Whether you love her or you hate her, nobody can dispute the fact that Ariana Grande is one of the most influential artists of our generation. Her songs are about love, happiness, sadness and tragedy, and they envelop the everyday feelings everyone experiences. With all that she has gone through in the past few years, Ariana has channeled all of her emotions into her music and showcased her life behind the paparazzi cameras, the concert tours and the famous high ponytail; “thank u, next” is an album that encompasses the raw emotion Ariana feels. As a fan of Ariana Grande and a girl who loves love, these are the things every song on the “thank u, next” album has taught me about love and relationships.
1. “imagine”
“imagine” paints the picture of a perfect relationship– Ariana and her boyfriend are vulnerable, they’re comfortable, and they’re in love with each other (they also have a normal relationship, like everyday people, not celebrities). But by the chorus, she admits that this relationship isn’t real; it’s all in her imagination.
Everybody has their own relationship fantasy, everyone exhibits some idealistic dream they have: maybe on the first date you’re thinking about how good he would look on your wedding day, or maybe you’re even just hoping that he’s the one so that you don’t have to go on another first date ever again. Falling in love is a wonderful feeling, but falling in love with fantasy will only lead to disappointment, and it’s important to understand that there is a line between fantasy and reality, especially in relationships. “imagine” teaches listeners that relationship fantasies are just that– fantasies. As perfect as we want our relationships to be, they just won’t be perfect every single day. The song is extremely catchy (after all, it was released as a single before the album came out), but the lyrics bring the hopeless romantic listener back to reality in a heart-wrenching way.
2. “needy”
Similar to “imagine”, Ariana is once again longing again for someone. She goes with her heart instead of her head and when she’s in a relationship, she needs her boyfriend. She reminds the subject of the song that while her behavior may come off as annoying or selfish, “it feels so good to be needed”. The word “needy” usually has a negative connotation associated with it, and Ariana apologizes for her insecurities, heightening her fear of not being enough, a common feeling for anyone in a relationship.
Most people who had ever been in a relationship have shared Ariana’s feeling of neediness at least once: we long for our boyfriend or girlfriend when we’re not with them, we want to give our all to our relationship, and we often overthink and overanalyze our partner. While it’s understandable to feel this way, it’s one of the downsides of being a passionate, emotional person in a new relationship. But, the song taught me that while it’s not the best feeling, it’s at least relatable.
3. “NASA”
This song is very different from “needy”, and it honestly could come across as the opposite perspective. The title refers to Ariana’s need for space as she reflects on the need to be alone, to grow as her own person and be an individual, apart from her relationship.
It’s unrealistic to think that two people can spend all of their time together without picking a fight or just being petty for no reason. Sometimes a night alone is important, it helps the two grow as individuals, rather than simply as a couple. In previous relationships, I know that I have felt this way. Sometimes all I needed was a day to myself, to do things alone and to not have to worry about texting or calling my boyfriend multiple times a day. While relationships are fun, time alone is extremely important, and Ariana reminds listeners to take time for themselves.
4. “bloodline”
One of the most important lyrics in “bloodline” is “I ain’t looking for my one true love/ Yeah, that ship sailed away”. Ariana doesn’t want to find the one she’s going to marry right now, she’s “complete” on her own. Whether “bloodline” is a song thanking herself for not marrying any of her exes, or a song about empowering herself as a single woman who does not need to be defined by a relationship, this song is very different from the way the album starts; instead of wishing for a perfect relationship or giving her all to someone, she’s confident in being herself all by herself. It’s different from “NASA” where she simply needs time while still being in her relationship. This song is honest about being single and not making any commitments.
Many of us have sworn off relationships (no matter how long or short that period lasted), but those breaks are beneficial to us. Instead of rushing head first into a relationship that may or may not be stable, Ariana is glad that she did not make a lifelong commitment to anyone, and she’s not looking for that now. The lyric about not looking for her future husband is important: it’s very empowering and it does show that women can be capable of being happy on their own without a boyfriend or a husband, yet it still gives off a sad vibe. As much as we make jokes about being “forever alone”, most of us want to find our person at some point.
5. “fake smile”
Ariana reveals her true feelings; she’s done hiding. She has to admit that she isn’t okay, and she’s done pretending like she was in “needy” when she mentioned hiding her past trauma. This time, she says “fuck a fake smile”– she isn’t going to keep hiding her feelings.
This song is important to anyone who hides their feelings. I know that I hold everything in until I can’t anymore and that’s not a healthy habit to have. Releasing stress, anxiety and tension is important for everyone, and it should be done in healthy ways. Hurt and anger are two emotions she alludes to in her song, and she says that she isn’t going to hide them anymore. Take the advice from Ariana and release your emotions instead of hiding them.
6. “bad idea”
Ariana talks about using sex to forget about her ex; it’s a bad idea because she wants to use him to “numb the pain”. Using her new lover could temporarily cause her to forget about her ex and about her own problems, but she ultimately knows that it’s a bad idea. She focuses on trying to regain control of her life, but right now she wants to let go, to feel better just for the night.
