an N-word. You could change this track now, could have changed this bitch a long time ago. Frank Stain said he couldn't back down from Chris and harkens back to his high school track and field days. He changed quote-unquote tracks shortly after the feud with his Tumblr post and put the event in his past. Frank then uses the word

track to acknowledge that Futura Free is the last track on the album, and that the listener can change the song anytime they'd like, as Frank is just rambling in this mind-wandering freestyle. The verse comes to a conclusion with Frank shouting out Holly Grove and Seventh Ward, both neighborhoods in his hometown New Orleans. He then shouts out who we assume our childhood friends, saying Twins know and Lance know, Clark know and Matt know. Finally, he ends Futura Free saying, shit went 180 on me, please run that back though. There's a few few. interpretations to consider here, given the constant contrast of his childhood and his contemporary life on Futura Free, saying shit went 180 on me, might be referring to his life in general,

that the complications of his current life are in stark contrast to the simplicity of his childhood in teenage years, a simplicity he reminiscences about and wishes to return to, hence the line, please run that back though. Given how many times Frank acknowledges Futura Free to be the last track on the album, we also consider the possibility that Frank here is referring to the entire album, that we've reached the end of Blonde, and that it's time to run it back to the beginning, back to the opening song, Nikes. At a rare live performance in San Francisco, Frank does exactly this. After concluding Futura Free, he says, please run that back twice, and then begins Nike's. Now there's some interesting similarities between the last song Futura Free and the opening song Nikes.

Like we noted before, both songs feature pitched up vocals used in a similar manner to evoke a younger version of Frank. On both songs, this happens on the first half, while Frank's natural voice enters on the second half. We also note that the latter half of Futura Free sounds somewhat similar to the first half of Nikes. They both feature a four-cord progression, a sub-synth bass, and the same 808-style drum sounds and patterns. The tempos of both songs are very close. Futura-free is 63-b3. beats per minute, where Nike's is 68 beats per minute. But perhaps the most striking similarity is the use of the flat nine interval in both songs. If you'll remember way back to our episode on Nike's, we pointed out this strange, dissonant

interval when the D-flat played in the bass rubbed against the C minor chord played on the keys. We pointed out that strange interval being essentially the most dissonant interval in music, which is made clear when heard on the piano. The outro of Futura Free features a G-flat major seven chord played on the piano. This chord is repeated while the root or bass note climbs up one scale degree with each new measure. It begins with a G flat, moving to an A flat, up to a B flat, and finally landing on a B natural. When we reach this last chord, what we have is a B minor chord with a B natural in the bass. This is that same exact strange dissonant interval in the bass featured

on Nikes. It's hard to hear this as coincidence simply because how uncommon this flat nine in the bass is. It's something you very rarely hear anywhere, and to find it on two separate occasions, on the opening and closing tracks of the same album, on two tracks that already have a handful of things in common, well, it seems pretty calculated. We recall that in the song Sigfried, Frank sung, it's a loop, and on the other side of the loop is a loop. We also recall that blonde is exactly 60 minutes long, divided perfectly into two 30-minute halves by the beat switch in the song nights. Could these two halves be the two loops alluded to on Sigfried? And could the relationship between the latter half of Futura Free and the opening half of Nikes be a kind of closing of these

two loops? A full circle moment of connectivity alluded to by the final line, this shit went 180 on me. Please run that back though. It doesn't seem out of the question, but we're only getting started. Let's listen to the closing moments of the song portion of Futura Free, just before the silence that separates the song portion from the sound collage that concludes the album. You're running that back to me. You say some shit about me to tell the real story. We briefly hear a skit a second time,

a guy, he grabbed me and drug for another nink Oh yeah, Geron told me that you got your ass best of told me. Yeah, because the n n'n't try to go me in my face. I had AD in a hell like that. I just think it like... We briefly hear a skit between two guys

talking about what appears to be a fight they were in, though it's not entirely, clear, this could be in reference to the altercation ocean outline between him and Chris Brown. It's the kind of recounting of a dramatic incident common in youth, like when a fight breaks out in high school, and the details of the fight are all anyone talks about for the entire week. After this brief clip, we hear a looped sample propel into abrupt silence, and thus the first half of Futura Free ends. After some silence, we hear an extended exit lute that features a patchwork of home recordings captured by Mikey Alfred.

