Strictly speaking, the best Valentine’s Day surprise in music this year has been the first Frank Ocean‘s release of 2018 – his cover of the wonderful ballad “Moon River“, originally sung by Audrey Hepburn in 1961 iconic film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Written by Johnny Mercer and composed by Henry Mancini, the song won that year’s Oscar for Best Original Song and two Grammy awards. Since the appearance on the film, it has been covered by many artists, from Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams to Elton John and Amy Winehouse.
Frank Ocean’s heavenly take on the song features his signature style – pitched-up voice, lo-fi instrumental, vague rhythm, his own vocals multiplied for the background harmonies. But even with the relaxed, almost lazy way of singing, the song sounds achingly emotional and heart-touching – he’s definitely one of a romantic.
We’re still waiting for Frank’s fifth album, which he promised to have before his 30th birthday, meaning… before last November. He mentioned that the album was recorded on time, but he just “ain’t put that b**ch out” yet. This and another previous cryptic message, saying “If you liked 2017, you’ll love 2018” make it clear that “Moon River” is not the last artist’s release this year.
Listen to it below:
Remember the original version, performed by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s:
#Peace.Love.MoonRiver
