When Frank Ocean dropped Blonde this summer, it raised more questions than it answered. Was it Blonde or Blond? Why was “Seigfried” spelled like that? Always one to keep us guessing, Frank detailed a stacked list of collaborators within the accompanying Boys Don’t Cry magazine, but provided no inkling as to who contributed to which songs. With most artists, this might pose a minor annoyance — however, with names ranging from David Bowie to Jamie xx on the docket, the coyness verged on agonizing.
Now, as the coveted physical copies of Blonde sold at Frank’s Black Friday sale start to roll in, we’re beginning to formulate a clearer perspective on the collaborations behind the album. The official Blonde liner notes confirm that, yes, that is indeed Beyoncé providing the angelic trills on the Pharrell co-produced “Pink + White.” The wrenching “White Ferrari” gets a co-write from Kanye West — not James Blake, as the ASCAP database had initially suggested. The guitar on the track comes courtesy of Philadelphia bedroom pop minimalist Alex G, who also appears on “Self Control.”
Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors and Yung Lean lend their pipes to “Nikes” and “Godspeed,” respectively, while Francis Starlite’s signature vocoder pops up on “Close To You.” Bowie goes unlisted, but Elliot Smith is credited as a co-writer on the Rostam Batmanglij-assisted “Seigfried.” Also worth mentioning is the “special thanks” section, in which Frank shouts out Anna Wintour, as well as Jenny Holzer, whose “Truisms” shirt appeared in the “Nikes” video. Peep the entirety of the Blonde liner notes here.