Everyone knows who Ariana Grande is. If you don’t, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Grande has had an amazing career. She started acting at fifteen years old, and soon afterwards, she started her music career with her debut album Yours Truly. However, we have been waiting five long years for Grande to release her newest album, Eternal Sunshine. Fortunately, it was worth the wait.
Eternal Sunshine was released on March 8, 2024, and all of her fans were left speechless. This album is Grande’s way of sharing her side of the story over the cheating and homewrecking allegations she has endured. Many fans started to post their reactions online, through crying, dancing, and just loving her new album, as it really tells her story.
The most famous track “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” took the internet by storm, inspiring new trends on TikTok, Instagram, and almost everywhere else. No one can hate this song, which has had fans crying, screaming and throwing up. This album has many amazing songs, but I have to be honest when I say that not all of them are as easy to listen to as this one.
Everything about this track is otherworldly. Grande’s vocals and lyrics just can’t compare. Plus the creativity of the music video adds an extra touch on the story of a relationship coming to an end. It also alludes to the 2004 movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which makes this video very visually pleasing.
The catchiest song on this album, which will leave you humming it around the house, is “bye”. This song is so fun and poppy and it overall brightens up the album, as the other tracks are not the happiest songs you’ve ever heard. Sure, this song is all about a breakup, but it still sounds so sunny and bright.
A current fan favorite is “intro (end of the world)” which has this ethereal feel and sound. The music, mixed with her amazing vocals, puts listeners into a trance.
Grande does this thing where she has a real short intro, like we heard previously on her album Sweetener. When she chooses to do this, it further showcases her insanely beautiful vocals.
Some songs on this album that are not as effective are “imperfect for you”, , “yes, and?” , “true story” and “i wish i hated you”.The last two songs I mentioned are particularly awkward rhythmically. Even though these tracks just don’t flow at all and feel a little choppy, it still tells the story of her album.
And someone has to say it: “yes, and?” is so overplayed, and the Mariah Carey remix has made the song one hundred times more insufferable. This song was good for about a week, but then it got old. It’s most definitely not one of Grande’s best songs.
On the other hand, “imperfect for you” has taken a couple of hearings for me to fully enjoy the beauty of it. The rhythm of the song is very funky, because at first it sounds like a country song, with its guitar sound. Grande also sings this song in a lower register, which we usually don’t get from her, so it is definitely a surprising track.
There is no way to stress enough how lyrically thought-out this album is, especially making it all fit together to tell a story. Grande starts her album with a question: “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” And it ends with an answer to the question on the last track “ordinary things (feat. Nonna)”: “Never go to bed without kissin’ goodnight / That’s the worst thing to do, don’t ever, ever do that / And if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it / You’re in the wrong place, get out.”
Overall, this album is a beautiful story told by Grande, even though not every song is a hit. It showcases her beautiful vocals and lyricism, and I love her new approach. This all signifies a new beginning, and the next big chapter for her, as Grande will star in the upcoming Wicked movie this Thanksgiving.
