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The Saving Grace of “Positions”—Its Deluxe Songs

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

Ariana Grande’s Positions era has continued with the release of the new Positions Deluxe! To be honest, the Positions album was not my favorite. I did not vibe with a lot of the songs originally, and I am a huge Ariana stan. These songs, however, really gave this album the conclusion that it needed. I love some of these songs more than the originals, and I was shocked when some of these were not on the album. I hope everyone has given these a listen. If not, give them a try while you read this! 

“someone like you- interlude”

This is a classic interlude. The introduction of the strings and instruments really bridges her previous song, “(pov),” which is very emotional. There are pretty descending notes as well, which serve to introduce Grande’s voice, giving me similar vibes to “pete davidson” on her album sweetener. It is a very light and short song. She belts on some of the lyrics, while the majority of the song is background vocals and the classic Ariana Grande runs. It seems to have a slightly different vibe than the rest of the album—it’s more laidback, setting the tone for the rest of the album.

“test drive”

This song features a lot more of Ari’s airy vocals. The song spends less time on her vocal abilities, allowing it to be more chill. The vibe correlates strongly with the lyrics. Similar to most of the songs on this album, it seems that it is about her fiancée, Dalton Gomez. Her lyrics convey, among other things, the trust she has in Dalton. Despite this song’s seemingly physical and sexual undertones, it’s a lot more than that, as she makes it clear that her relationship is much more than a fling.

“34+35 Remix” (feat. Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion)

One of the most popular songs on this album is “34+35.” This album was anticipated to be a lot more sexual, with a focus on Ariana’s more mature side. When the original song came out, I instantly vibed with the song because it’s really catchy and almost inspiring to listen to—it’s all about female empowerment. However, I personally did not really like the remix as much as the original. I love both Doja Cat and Megan individually, but the vibes they brought to the song really did not match it. “34+35,” though slightly provocative, had an innocence to it. It did not have very direct lyrics, and that’s Ariana’s overall vibe. Doja and Megan failed to keep consistent with this. It seemed like they tried to be a lot more overtly sexual, and even though I do think women should sing about these topics, it did not fit this particular song.

“worst behavior”

This song to me really is prime R&B Ariana. I love the incorporation of the snaps in the pre-chorus. The vocals in the song are a lot more laidback, which reminds me of a lot of the songs in “thank u, next.” In the chorus, she touches a lot on the fact that Dalton and she have not really made their relationship public, which she gets criticized a lot for in the media. To push back against that, she mentions how their love is not “disposable” and does not need to be posted all over social media, almost as if she wants to keep it as a secret.

“main thing”

This is my favorite song on the whole album, and I am honestly shocked it did not end up on the original. It really fits the vibe of the entire album by featuring similar vocal techniques in a very cutesy way. It makes a lot of connections to “sweetener,” especially with the lyric “It’s been a while since I felt something so sweet.” During the “sweetener” era, Grande sang a lot about her love for Pete Davidson, and this lyric really brings it back to that era, suggesting that she still feels that love, but it’s different this time. It is so heartwarming to hear this song because she is finally getting the love she deserves, and you can hear how happy she sounds just through her voice. The tone of the song is very light and fits with how she is feeling. If you don’t listen to any of the other songs, please at least listen to this one―you will not regret it! 

Although this album was not my favorite it definitely has a lot of bops, especially some of the songs mentioned above!

I hope you guys check out these songs if you haven’t already.

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Alice is a Boston University sophomore studying political science and environmental analysis and policy. She is passionate about politics, music, and fashion.