Ariana Grande Bio and Background
Ariana Grande is an incredibly talented and beloved pop star and actress. She is one of the most prominent vocalists of our generation. Ari was born in Boca Raton, Florida on June 26, 1993. With the support of her mom, she got her start in acting at 15 when playing in the Broadway musical 13. She rose to fame when she got her role as Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon’s Victorious and later Sam & Cat. After the shows ended, she signed with Republic Records (which she is still with now) and started working on music. She has released 7 albums in total now being Yours Truly, My Everything, Dangerous Woman, Sweetener, Thank u, next, Positions, and now eternal sunshine. She has also begun her thriving beauty brand named R.E.M Beauty. Ariana has received massive success with her endeavors winning her many awards and helping her break many records.
After her 6th album, Positions, she got her dream role of playing Galinda in the Wicked movie. She focused completely on making Wicked in London and took a break from music. Fans were eager for what was next whether it be new music or a tour. She had no plans of coming back to music until Wicked had completed filming or releasing. But, right before they finished filming, the SAG-AFTRA strike occurred, causing all projects to pause. During this break, she started experimenting with music and writing with Max Martin. Due to the current events in her life, she had a lot to get off her chest and turned it into an album. She soon began teasing new music to her fans and the response was extreme exhilaration. Just like that, she released her first single “yes, and” and followed with the full “eternal sunshine” album and some more surprises.
Ariana only released one single as it was important to her that the story and music were heard in full. This album feels very connected to Ariana and her life, as it’s filled with lots of songs about love and the loss of it. Ari has explained how creating the album was difficult for her emotionally and she wanted it to be extremely respectful. Eternal Sunshine has 13 tracks and the album is 35 minutes long. Ariana did a lot of the album herself with the collaboration of Max Martin, Ilya, and others. The album has lots of variety with some bops, ballads, chiller songs, etc.
Track Information
1. intro (end of the world)
This song opens up the album with Ariana questioning things about her relationship, which are answered throughout the album. It is sung beautifully with concise and specific lyrics. She wrote this song first. It is a mid-tempo ballad filled with exquisite harmonies, strings, and guitar.
2. bye
“bye” is a disco/house feeling bop and has definitely become a fan-favorite. It talks about finally saying bye to a struggling relationship. Ariana explains that this was one of her hardest songs to write on the album, as she wanted it to come off in a kind and respectful way. The song is very self-aware of the fact that this is another relationship she has been in having to end, as she sings “This ain’t the first time I’ve been hostage to these tears.” She also gives credit to her former partner as they both put in effort to try and fight for the relationship.
3. don’t wanna break up again
“don’t wanna break up again” is sort of coupled with “bye” as they have very human and polarizing feelings. Ariana sings about not wanting to leave another relationship, but in the end, knows it’s what’s best for her as the relationship just isn’t working. She has feelings of hoping her partner won’t regret the relationship and appreciate what they did have. This song is mid-tempo with a retro hip-hop and R&B feel.
4. Saturn Returns Interlude
This interlude is orchestration with Diana Garland speaking, who is an astrologist. She speaks about how Saturn is in a certain place when you are born. After 29 years, it returns to this place and when it does, a sort of wake-up moment begins in one’s life. Ariana believes astrology helps people hear what they need to hear and make sense of current situations. She explained that when her “Saturn Returned” it just made everything fall into place and things had to change for her.
5. eternal sunshine
One of Ariana’s favorite movies is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This movie is about a character named Clementine who goes through a hard breakup. To ease the pain, she tries to erase memories of her former boyfriend by going through a procedure. She knew she wanted to write something about this sort of story. This was also one of the first songs she wrote for the album and is also one of her favorites. This song is a mid-tempo pop and R&B with a sort of hip-hop beat influence. While listening, fans have noticed certain lyrics that could be alluding to her getting cheated on and lied to. But in the end, she finds a “good boy” and refers to her ex as her “Eternal Sunshine,” which is embracing her painful past and lessons learned, instead of trying to erase it. She conveys many emotions that so many people can relate to. It serves as a reminder that after a heartbreak, there is room for a brighter and happier new beginning. This song is my personal favorite.
6. supernatural
This song is about a newfound love that is just completely different for Ariana. She is healing and excited about this new time/relationship that is possessing her. It’s an extremely catchy mid-tempo synth-pop that fans love. On the album’s slightly deluxe version, there is also a remix featuring Troye Sivan, whom she has worked with previously.