We're going to talk about this exit lude at length in our next and final episode, but right now I want to draw your intention to the end of the song portion of Futura Free. As I said, there's a brief passage of complete silence between the song portion and the sound collage that ends the album. We get 32 seconds of silence here, then enters the home recordings. Make sure you speak up. What's your name? Yo, hey, be quiet. What's your name?

Now the entirety of the track Futura Free, including the sound collage, is 9 minutes and 24 seconds long. But right now, I'd like to convert 9 minutes and 24 seconds into total seconds, which is 564 seconds. Now we know that duality has been a reoccurring theme and motif that's appeared throughout the album. The biggest expression of this being the song Nights and how the beat switch divides the entire album perfectly in half. So continuing that line of thinking, let's divide Futura Free in half. Half of 564 seconds is 282 seconds. Remember that number, 282 seconds. Now the song portion of Futura Free ends at 4 minutes and 42 seconds, and the silence begins at 4 minutes and 43 seconds. I bet you can see where this is going. If we convert 4 minutes and 42 seconds into total seconds,

we get, you guessed it, 282 seconds. Just like the album itself, Futura Free is split perfectly in half, yet another expression of the duality theme that's not only a thematic centerpiece of blonde, but a structural compositional centerpiece as well. As the album's final track, this division is a kind of punctuation mark, one last imprint of the duality theme just before the album ends. And if you think that's cool, I'll give you another. You may want to sit down for this one. Like I said, we're going to discuss at length the sound collage that concludes future free in our next episode. But as you likely know, it features a patchwork of home recordings in which a group of teenagers are asked a series of questions. Now let's skip ahead to the closing

moments of the album, where we hear one final question. How far is a light year? How far is a light year? How far is a light year is the last question we hear posed before the album ends. It's stated twice, and it's very clear comparative to the muffled, distorted questions asked earlier. Of course, I didn't know how far a light year was, so I decided to Google it. Turns out, a light year is a measurement of distance, not time, and a single light year is the distance that light travels in one single year. Astronomers use the light ear to describe huge distances in the universe. So, for instance, the nearest star is 4.22 light years away. The center of the Milky Way galaxy is around 26,000 light years away. But the question remains, how far is a single light year? Well, according to

astronomers, a single light year is 9.4 trillion kilometers, meaning light can travel 9.4 trillion kilometers in a single year. I thought, well, that's interesting. This number 9.4. If you two are free is a 9 minute song, 9 minutes and 24 seconds to be exact. So then I wondered about that 0.4 and 9.4 trillion kilometers. How long is 9.4 minutes if we express 0.4 in seconds? So I went to Google again, typed in how long is 0.4 minutes and seconds. The answer is 24, 24 seconds. Futura free is 9 minutes and 24 seconds, an exact numerical representation of the answer to the album's final question, how far is a light year? Frank, you motherfucker, you did it again. Between the album being split perfectly in half, Futura free itself being split in half, and now the discovery that

Futura Free is an exact numerical representation of a light year, it seems to confirm definitively that these things were no mere coincidence, that Frank is very interested in playing with the lengths and divisions of his work, if only to express structurally some of the central themes of the album. I'm not sure about you, but I can't handle any more of these mind-blowing revelations today. We'll wrap up our analysis of Futura Free and draw some final conclusions about Blonde on our season finale episode. Next time on Dysect. Dissect is written and produced by me. Additional project support by Spotify's Michelle Santucci.

Original theme music by Birocratic. Song Recreations by Andrew Atwood. Remember, when you listen to Dissect on Spotify, you'll get new episodes a week before all other platforms, as well as access to exclusive bonus episodes only available on Spotify. Follow at Dissect Podcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join our mailing list at dissectpodcast.com. Okay, thanks.

everyone. I'll talk to you next week.