If you have been living under a rock recently, then you might not have heard about Ariana Grande’s most recent song “thank you, next”. It was released on Monday, November 5th and even broke the single-day streaming record for a female artist on Spotify. After listening to the song, it is easy to see why women everywhere are loving it.
The song starts by listing some of her exes such as Pete Davidson, who she recently broke off an engagement with, and the late Mac Miller addressing him by his real name Malcolm. The song continues listing all the things those exes taught her “One taught me patience / And one taught me pain” and how they all impacted her life. She continues on to say “Thank you, next / I’m so fuckin’ grateful for my ex” which is part of what makes this song such a hit. Usually, stars break up with someone and tear down their exes blaming the break-up on the other person, but Grande talks about how all of her exes are important to her because they all taught her something important about life. Later on in the song she discusses how it has all made her the person who she is “I turned out amazing / I’ve loved and I’ve lost / But that’s not what I see / ‘Cause look what I’ve found”. “Thank you, next” not only has these important lyrics that are sung by her angelic voice, but also has a very catchy tune with pop beats that makes it truly a bop.
This is not the first time Grande has made women feel important with her music. Another hit song by her is “breathin” which discusses anxiety. The song begins with “Some days, things just take way too much of my energy / I look up and the whole room’s spinning” which is a feeling that many of us have felt when there is too much on our plate and we are overwhelmed with everything. She discusses other symptoms of anxiety when she sings “Feel my blood runnin’, swear the sky’s fallin’”. In the chorus she tells us how she gets through it and she says “Just keep breathin’ and breathin’ and breathin’ and breathin’ / I know I gotta keep, keep on breathin’”. As someone who often struggles with anxiety and some days random panic attacks, I can very much so relate to this song especially in the beginning when she says “You take my cares away” because my dog and boyfriend are the two who usually get me through those rough patches. I think it is also very important to address how in the song she states “people tell me to medicate”. I also have been told to go to the doctor and get some medication for my anxiety, while this method is great for some it doesn’t work for all and it is important to address that not everyone can use medication for their anxiety.
Ariana Grande has done many things in her career, from her first big role as Cat on Victorious to her now monumental singing career, she has always been a truly remarkable singer and actress. With the release of “thank you, next” we are all reminded how empowering she is to other women and how her influential lyrics truly help people. All I can say to Grande is thank you for always being a modern day queen by discussing anxiety, mental health, and positive relationships and looking damn near perfect while doing it all.
All lyrics provided by genius.com