7. true story
“true story” was written for a TV show that didn’t end up happening, before Ariana left to film Wicked. The song and a few others got leaked, but Ariana loved the song so much that she wanted to reclaim it for this album. She sings about her partner’s fantasized lies and the games he played. As well as being painted as the villain in many narratives. This song is an R&B mid-tempo with a Timbaland-sounding influence. Fans loved this song when it was leaked and were excited to see it on the album.
8. the boy is mine
When the leaks occurred, fans gravitated to and loved a song called “fantasize”. Although she didn’t release it, she wanted to give her fans what they were craving. So she made a song having a similar edgy but upbeat feel. It’s a 90s-inspired r&b/pop mid-tempo that, as expected, has become a fan favorite! Ariana explained that “the boy is mine” and “true story” are sister tracks, as they have that similar bad girl anthem-like story. The song talks about how though she didn’t plan for it, she has found a guy made for her and is excited to explore that new relationship.
9. yes, and?
“yes, and?” was the single for this album and was released almost two months before the album, on January 12th. She decided to end her long break from music with this song as she felt people could relate to the lyric content. This song also addressed rumors and comments she had been getting about her body and love life. The 90s house song has a long intro and seems heavily inspired by Madonna’s song Vogue. It debuted at #1 all over, but most notably on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Ariana released a cool music video with it and remixes of the song itself (slowed down, sped up, a capella, etc.) She also released a remix a few weeks after, featuring her idol and inspiration, Mariah Carey. This song is completely different sounding from the rest of the album
10. we can’t be friends (wait for your love)
“we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” is the second single of the album. It’s an 80s pop synthesize-sounding track that is slightly slower than a lot of the album. The song talks about wanting to let the story of her relationship’s past die, so in that case they must not be friends. The song also addresses the backlash and hate she’s been getting in the media which has painted her in a false light. She released a music video for the song a few days after the album’s release that reenacted the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind movie. Ariana also performed this song live on Saturday Night Live.
11. i wish i hated you
This track is one of the saddest on the album. It’s a ballad with an arpeggiated synthesizer, with sad lyrical content/meaning, and there are parts where she sounds like she is crying. Ariana explained how emotional this song is for her, and how she won’t probably sing it live or listen to it. She wrote it amid heartbreak and has said how important of a song it is on the album. The song acknowledges the effort and goodness, but can’t pretend that the person is a monster to make peace with the ending. She believes it’s easier to heal and move on from someone when you hate them. The song has reminded fans of “ghostin” on her thank u, next album as it’s a song extremely emotional and hard for her to perform.
12. imperfect for you
This song is a 60s-influenced pop ballad-sounding song that was the last finished on the album. This track is another one of her favorites. She talks about being imperfect for someone that she loves but being with this person makes everything worthwhile. She also performed this song on Saturday Night Live.
13. ordinary things
This last song featuring her grandmother, Nonna, is an R&B pop-sounding song that answers her questions stated at the beginning of the album. At the end of the track, her grandmother talks about being so excited to see her partner all the time and how comfortable she was with him. She explains if you’re not feeling secure and comfortable within the relationship, you must leave it. Ariana explains how this answer came from someone she loves and trusts so much. The song talks about how no matter what she and her partner do, everything will be special and unordinary because she’s doing it with him.
Reviews and Response
The response from fans and everyone has been extremely positive. Many are claiming it’s even one of her best if not her best album! There is truly a track for everyone and there is not one song that isn’t good. Saugus sophomore and girl’s basketball player, Eva Rios said “I really like eternal sunshine from Ari because it’s such a different look and vibe for her. You can just tell she is so much healthier and her relationship with music is much better and I love that for her.” She explains her favorite tracks are “the boy is mine, true story, supernatural and eternal sunshine. I just really like the soft and calm music this album brings. I love this new type of music for her.” I also, as a huge fan, really love this new album and era for her! It’s so good to see her truly happy and thriving. This album is such an incredible body of work, with such amazing tracks and messages.
Following the album’s release there has also been a “slightly deluxe” version including another feature and alternate versions of a few tracks. Ariana has begun to do interviews and appearances to promote her album. She has also teased more music videos for more songs of the album. Fans are super excited to see what’s next and when she will tour this album!
