Seigfried (song)

"Seigfried"
Song by Frank Ocean
from the album Blonde
ReleasedAugust 20, 2016 (2016-08-20)
Length5:35[1]
LabelBoys Don't Cry
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Seigfried" is a song by American singer Frank Ocean from his album Blonde (2016). Thematically, the song explores Ocean's struggles with his sexuality, relationships, and his inner conflict between pursuing music and settling down in life. The song was met with critical acclaim upon release, with critics focusing on Ocean's interpolation of Elliott Smith's "A Fond Farewell" (2004).

Production and lyrics

Frank Ocean, George Harrison, Om'Mas Keith, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elliott Smith and Ringo Starr received songwriting credits for the song.[2] The song samples "Flying" (1967), an instrumental track by the Beatles, and interpolates elements from Elliott Smith's track "A Fond Farewell" (2004).[3] The song also samples "Untitled" by Rostam Batmanglij.[4] Jonny Greenwood provided string arrangements,[5] whilst Ocean and Malay Ho produced the song.[6] It is the fifteenth track on Blonde and was released under Ocean's label Boy's Don't Cry.[7] The song notably quotes Elliott Smith, with the line "This is not my life/It's just a fond farewell to a friend."[8] There are references psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as "magic mushrooms".[9] The track begins with a soft, guitar-driven section reminiscent of 1990s alt-rock, before shifting into a more ambient and orchestral soundscape.[10]

Critical reception

Thematically, the song covers Ocean's highs and lows of life in Los Angeles, and the pressures to confirm with expectations others set.[11] The song also explores Ocean's inner conflict between pursuing music and settling down in life.[12] Adam Blum for the International Journal of Relational Perspectives praised the song for its psychoanalytic ideas and display of self-discovery and transformation.[8] Craig Jenkins for Vulture described the song as an expression of Ocean's internal struggle with traditional masculinity, suggesting that the song explores Ocean's exploration of queer identity by entering relationships with emotionally distant men.[13] The Michigan Daily interpreted the song as Ocean singing about his frustrations with bisexual erasure. The newspaper also wrote that Ocean's Elliott Smith interpolation, "this is not my life / it's just a fond farewell to a friend," showed Ocean "bidding farewell" to whom he was in the past, and being as brave as the Nordic hero whom the song is named after, Sigurd.[14] Jason King and Ann Powers for NPR highlighted the song exploring longing and introspection through abstract, recursive lyrics, with the looping guitar reinforcing a contemplative mood.[15] The Grammy Awards placed the song on its list of ten essential songs from Ocean's discography, praising the "psychedelic" sound.[16] Brenton Blanchet for Complex Networks ranked the song the ninth-best out of the 18-song album.[17] Patrick McDermott for The Fader referred to Seigfried as "the most existential song on an album fraught with existential angst".[11] Jonah Weiner for Rolling Stone praised the production of the song.[18]

Live versions

Ocean first performed the song in 2013 in Munich, Germany.[19][20]

Credits and personnel

Personnel

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Seigfried"
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Hot R&B Songs[21] 23
Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[22] 5

Certifications

Certifications for "Seigfried"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

Citations

  1. ^ Blonde 2016.
  2. ^ DIY Magazine September 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Hogan 2016.
  4. ^ Kim 2016.
  5. ^ Heffernan 2022, p. 65.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Espinoza 2016.
  7. ^ Arman 2025, p. 94.
  8. ^ a b Blum 2022, p. 556.
  9. ^ Brackett 2018, p. 300.
  10. ^ Blum 2022, pp. 555–556.
  11. ^ a b McDermott 2016.
  12. ^ Zhai 2016.
  13. ^ Jenkins 2016.
  14. ^ Mansuetti et al. 2018.
  15. ^ King & Powers 2016.
  16. ^ Abubaker 2023.
  17. ^ Blanchet 2021.
  18. ^ Weiner 2016.
  19. ^ Kaufman 2016.
  20. ^ DIY Magazine August 2016.
  21. ^ "Frank Ocean - Hot R&B Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  22. ^ "Frank Ocean Chart History (Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop)". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  23. ^ "British single certifications – Frank Ocean – Seigfried". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 26, 2024.

Works cited

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