When Ariana Grande announced the release of her sixth album, Positions, her fans—me being one of them—finally had something to look forward to at the end of October. Leading up to it, I was streaming all of her past music and thinking of my favorite and least favorite songs, as well as the songs that spoke to me the most and why, which inspired this week’s article. Below is the tracklist to the album, broken-down and explained, along with my thoughts on each song.
- “shut up”
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Right off the bat, Ariana starts by going after her critics who spend too much time using their tongues and not enough working on themselves. This doesn’t affect her though, for her “presence sweet” and her “aura bright.” Dissing her haters and telling them to shut up already in the first song shows that she won’t be brought down by anyone on this album.
- “34+35”
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“34+35” comes in strong with Grande bluntly expressing her sexual intentions in her new relationship. If you do the math, you can figure out the subtle hints towards lust and sex, and she implies to her listeners that she has been working on herself by “drinking coffee, eating healthy and keeping it squeaky” to make the most out of her sex life. By the end of the song, “means I wanna ’69’ with you” practically explains the song in a nutshell— and I’m all here for it.
- “motive” (feat. Doja Cat
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Ariana and Doja Cat’s first collaboration was long overdue. Their voices work together seamlessly, at times making it difficult to differentiate between who was singing. In this song, the two try to figure out what Ariana’s partner’s intentions are and what he actually wants from the subliminal messages he’s been sending her. Doja’s verse comes through strong, as always, expressing that, for him to keep her, he needs to give her the respect she deserves.
- “just like magic”
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Here, Ariana makes the point that she gets what she wants. She “manifests it and finesses it” through her magnetic energy, just like magic. She knows she doesn’t have to chase anyone. Instead, she attracts them, and that’s when she gets to pick and choose who’s worthy of her. The energy in this song is spot-on and is something I definitely need to work on myself.
- “off the table” (feat. The Weeknd)
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“Love Me Harder,” despite having dropped in 2014, is still a song I listen to frequently. As a big fan of The Weeknd, listening to the two collaborate is always something special to me. They always complement each other’s voices, showing the duality of their styles. This song is more R&B than pop, and the subject matter taps into their more intimate sides. Although both of them are usually bold in their music, they’re more vulnerable in this song with each other, saying “I’ll wait for you, even though it always feels like I’ll be number two.” Although they may be confident in themselves, they still have doubts about other people.
- “six thirty”
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After patching up her vulnerabilities with The Weeknd, Ariana’s now trying to communicate with her partner and figure out if he’s really on the same level as she is. Here, she tries to find an equilibrium between being in love and not being too pushy, consistently asking “are you down?” She wants to keep him in check and make sure he’ll be there for her at all times of the day—at 6:30, at sunset, during video games at 2 a.m. and until the end.
- “safety net” (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
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Ty Dolla $ign recently dropped his album, Featuring Ty Dolla $ign, which has also been on my list of albums I’ve been streaming lately. This album featured a ton of my other favorite artists like Kid Cudi, Kehlani and Anderson .Paak, so seeing his feature on Ariana’s album had me pleasantly surprised. The style of this song draws many parallels to his album, but ultimately, he and Ariana talk about how far she’s progressed in her relationship to the point where she’s taken back by it. In fact, she’s not sure if she should “fight or fly” because she has no safety net to keep her secured. Ty’s verse reinforces that, regardless of the ups and downs they go through, they’re safest with each other.
- “my hair”
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After having her doubts, Ariana changes the focus of the album to her hair. She’s finally confident enough in her relationship to let her lover run his hands through her hair, but at the same time, not just anyone has the privilege to do so. Ariana has built herself up throughout the album, and she knows she’s spent too much time trying to figure out her feelings and not enough letting herself be.
- “nasty”
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In “nasty,” Ariana is done with keeping things safe. She wants to go all the way with her relationship and set out to do exactly what she says—get nasty. She’s keeping it real in this song, asking “what are you waiting for?” after talking about her feelings for eight songs. By the second verse, she’s saying she’ll give it to him “like you never had it” and wants to make time for him.
- “west side”
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This song is similar to “nasty” in the sense that she’s trying to keep it real with her feelings, but the slower beat to this song gives me the idea that Ariana’s really trying to communicate with him now. There are only a few more songs left on her album, and making sure that she does what she originally set out to do is a priority. She doesn’t want to keep thinking about her feelings—she wants to feel them for what they are—and even mentions being a “wife like that.”
- “love language”
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Ariana fully embraces being in love in this song, something that I was anticipating throughout the entire album. She makes it clear that she’s with someone that gets her so well that they have their own love language. She finally feels comfortable with love and it’s no longer a foreign idea to her. Ariana asks her significant other to “teach her how to love you” and says that she’d stay up all night listening to him. This song reminds me of the intimacy of a relationship, finding a love language that only you and your significant other can understand.
- “positions”
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We’re finally at the lead single of her album! Premiering a week ahead of the album’s release date, “positions” gave fans their first glimpse of the energy that would be channeled throughout this album. This song is something I feel like a lot of us can relate to: switching positions and jumping through hoops for other people. “Positions” represents how she’s changed from being doubtful about her feelings to being fully committed and brings back the lust we heard about earlier in “34+35.” This song encompasses the album as a whole—how she’s down for someone and confident enough to put herself out there but wants to make sure this is a commitment, not something short-term.
- “obvious”
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At this point in the album, it’s pretty obvious that her love for this person is at its peak. She openly admits that she’s in love and that, at this point, it’s priceless. She openly admits to loving the thought of being in a relationship and doing the most not to ruin it. Ariana wants nothing out of this relationship other than being in love at no cost to her or her partner. The line “I never thought I’d be in love again” pieces together every song prior to this, finalizing the feelings she’s explained to her audience.
- “pov”
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“Pov” brings the focus back to Ariana. She is finally at the point where she can understand what her partner is feeling for her. He can understand and see right through her. She’s scared to see what’ll happen in the future, but for now, she’s trying her best to take everything in.
My first favorite song off this album has to be “34+35.” Female artists expressing their sexual intentions through music is one of the most empowering things for young women today, not to mention the beat of the song makes it a wonderful anthem for all the ladies. This song will definitely be on repeat when it’s ladies’ night.
Although there weren’t many features on this album, I loved all three of them. My heart goes out to The Weeknd, though, with “off the table.” He and Ariana complete each other’s sound, and being able to stop and reflect on their vulnerabilities with each other through their song is my favorite part of their relationship.
Last but not least, “positions” is not only what the album is named after but is really what captures the entire album. It’s all about being in love and making sacrifices. Seeing Ariana get to this point after all she’s been through only makes her an even more admirable person.