Ariana Grande released her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, on March 8. In my humble opinion, it’s her best yet. This comes from a die-hard Sweetener fan, but I’m not here to discuss my other favorites. Track by track, I’ll provide some facts and my thoughts on the songs.
“intro (end of the world)”
This short and sweet introduction shares some feelings that I’m sure most people who have been in a relationship can understand and relate to. It’s a dreamy tune that explains her worries that if the world somehow ended tomorrow, would her partner be thinking about her? More importantly, would she even be thinking about him?
“bye”
This song is what I imagine would be played at a modern-day disco. Grande picked such a peppy, woman-empowering song for the second track. What is especially unique about “bye” is that it explicitly names one of her closest friends, Courtney Chiplone.
“don’t wanna break up again”
This track has a very chill beat in comparison to its relatively stressful lyrics. The audience is traveling through Grande’s mind while she considers ending her relationship once and for all. A song like this about a messy ending to a relationship is something that a lot of folks can truly relate to.
“Saturn Returns Interlude”
Astrologist Diana Garland is the voice on this spoken track according to Grande’s wiki. She explains why Saturn is such an important part of what she studies, and what is clearly something that Grande believes in. Grande doesn’t say or sing anything in this lovely piece besides a chuckle at the end that transitions us into “eternal sunshine.”
“eternal sunshine”
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 film starring who I know to be one of Grande’s favorite actors, Jim Carrey. As the title track, this song perfectly encapsulates the story behind this entire concept album. She shares with listeners that she’ll keep her ex-husband and their life together in her heart eternally.
“supernatural”
This song creates a feeling close to what I assume floating through space would feel like. It is such a magical way of saying you are head over heels in love with someone. All I can think about when this song plays in my headphones is my lovely boyfriend, so thank you Ariana for creating such an out-of-this-world piece of music.
“true story”
The sassiest, most badass song on this album is “true story.” With how often she uses the word ‘you,’ she seems to be talking to someone in particular. She calls out this person or group of people for the lies they’ve told and all they have made her out to be. This and the next track are truly the bad-girl anthems of the album.
“the boy is mine”
You may have heard a leaked demo of a song titled “Fantasize” on TikTok this past year. While being interviewed by pop culture podcaster Zach Sang, Grande mentioned that “the boy is mine” would be a different (and legal) version of this TikTok hit. She stakes her claim on said boy in this absolute banger while maintaining the sexy feel of the song that was never actually released.
“yes, and?”
The first single released from this album is an all-around bop. It is a catchy message to all of the people who attack her online for narratives that are not 100% confirmed or true. The phrase is a sassy and perfect response from Ms. Grande after all of the hate pop stars like her receive.
“we can’t be friends (wait for your love)”
Because I am a gatekeeper at heart, it’s bittersweet that this song is the second single because it’s my personal favorite. I will admit I got pretty choked up on my first listen. Even with such happy pop perfection backing them, the lyrics are very raw. Even at the end of the music video Grande is shown crying, panicking, and being incredibly vulnerable.
“i wish i hated you”
This song is without a doubt the most emotional piece on the album. Within the second chorus, you can hear her voice becoming choked up. I know plenty of people, including myself, will try to find all of the bad things that someone who wronged them did so it’s easier to move on. This ballad is another real and raw piece on this album.
“imperfect for you”
By far the most relatable is this second-to-last track. Grande shares her doubts about herself when going into a new relationship. She realizes through the song that her possible partners have probably felt this way too, and always supported her when she was feeling messy.
“ordinary things (feat. Nonna)”
Besides being a sweet little tune, this closing track has broken a few random records. One of these being the oldest person to have a song chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Grande’s grandmother gives her some sweet advice at the very end of the song, and it is a perfect way to close out the album.
If you’ve read this far you may want to interpret the album yourself. Check it out and let me know your thoughts! You can find and enjoy it here: https://arianagrande.lnk.to/eternalsunshine