 Channel Orange has themes of unrequited love , sex , and existential longing . Allusions to Ocean 's own experience with unrequited love are featured in several songs , including " Thinkin Bout You " , " Bad Religion " , and " Forrest Gump " . Jon Caramanica of The New York Times found the album to be " rife with the sting of unrequited love , both on the receiving and inflicting ends " , with " lovers who tantalize but remain at arm 's length . " Ryan Dombal from Pitchfork Media said Ocean exhibits " a timeless philosophy ... one of hard @-@ won acceptance and the acknowledgement that love and sex and loss will always draw legends to them . " The album also explores decadence , the trappings of class disparity , drug dependency , and the tension between spirituality and secularity , a prevalent theme in soul music . Music journalist Sasha Frere @-@ Jones noted " a combination of decadence and spiritual ache similar to Prince 's " . Greg Kot wrote that Ocean presents " a dialogue between his self @-@ gratifying lust and more selfless conscience " , with Prince @-@ like " psychedelic @-@ gospel inflections " and Marvin Gaye @-@ like overdubbing of Ocean 's vocals , which give the impression of voices in conversation with one another . Jason Lipshutz of Billboard viewed that Ocean examines love in the context of money , drugs , and sex . 
