| "Ivy" | |
|---|---|
| Song byFrank Ocean | |
| from the albumBlonde | |
| Released | August 20, 2016 (2016-08-20) |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:09 |
| Label | Boys Don't Cry |
| Songwriters | |
| Producers |
|
"Ivy" is a song by AmericanR&B singerFrank Ocean, released as a part of his 2016 studio albumBlonde. The minimalisticguitar-driven song embodiesindie rock,avant-R&B andguitar pop, with its nostalgic lyrics exploring memories of a lost love. Ocean wrote the song with frequent collaboratorMalay Ho, and produced it withOm'Mas Keith and formerVampire Weekend multi-instrumentalistRostam Batmanglij, the latter of whom also arranged the track. Guitars on the track are performed by a musician credited as Fish. The track appeared on multiple year-end lists, with some critics describing it as amongst Ocean's best work, and charted at number 80 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart, despite not being released as a single.
Ocean initially debuted a version of the song in a live performance inMunich, in June 2013, alongside "Seigfried". The version performed live differed significantly from the track included onBlonde, incorporating ajazz style not evident in the studio recording, as well as alternativegrammatical person in sections of the track.[1]
"Ivy" is anindie rock andfuturistic R&B[2] song, with the track employing "heady guitar work" Ocean had previously displayed an admiration for.[3] The track has been described as a "guitar pop reverie" and a "minimalist guitar chug", featuring "chiming" palm-mutedpower chords "doused in crystalline tones" and no percussion.[4][5][3] The track depicts an "avant-R&B tale of heartbreak [sung] over distorted electric guitar", and incorporates thesoul androck of Ocean's earlier work with ahip hop sensibility.[6] The "shimmery" guitar intertwines with Ocean's vocals, forming a "snake space" described as "mesmerizing". The track's only other musical element is a subtly propulsive bass line.[7] The track's use of guitar has been compared to theindie rock ofAlex G, with the "sheer force" of Ocean's voice differentiating the song from other "intimate strummers". The guitar tone emphasises Ocean's word "dreaming", which is repeated in a high-pitched squeal as the track concludes, with Ocean's vocals being compared toPrince.[4] The track then features multiple seconds of indeterminate background noise, symbolising how "messiness both fucks with grace and makes it possible".[7] The song has been compared to "Usher singing forDeerhunter", in relation to its incorporation of indie rock and R&B.[8]
The track has been described as a "ballad of reflection and regret".[7] It features Ocean reminiscing "poignantly" and nostalgically about lost youth, innocence, love and sex, with the repeated lyric "I thought that I was dreaming when you said you loved me" plaintively addressing someone whose heart was broken by the narrator. The line "the feeling still deep down is good" highlights the ultimately worthwhile nature of the relationship.[6][4] The song has been likened to "a diary entry where a long-buried memory surges back into his mind in bits and pieces", with the "bittersweet angst" being compared toBrian Wilson, "mourn[ing]" that "We'll never be those kids again".[6] Ocean's voice is digitally manipulated such that he sounds younger, in order to capture the time period the track evokes.[9]
Marc Hogan ofPitchfork awarded the song "Best New Track", stating that the track continued Ocean's tradition of masterful short story writing, and that "the lyrics refer back to and build on themselves, so the emotional payoff is all the more powerful".[4] The publication later listed the song as the fourth best of the year, with Jace Clayton writing that "love songs that trade in high-contrast emotions draped over straightforward song structures may be aspirational but they rarely ring true, which is why this love song stays with us, irrefutable and unexpected".[7]Rob Sheffield ofRolling Stone listed the song as the second-best track of 2016, describing it as "the most powerful song Ocean has created yet".[6] Chris Payne ofBillboard listed it in Ocean's top ten tracks, praising the track's incorporation ofindie rock.[3]
Americanindie rock bandCar Seat Headrest has regularly covered the track live since September 2016, featuring new and reworked lyrics including "if I could guess your password, you know I'd break in to the empty heart that you keep my face in". A 2018 performance of the cover was included on their live albumCommit Yourself Completely.[10][11] Australianhip hop groupThundamentals covered the song in December 2017, as a part of Australian radio stationTriple J's "Like A Version" segment.[12] American singer-songwriterIndigo de Souza covered the song in November 2021.[13]
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CanadaHot 100 (Billboard)[14] | 75 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)[15] | 3 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[16] | 103 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[17] | 16 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[18] | 80 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[19] | 28 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[20] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[21] | 4× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[22] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Visual albums | |
| Mixtapes | |
| Singles | |
| Featured singles | |
| Other songs | |
| Related articles | |
