As you may or may not know, Ariana Grande recently released her new album Positions this past October. Although it has been put for almost a month, I have only gotten around to listening to it this last week. I personally enjoyed the album overall, however I do think a lot of the songs sound way too similar. The general theme of the album is sex, love, and finding yourself. Here is my review of each song with number rankings out of 10!
- “shut up” (5/10)
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This song is a cute way to start the album. It’s a short song basically addressing the haters. She’s essentially asking why people are so concerned with what she is doing when she is living her best life. She’s telling them to “shut up” about her and her life and worry about their own issues. However, the song is overall not very memorable and failed to “wow” me. I love the message though!
- “34+35” (7/10)
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This song has created some controversy in the media because it is extremely sexual. Many people still view young child stars as role models for younger kids, even though these child stars are adults. This can be seen with Miley Cyrus as well as Ariana Grande. Grande has been writing sexual songs for a few years now, though the promiscuity of this song could be shocking compared to her older songs. Overall, the song is super catchy and fun.
- “motive” (2/10)
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This song is another short and catchy one. The song is basically about someone who is giving you mixed signals and you are trying to figure out what exactly their motive is. The song also features Doja Cat, a popular singer and rapper. Overall, this song is sort of boring and not my favorite.
- “just like magic” (9/10)
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This one is very good. The song is about having a good life and being in a positive mindset. She describes how if you get your work done and keep your conscience in a good place, you will attract everything you want. I saw a theory about this song that the cricket noises in the middle of the song are a tribute to rapper Mac Miller, Grande’s ex boyfriend who passed away. After the line “Take my pen and write some love letters to heaven,” the music pauses and you can hear cricket noises. Miller has a song called “Crickets,” and Grande uses cricket noises throughout the album. Some say this could be a coincidence, but others say this signifies that Grande views Miller as her guardian angel.
- “off the table” (3/10)
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This song is another one that I think is just okay. It’s definitely catchy and has good music, but it’s just boring. The song is about not being able to love again after being in a past relationship, but if the two people (Ariana Grande and The Weeknd symbolize two people who feel this same way) just try to love each other despite being stuck on people from the past, they could end up being happy together.
- “six thirty” (5/10)
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This song is about a relationship that is kind of up in the air. She doesn’t really know if this person actually wants to be with her or not, or if he’ll even stick around. He acts like he doesn’t even want to be with her, so she is asking him if he’s actually happy and willing to be with her, or if he’s only with her for convenience.
- “safety net” (6/10)
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Out of all of her songs with other creators, I like this one the most. This song is with Ty Dolla Sign and I think he just fits Grande’s vibe the most out of everyone featured on the album. I also like the song. It’s about an unexpected connection between two people that is happening extremely fast—possibly too fast.
- “my hair” (8/10)
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This song is about being vulnerable with someone. She’s saying that she never lets people touch her hair, but she wants whoever this is to run their hands through her hair. This is symbolic for vulnerability and being comfortable enough with someone to let them see the parts of yourself that nobody else sees. I really like the message of this song as well as the music.
- “nasty” (1/10)
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I bet you can guess what this song is about. It’s straight up just about sex, like 34+35. Overall, it’s okay. Again, it’s a little boring and lacks excitement. Perhaps this song was more of a filler song for the album because it doesn’t serve a significant purpose to the album in my opinion. It’s just kind of thrown in there.
- “west side” (4/10)
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This song is about being irreplaceable in someone’s life. She’s basically saying that she can make you fall in love with her and never find anyone as good as her. Overall, it’s a cute song, but there isn’t much to it.
- “love language” (8/10)
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This song reminds me of old school Ariana Grande. Upbeat, happy, and fun. It’s about two people being perfect for one another. She describes not having love like this for a while. This person takes away her sadness and makes her feel at ease. Overall, I really enjoyed this song because it reminded me of her old music.
- “positions” (9/10)
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This song is the most popular off of the album so far, as it should be! The music is super upbeat and fun. It’s about being “wife” material but also being elite when it comes to sex. The term “positions” is a sexual innuendo as well as her saying she’s literally switching positions between a “good” girl and a “bad” girl.
- “obvious” (7/10)
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“Obvious” is about Grande believing in love again. This love is pure and innocent and she hasn’t felt this way in a very long time. This person makes her believe that love exists after she believed it wasn’t real for the longest time. This song is refreshing to hear because Grande has had a difficult time when it comes to relationships. This entire album is her getting her power back from past relationships that robbed her of it.
- “pov” (10/10)
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This is my favorite song on the album. It is about Grande’s partner loving her for all that she is, both the good and the bad. She wants to love herself unconditionally as her partner does. This song sends an amazing message that although your partner can love you as much as they can, you must love yourself first.