One might consider Ariana Grande the best vocalist of our generation, or at least I do. Ariana Grande has had non-stop hits throughout her entire career, she has broken records, charts and more. Recently she took a hiatus from her music and worked on the upcoming movie Wicked which is a movie adaptation of the famous broadway play. During the writers’ and actors’ strike, she pieced together a beautiful album about life, lust and love inspired by the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a flim that explores the desire to forget about a failed relationship. Grande’s album takes on topics as big as her divorce, while producing catchy songs like “the boy is mine”.
As a resident Ariana Grande fan, I believe that this is one of her best albums lyrically, vocally, and sonically. Through Grande’s career we have seen her take on different eras and confront various hardships. Each one has shaped her consecutive albums and given them the emotion her fans so dearly cling to.
This album tackles the immense sense of loss after breaking off from a deep rooted relationship. The album opens with the “intro (end of the world)” which begins the album with a question: “how can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” In that track, soft and sweet instruments pair beautifully with the vocals and lyrics. However, the lyrics in later tracks turn sour, as fans theorize that this album mainly speaks on her divorce with ex-husband Dalton Gomez and addresses rumors of his cheating. In the song “don’t wanna break up again”, she says “I fall asleep crying, you turn up the T.V, you don’t wanna hear me” as an answer to her divorce. Grande ends the album with “ordinary things (feat. nonna)”, which answers her opening question: “Never go to bed without kissin’ goodnight that’s the worst thing to do, don’t ever, ever do that and if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it you’re in the wrong place, get out”.
The good news is that this album also addresses her newfound love and relationship as well as some fictional elements Grande added in certain songs for the sake of the art. For instance, she expresses her new love in the song “supernatural” by singing “This love’s possessing me but I don’t mind at all, it’s like supernatural”. Though these lyrics really hit the heart and are fun to sing along to, some of her wordplay on the track “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” is the best. This track addresses a multitude of things in her life, including her very public relationship with the press’ opinions about her. She says “you cling to your paper and pens, wait until you like me again”. This line describes her toxic relationship with the press and how she is always in the spotlight, constantly being ridiculed about her personal life.
A track that really took me by surprise sonically was “i wish I hated you” which was a devastatingly sad track on the album. She has her listeners experience this emotion with her vocals. In the middle of the track, her voice cracks on a critical line, showing just how vulnerable she’s being with her audience.
Ariana Grande has demonstrated a strong comeback after being on a hiatus for two years. The album is perfectly created, using the instrumental style of Positions, the lyricism of thank u, next and the vocals of sweetener. This album really does personify Grande as a whole, and though it is a short album, it is one of her strongest. Some of my favorite tracks include intro (end of the world), the boy is mine, true story, and the album track eternal sunshine. Each song is thoughtfully crafted and elevates the emotion and the levels of connection we feel to Grande’s music as a whole.
