Frank Ocean uses irony and repetition in the lyrics of his song, American Wedding to reveal his objection to marriage in America, and he uses specific allusive and paradoxical diction to contribute to his perspective on American marriage.
In his song, American Wedding, Frank Ocean expresses to listeners his views on marriage in America, and how he believes that in America, marriage is not a true act of love and it’s not meant to last. One thing he does to get this point across is he uses irony. In the beginning of the song he describes him and his wife, "My pretty woman in a ballgown, I'm Richard Gere in a tux", Richard Gere being an American symbol for romance, glamour, and success. Later in the song, Ocean's wife breaks up with him, asking for an annulment, "Don't take this hard But maybe we should get an annulment Before this goes way to far". The contrast between the grand imagery of glamorous Ocean and his wife, and the reality of their relationship's fragility gives the song an ironic tone, contributing to Ocean's view of marriage in America and how he feels like it's a joke. Ocean also uses the repetition of the lyrics in the chorus to contribute to his perspective. The chorus goes, "It's an American wedding They don't mean too much But we were so in love We had an American wedding Now what's mine is yours That's American law" He repeats this twice throughout the song, changing the last line from "That's American law" to "American divorce" for the second repetition. Repeating these lines twice really emphasizes his main view, that American Weddings "Don't mean too much". Going from saying "What's mine is yours That's American law" to saying "What’s mine is yours American divorce" in the second chorus, also alludes to the idea that divorce is a part of American marriage and American law, further contributing to Oceans perspective on marriage in America and how it's not meant to last. In the last lines when he says "It's love made in the U.S.A", there's a paradox in the contrast between the concept of love - being associated with deep emotional connection and authenticity, and the idea of being "made in the U.S.A" - suggesting something artificial or manufactured. This again, contributes to Ocean's perspective on marriage in America, that it's not an act of genuine or authentic love.
Frank Ocean uses the instrumental from the song, Hotel California by the Eagles, as an allusion for the self-destructiveness of American marriage because the overarching theme Hotel California is the self-destructiveness of the Hollywood music industry.
In the song, Hotel California, The Eagles explore how people get trapped in the Hollywood music industry and how it leads to their self-destruction. An example of this is the line, "We are all just prisoners here Of our own device", or "We are programmed to receive You can check out any time you like But you can never leave" (from Hotel California). By singing his own lyrics to the instrumental from Hotel California, Frank Ocean is alluding to the idea that marriage in America is like the Hollywood music industry in the way that it's a self-destructive trap. It makes listeners think about how American marriages trap people because they get married for the wrong reasons. This contributes to the overall message of the song, that in America, marriage is not a true act of love and that it's not meant to last.
Frank Ocean uses irony and repetition in the lyrics of his song, American Wedding to reveal his objection to marriage in America, and he uses specific allusive and paradoxical diction to contribute to his perspective on American marriage. In his song, American Wedding, Frank Ocean expresses to listeners his views on marriage in America, and how he believes that in America, marriage is not a true act of love and it’s not meant to last. One thing he does to get this point across is he uses irony. In the beginning of the song he describes him and his wife, "My pretty woman in a ballgown, I'm Richard Gere in a tux", Richard Gere being an American symbol for romance, glamour, and success. Later in the song, Ocean's wife breaks up with him, asking for an annulment, "Don't take this hard But maybe we should get an annulment Before this goes way to far". The contrast between the grand imagery of glamorous Ocean and his wife, and the reality of their relationship's fragility gives the song an ironic tone, contributing to Ocean's view of marriage in America and how he feels like it's a joke. Ocean also uses the repetition of the lyrics in the chorus to contribute to his perspective. The chorus goes, "It's an American wedding They don't mean too much But we were so in love We had an American wedding Now what's mine is yours That's American law" He repeats this twice throughout the song, changing the last line from "That's American law" to "American divorce" for the second repetition. Repeating these lines twice really emphasizes his main view, that American Weddings "Don't mean too much". Going from saying "What's mine is yours That's American law" to saying "What’s mine is yours American divorce" in the second chorus, also alludes to the idea that divorce is a part of American marriage and American law, further contributing to Oceans perspective on marriage in America and how it's not meant to last. In the last lines when he says "It's love made in the U.S.A", there's a paradox in the contrast between the concept of love - being associated with deep emotional connection and authenticity, and the idea of being "made in the U.S.A" - suggesting something artificial or manufactured. This again, contributes to Ocean's perspective on marriage in America, that it's not an act of genuine or authentic love.
Frank Ocean uses the instrumental from the song, Hotel California by the Eagles, as an allusion for the self-destructiveness of American marriage because the overarching theme Hotel California is the self-destructiveness of the Hollywood music industry. In the song, Hotel California, The Eagles explore how people get trapped in the Hollywood music industry and how it leads to their self-destruction. An example of this is the line, "We are all just prisoners here Of our own device", or "We are programmed to receive You can check out any time you like But you can never leave" (from Hotel California). By singing his own lyrics to the instrumental from Hotel California, Frank Ocean is alluding to the idea that marriage in America is like the Hollywood music industry in the way that it's a self-destructive trap. It makes listeners think about how American marriages trap people because they get married for the wrong reasons. This contributes to the overall message of the song, that in America, marriage is not a true act of love and that it's not meant to last.