text: swim good " swim good " is a song by american recording artist frank ocean , released as the second single from his mixtape nostalgia , ultra ( 2011 ) . the song was written by nick & ocean and produced by midi mafia . it features additional vocals by fellow odd future member tyler , the creator . the song explores the topic of romantic baggage , guilt and utilizes several metaphors . lyrically , the song expresses a narrative about a man who , burdened with many failed relationships , ends his life by driving into the ocean . the track explores tropes of the tragic love story and suicide . the song received positive reviews from music critics , who praised ocean 's vocals and the song 's dark subject matter . when nostalgia , ultra was expected to be released as an ep by def jam , " swim good " was released as the second single , though the ep release was later cancelled . the song peaked at number 70 on the us billboard hot r & b / hip - hop songs chart . the song received a music video directed by australian director nabil elderkin . the anime - inspired music video features ocean driving down remote roads in a samurai costume and eventually setting his car on fire . ocean performed the track during his seven show tour through north america and europe in november 2011 and other notable concerts such as coachella . on july 31 , 2012 , the music video was nominated for three mtv video music awards . background " swim good " was written by frank ocean , waynne nugent and kevin risto of the duo midi mafia , who also produced the track . the song appears on his debut mixtape nostalgia , ultra , which was released on february 18 , 2011 . when asked by the quietus about his own interpretation of the character in the song it was noted that ocean " politely withdrew , saying he 'd enjoy that discussion but he doesn 't want to spoil his audience 's experience of his songs " . he further commented " but you have fun with the imagery , and for me the whole concept that everything has to be ... like , nobody gets upset with a director when a director 's film isn 't about his life . people think that with a recording artist that shit has to be like a fucking play by play of their whole life , but it 's not . it 's imagery , and a little bit of satire . " the track was released as the second single from nostalgia , ultra digitally on october 18 , 2011 by def jam recordings . composition " swim good " tells the story of a murder suicide through extended metaphors and a first - person debate about killing yourself " . the track has been called an " astonishing suicide song " and that " ocean finds himself dressed in black ( ' like i 'm ready for a funeral ' ) , tormented by heartbreak and on the verge of driving his car into the sea . " the song is a " grim escape fantasy " describing a murder suicide , which " has the singer driving his car to the shore , his trunk “ bleeding ” with “ broken hearts ” . the hook of the song ends with the refrain of " i feel like a ghost , no swayze , ever since i lost my baby . " pitchfork media described the singing as " heart - battered . " the quietus states that the song " makes you realise the ocean means a lot more to this songwriter than the reference to ocean 's eleven that he 's cited in interviews , he is mysterious and tragic . " yahoo ! music stated that " in his calm , ultra controlled tone , ocean sings about feeling like he 's on his way to a funeral as he drives around town in a black suit , and a body in the trunk . " reception " swim good " received positive reviews from music critics and was widely considered to be one of the best tracks off nostalgia ultra . sam hockley - smith of the fader commented that " swim good " was one of the " highs off of record " , as did anthony osei of complex magazine . pitchfork media commented that the track was a " brooding highlight " off the record . in addition , yahoo ! music 's billy described it as a " breakout " song " . absolutepunk stated the song was " hard - hitting " and " proved that ocean 's voice is as great as his knack for writing thoughtful pop songs . " npr 's andrew noz commented that " in the standout " swim good , " he sings of putting broken hearts in the trunk of a lincoln town car and driving to the ocean as they bleed through . " several critics noted the song for its dark subject matter . on the week of september 10 , 2011 the song debuted at number eighty - one on billboard 's hot r & b / hip - hop songs , and peaked at position number seventy . on july 31 , 2012 , the music video was nominated for three mtv video music awards : best direction and best male video , with ocean being nominated for best new artist for his work with the video . promotion ocean released a behind - the - scenes video promoting a music video for the track . it was filmed by his cousin , and released on ocean 's tumblr on august 11 , 2011 . the video , directed by nabil elderkin , was officially released on september 16 , 2011 . the video was released on frank ocean 's vevo on september 23 , 2011 and was available for purchase on itunes september 24 , 2011 . the fader commented that " elderkin serves up a fairly literal interpretation of “ swim good , ” nostalgia , ultra ‘ s most heart - wrenching metaphor . it does however feature an explosion , a panda mask and the second appearance of ninja frank ocean . " the video features " frank ocean and his samurai sword star " and it " blends asian and aquatic vibes with impressive cinematography . " rap - up reported " turns traumatic in frank ocean ’ s suspenseful video . " the clip opens with a dazed ocean " going through the motions of eating popcorn though he 's wearing an odd future mask that does not have a mouth opening . " it features a " ' 70s orange and black lincoln limousine " and ocean in an orange samurai robe " mysteriously driving along the coastline and deep into the forest . " he then whips out his sword and " draws blood from his unsuspecting female victim . he sets fire to the vehicle and watches it burn on the cliff during the explosive conclusion . " in the closing moments , " viewers are lead [ sic ] to believe that the mystery woman was also the passenger of the rear compartment " and the video ends when the " camera zooms in on ocean 's blood - stained sword . " the video " adds color to the already chilling , and unusual storyline for alternative r & b song " according to yahoo . ocean embarked on a solo tour through north america and europe to promote both the mixtape and his other musical projects . the set lists to the various shows varied , though " swim good " was performed at all shows . the track was included during ocean 's setlist at the april 2012 coachella musical festival . complex magazine stated the audience " sang every word of ultra ’ s suicidal serenade “ swim good , ” which closed with the same seagull chirps it does on the tape . " chart performance