Bad Religion
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean is a 38-year-old singer-songwriter born in California who was raised a Christian. Days before he was supposed to perform this song live on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Ocean posted an open letter on his Tumblr coming out as bisexual. This was back in 2012. In this song, Ocean is talking to an Islamic taxi driver, seeking emotional comfort over his troubled relationship.
"[Pre-Chorus]
He said, "Allahu akbar"
I told him, "Don't curse me"
"Bobo, you need prayer"
I guess it couldn't hurt me"
Ocean is at first reluctant to receive help from this taxi driver due to the religious implications. Because of his newfound queerness, he feels that religion will not help him, but he then concedes upon reflection of his situation of unrequited love.
"[Chorus]
If it brings me to my knees
It's a bad religion"
In the chorus, Ocean is reframing his queer relationship, or one-sided love, as a religion itself. Stating that if this love “brings him to his knees” and causes him pain, it is no good. Similar to how many Queer people view religion, you can see Ocean is fighting an internal battle.
"Ooh, ooh, this unrequited love
To me, it's nothin' but a one-man cult
And cyanide in my Styrofoam cup"
Ocean further reframes his religion as a cult, seeing his obsession and devotion to the object of his obsession. This furthers his condemnation of traditional religion and, by extension, his love.
"I can never make him love me
Never make him love me"
In this final line, Ocean concludes that, no matter what he does, he will never be able to make his love interest feel the same way, leaving him defeated. Alternatively, one could read it as capital H, Him, meaning that no matter what Ocean does, he will never make God love him due to his Queerness.
From this information, we issue Bad Religion by Frank Ocean a rating of:
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