The Mix Tape: "Strawberry Swing"

Rap gets nostalgic in Frank Ocean's walk down memory lane

For those of you who donʼt know who Frank Ocean is, he’s an artist from New Orleans who is reinventing hip hop. He’s brave, original, and true—which is everything I hope my kids will grow up to be. And this is a track from his ﬁrst mixtape, nostalgia, ULTRA. Itʼs a cover of a Coldplay song, but Ocean plays with the lyrics and the sound to make it his own. “Strawberry Swing” is about childhood love, taking us back to when we “hand-painted strawberries on a swing” and “every moment was so special.” Frank Oceanʼs voice is full of longing and, as promised, pure nostalgia. —Anna Pellicioli

Photos by: Jason Kempin/Getty Images

About The Mix TapeThink you have to wait until your kids are twelve to share your favorite tunes with them? Think again. Kids' music, you may have noticed, can become a bit of a recurring nightmare when you are stuck in traffic with no more snacks. Sooner or later, songs about brushing your teeth or the reasons you should eat broccoli will seep into your head, and you'll catch yourself humming one in the elevator. There is no reason to succumb to this. Leave that to pre-school. Our music often has enough sing-along choruses, alliterative catchiness, and even teachable moments to hold your little ones' attention during grocery runs, traffic jams or unruly birthday parties. I give you a song a week guaranteed to leave you sane and better for it, even after 5,000 listens. Parental Discretion Encouraged.