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First Impressions on Every Song in Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” Album

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TCNJ chapter.

 

 

Earlier this month, queen Ari dropped yet another album for us to enjoy, and she didn’t disappoint her fans. This album is probably one of her more personal and openly emotional albums yet, and I am H E R E for it. These are my first impressions for every song on Ariana’s latest album:

 

1. Imagine

This song is perfect for when you’re stuck in your head or when you’re just daydreaming about life. Her whistle tones in this song are unmatched. Mariah Carey, who? My wig was snatched, and I don’t even wear one.

 

2. Needy

Needy is the song we all needed in our lives. It’s basically telling people that you are who you are, and they should accept you no matter what. Ariana knows she’s not perfect, but she also knows that it’s okay to not be perfect.

 

3. NASA

I loved this song the moment it came on. The lyrics scream self-love, self-care, and taking time for yourself. It shows that it’s okay to not want to succumb to society’s pressures and being with your significant other or someone else 24/7. Focus on yourself and good things will fall into place.

 

4. Bloodline

This song is a straight-up bop and it’s empowering. It’s a song that you can sing and dance to with your girls because it shows we’re all amazing, and we should always feel that way.

 

5. Fake Smile

This is one of my favorites on the album. I’m so glad a song about being honest and upfront about your feelings aren’t slow and more upbeat. It makes you feel like you shouldn’t be ashamed of how you feel. Ari is saying if something bothers or upsets you, it matters, and you shouldn’t have to put on a fake smile to hide it!

 

6. Bad Idea

This is your next workout song. It’s another straight up jam on the album, and it should definitely be on your workout playlist. Get those gains, girl, and feel good while doing it!

 

7. Make Up

Play this song when you’re getting ready to go out! It’s about sex with no strings attached, but more importantly, it’s just about doing what you want to do and not caring about what people have to say about it. Who’s going to check you? Who’s keeping track of you? Do you, sis!

 

8. Ghostin

I don’t mean to be dramatic or anything, but my soul left my body when I heard this for the first time, the second time, and the hundredth time. This is definitely the most emotionally raw song Ariana has ever produced, and I absolutely love it. The song makes you feel every single emotion you’ve ever felt when it comes to loving someone and is definitely something you’d listen to when you need something to cry to. The song has also been said to be a tribute to her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, and also an apology to her ex-fiancé, Pete Davidson, for having to see her in such a vulnerable state.

 

9. In My Head

This song is another self-empowering song because it’s about focusing on bettering yourself. It’s so easy to be blinded by love and others in our lives and to allow them to influence how we see ourselves, but we shouldn’t let anyone tell us who we are or who we aren’t. This is a great song to listen to in the car by yourself when you need to do some self-reflecting.  

 

10. 7 Rings

I absolutely love this song because it makes me think of my best friends and how we are such a strong group of girls. This song will make you and your friends feel like nothing can stop you from doing anything you want to. If you want it… you got it.

 

11. Thank U, Next

This song is just full of good vibes and is great for dancing and jumping around in your room to. It was her first single off the album, and it basically told us to break up with our crappy significant others and find love within ourselves.

 

12. Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored

This is another song to jam in the car with, because again, who is going to check you? Do you, girl! There’s also a music video that debuted with this song, and it’s probably one of Ariana’s best. If you haven’t seen it, please go watch it!

 

The Album Overall:

When “Thank U, Next”, “Imagine”, and “7 Rings” dropped as Ariana’s first singles, we already knew that this album would be one of her best. There is an overall theme of self-empowerment and using your mistakes, your faults, and your emotions as fuel to build not only yourself up, but to build your friends up as well and it is truly so amazing. Music holds so much power in our society today, so is it really a surprise that an album like this has taken the world by storm?

 

Eunice is a current student at TCNJ, and she majors in Communications Studies with minors in Marketing and Graphic Design. She has also been the Graphic Designer for HC TCNJ since Fall of 2018. Although she only has her phone to take photos, she loves to capture the world around her, and doesn't care if she has to stop in the middle of traffic to do so! Eunice is also a food lover and the occasional Netflix and Hulu binger, with her favorite shows right now being "Quantico" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (She thinks she could totally be a cop or FBI agent). Eunice and many of her favorite photographs can be found on her Instagram account, @blasianchronicles or @eundesigns.
Maddi is the current President and Campus Correspondent for HCTCNJ. She is a senior journalism student at The College of New Jersey who loves pugs, napping, and all things food.