Earl Sweatshirt – Sunday (feat. Frank Ocean)
Produced by: Earl Sweatshirt (under the alias, “RandomBlackGuy”) & Frank Ocean
Introduction:
“Sunday” is the 4th song on Earl Sweatshirt’s long-awaited major label debut “Doris”. I picked this song because it has a tone that speaks to me in a way no music has before. It balances the polar opposites of anger-driven arrogance and doubts arising from deep contemplative self-reflection in a relatable way. It reminds me of my life’s endless cycle of finding and losing yourself again and again in a cathartic way.
Song Structure:
Verse 1 (Earl Sweatshirt) -> Chorus (Earl Sweatshirt) -> Verse 2 (Frank Ocean)->
Chorus (Frank Ocean) -> Outro (Both)
Analysis:
The instrumental’s moody and stripped-back nature is integral to the song’s tone. The loud live-sounding drums are probably the most important part of the beat, as they take up most of the mix and allow Earl to set the tonality for the rest of the instruments vocally. The song begins with a Rhodes piano gliding over the drums. This first verse sets an aggressively pensive mood for the rest of the song and introduces a harsh electric guitar towards its end. As the chorus begins the instrumental starts to feel complete; like all the pieces have finally come together. Earl discusses his relationship with drug abuse in the chorus, implying that his creative appetite diminished after he stopped smoking pot. Just a sense of consistency is established, it ends with the chorus. Frank begins his verse over some mellow synths, he discusses a variety of topics in It, ranging from the discrimination he faced as a queer high student to gaining confidence as an artist. Both verses, although unique over different styles of instrumentation, maintain the pensive theme of the song. The song ends with Frank signing the chorus with its original instrumentation returning and both artists returning for a short outro.