Bad Religion

Over a plaintive organ, this song finds Frank Ocean pouring his heart to a cab driver. As they travel the city at dawn he sings of an unrequited love, with a twist that the love is a "him" and not a "her." The song is part of his debut album, Channel Orange, which was scheduled for release on July 17, 2012, but was issued a week earlier when it leaked. Ocean had a buzz thanks to his 2011 mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra, so journalists were sent review copies to promote the release. Some of them noticed that Ocean was detailing a relationship with a guy in this song and started asking questions. Ocean responded his Tumblr page to address the speculation and share details of falling in love with a man. "4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old," he wrote. "He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Every day almost, and on the day we were together, time would glide. Most of the day I'd see him, and his smile. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless." Ocean went on to explain that he shared his feelings with the man, who was in a relationship with a girl at the time. Though his pal didn't reciprocate his attraction, they maintained their friendship.

Some listeners have interpreted "Bad Religion" as being Islamophobic because of a line that uses the Arabic expression "Allahu Akbar" ("God is the greatest"). But that's not the story here. The track takes unrequited gay love, wraps it in religious hues, and tosses it on stage. He said, "Allahu akbar" I told him, "Don't curse me" "Bo Bo, you need prayer" I guess it couldn't hurt me If it brings me to my knees It's a bad religion "Allahu akbar" triggers Ocean's resistance, prompting a prayer suggestion from the driver. At first, Ocean is cool with it, but he later riffs, "If it brings me to my knees, it's a bad religion." Here's the deal: Ocean is grappling with sexual orientation and wrestling with established religious norms. "Bad Religion" isn't a slam on Islam; it's Ocean's soul laid bare, a reflection of his personal experiences and emotions.

To make up for their small number of string players, engineer Jeff Ellis came up with a clever trick for "Bad Religion." He booked EastWest's Studio 1, which had a lot of space for a big string section and used two old stereo ribbon mics to record the sound. Ellis had the players switch seats every time they played along with the song, and then he mixed all the takes together. This way, it sounded like there were more players than there actually were.