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.
In addition, Yahoo! Music's Billy Jounhson described it as a "breakout" song". Pitchfork commented that the track was a "brooding highlight" off the record. 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. "Swim Good" received positive reviews from music critics and was widely considered to be one of the best tracks off Nostalgia Ultra. The hook of the song ends with the refrain of "I feel like a ghost, no Swayze, ever since I lost my baby." Pitchfork 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." Reception 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 has been described as a "grim escape fantasy", which "has the singer driving his car to the shore, his trunk “bleeding” with “broken hearts”. "Swim Good" has been interpreted as "a first-person debate about killing yourself". Problems playing this file? See media help. It's imagery, and a little bit of satire." The track was released as the second single from Nostalgia, Ultra digitally on Octoby Def Jam Recordings. 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. Like, nobody gets upset with a director when a director's film isn't about his life. He further commented "but you have fun with the imagery, and for me the whole concept that everything has to be. 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". The song appears on his debut mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra, which was released on February 18, 2011. "Swim Good" was written by Frank Ocean, Waynne Nugent and Kevin Risto of the duo Midi Mafia, who also produced the track. On July 31, 2012, the music video was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards. Ocean performed the track during his seven show tour through North America and Europe in November 2011 and other notable concerts such as Coachella. The anime-inspired music video features Ocean driving down remote roads in a Samurai costume and eventually setting his car on fire. The song received a music video directed by Australian director Nabil Elderkin. The song peaked at number 70 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. 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 received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Ocean's vocals and the song's dark subject matter. The track explores tropes of the tragic love story and suicide. Lyrically, the song expresses a narrative about a man who, burdened with many failed relationships, ends his life by driving into the ocean. The song explores the topic of romantic baggage, guilt and utilizes several metaphors. It features additional vocals by fellow Odd Future member Tyler, The Creator. The song was written by Ocean alongside producers Midi Mafia and Charles Gambetta. " Swim Good" is a song by American singer Frank Ocean, released as the second single from his mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra (2011).