Frank Ocean’s Blonde Liner Notes Revealed

Since Frank Ocean released his second studio album Blonde in August, questions have remained about which artists contributed to the album’s 17 tracks. A list of “album contributors” found in Ocean’s “Boys Don’t Cry” magazine credited David Bowie, Kanye West, Jamie xx, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, the Beatles, Pharrell, Elliott Smith, and many more. In September, the album’s songwriting credits were partially revealed, but some mysteries remained unsolved, including the specifics of Kanye and Beyoncé’s contributions to the album.

Last month, in a surprise Black Friday sale, Blonde was finally given a physical release on CD and vinyl. Yesterday, a user on Reddit uploaded images of the Blonde CD, one of which includes the album’s liner notes. Kanye is listed a co-writer on “White Ferrari,” while Beyoncé has been confirmed as the background vocalist on “Pink + White.” The liner notes do not credit James Blake as a writer on “White Ferrari,” contradicting the previously released songwriting credits. However, he did contribute production, arrangement, and keyboards to “Solo,” “Solo (Reprise),” and “Godspeed.”

Elsewhere on the album, former Dirty Projectors member Amber Coffman contributed additional vocals to “Nikes.” Yung Lean is listed as a featured vocalist on “Godspeed” (not “Self Control”), and composer Jon Brion has several production and arrangement credits throughout the album as well. Check out the photo of Blonde’s liner notes here.

Next year, Frank will play his first live dates in three years. While you wait, read “Frank Ocean’s Blond: 6 Things to Know” on the Pitch, and check out our interviews with fellow Ocean collaborators Wolfgang Tillmans, Tom Sachs, Buddy Ross, and mysterious guitarist Spaceman.

Watch the music video for “Nikes”:

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