There are tons of opinions about using sex or hookups or other people to forget about a recent ex: some say it’s good and some disagree. Rebounding is common, but it tends to be a bad idea, especially to those who are emotionally drained from a recently ended long-term commitment. Regardless, Ariana is ready to forget about her past for the night, to put this “bad idea” to good use. Love advice for this song can go two ways: do it or don’t. For emotional people who crave romantic relationships and love, this might actually be a bad idea– catching feelings isn’t advised in a friends-with-benefits situation, and it can do more harm than good. For those who don’t want strings attached, it can be beneficial.
7. “make up”
Ariana’s play on words allude to both cosmetic products and make up sex after fighting. Between mentions of being angry all day so she and her boyfriend can make up for it later on and her casual shout out to Fenty Beauty (which has been commented on since the album was released), the song has a lot to unpack. To Ari, make up sex is a good thing, so good that it’s worth constant arguing.
“make up” clearly shows one way to look at couples fighting through a positive light, but it seems like all of Ariana’s happy relationship fantasies have fallen away. Unlike the earlier songs on her album, Ari is not in need of a perfect relationship– she and her boyfriend fit better together when they’re angry with each other. The song is upbeat and fun, but it’s a drastic change from the way the album started. Love advice seems to be up to the individual listener in this song.
8. “ghostin”
“ghostin” is clearly the saddest song on the album. Speculations have been made about this song since before its release: many think that it’s her song to Pete Davidson after Mac Miller’s death. This is one of the most emotional songs on the tracklist; she admits to how she should “ghost” her ex after his death instead of crying over him, how she knows this is hurting Pete.
Ariana’s experience with heartbreak is more extreme than most young people have dealt with (she admits to having “a whole lot of baggage”) but her song is evidence that even when one person has been through so much, they can still be strong and successful. The song is heartbreaking in every way, but it’s a mention of Ariana’s strength; if you keep holding on, even when everything is falling to pieces around you, you’ll be okay in the end.
9. “in my head”
Another sad song, Genius lyrics speculates that “in my head” is about Ariana’s relationship with Mac Miller (and the mentions of angels connects to “thank u, next” when she calls him an angel). She projected what she wanted onto him and only saw what she wanted to see in him.
It’s important to not project your fantasy onto someone, as it’s mentioned in “imagine”. To Ariana, Mac Miller was not the person the media saw, he was an entirely different person. She was blind to things that were obvious to others, but she also saw good in him that others didn’t pick up on. Viewing a relationship through rose-colored glasses is unhealthy, and it leads to problems, but we do it because we don’t want to see the issues our relationship (or our partner) has. It’s important to step back and see what is actually going on in your relationship, using a neutral, unbiased frame of mind.
10. “7 rings”
“7 rings” is easily an iconic song (even though others have claimed that Ariana doesn’t actually write what she sings with the song sounding close to Soulja Boy’s “Pretty Boy Swag”). Ariana brags about her money, her material items, her hair and even her friends. It’s a big shift from the previous two songs that were about heartbreak and tragedy.
While you probably shouldn’t make “retail therapy [your] new addiction”, it can be good to treat yourself every once in a while. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s important to practice self-love, even if you’re in a relationship. Ariana showcases what she’s accomplished, and it’s important for all of us to be proud of what we’ve done, too. “7 rings” is a fun song to blast while getting ready to go out, to play in the car, even to listen to as background music while doing homework, and underneath all of the fancy allusions to expensive jewelry and buying houses, the important meaning behind it is to love yourself and treat yourself.
11. “thank u, next”
The song that started it all. “thank u, next” was released in November and has become an anthem for moving on from exes, being grateful for past relationships, and celebrating self-love. Her music video references great movies of the early 2000s and is filled with an amazing cast, and it broke records with the number of views it’s received.
“thank u, next” is important because it’s not an angry song; it’s a (mostly) feel-good, thankful song about living and learning. Anyone who experienced a break up can relate to this song, even if your ex is blocked on all social media and you never want to speak to them again: you learned from your relationship, and now you can use that knowledge when you start to date again.
12. “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”
The “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” music video was released on the same day the album was and people had many reactions to it. The music video is different from those of “thank u, next” and “7 rings” and the plot twist ending surprised every viewer. But aside from the video and the theories, the song brings the album to a whole 360. In the beginning, she confessed about her idealistic relationships, then needed time for herself, then found a rebound, then discussed heartbreak and loss, then explained self-love, and now she’s persuading someone to leave their relationship for her.
We’ve all wished someone would leave their relationship for us, right? While it’s not a desirable feeling, jealousy exists, and we have to acknowledge it. Ariana understands. It’s just best to keep that jealousy in check, no matter who you’re jealous of.
After listening to the entire album (and watching all three music videos), I can confidently say that Ariana Grande is still a great artist to listen to. Her songs talk about love in an honest, gritty way: love is fun, amazing, sad, tragic, edgy and longed for. She speaks out for female empowerment, calls out sexist double standards and writes good songs that she sings with a great voice, giving love advice while she does it.