Payton Frimel / Co-Viewpoints Editor
With the recent release of her seventh studio album, Ariana Grande is on fire musically. Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine” brings themes of love and the many stages of that process, unapologetically including the good, bad and ugly.
Grande, with the help of Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh, created a beautiful story of self love, grievance and growth. She describes the record as a kind of “concept album,” as it takes pieces of a story and experiences she underwent.
With the release of her single “yes, and?” Grande tapped into her 90s house music identity, much of which she grew up on. The beat offered hints of Madonna’s Vogue. The music video includes Grande and backup dancers voguing.
The music video for “we can’t be friends” is directly inspired by the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, mimicking the themes of deleting a couple’s memories and experiences with each other. The music video stars Ariana Grande as the film’s character, Peaches, and Evan Peters as the past love interest.
Quickly after its release, “Eternal Sunshine” hit number 1 on the Billboard Top 200. Grande also performed two songs from the album on “Saturday Night Live.”
Two songs from the album that have consistently stood out to me since the release are “imperfect for you” and “yes, and?”
“imperfect for you” contains beautiful, full harmonies throughout and tells a beautiful story of a flawed pair that are perfectly imperfect for each other and bring the best out of each other.
“yes, and” is such a pop house bop with themes of self love and unashamed personality. Grande lets the opposition know that she hears them all and does not care! Sometimes all you need to do is dance, and this song keeps me moving.
My personal rating of this album is a 9/10. The flow to and from each song, storytelling and personality really make it one of Grande’s best projects. I only wish it was longer.
JJ Somerville / Arts & Entertainment Editor
The critically acclaimed actress, singer and songwriter Ariana Grande released her highly anticipated seventh studio album, “eternal sunshine” on March 8, 2024. It received mixed opinions from audiences, some rating it as stellar whereas others did not, much due to the backlash of her questionable dating choices. Nevertheless, the album explores the journey of personal self-growth and finding love within yourself, which Grande has been embodying this year.
Her alleged response to all the drama is seemingly revealed in the album’s lead single, “yes, and?” which debuted as No.1 on Billboard Hot 100. She revealed that the inspiration behind the song was to show that everyone is dealing with something behind closed doors and that people should mind their business. As my colleague Payton mentioned, this song explores the traditional sound of house music, which is making a comeback in today’s era, as well as fusions of R&B and synth pop.
In comparison to her last album, “positions,” which speaks on desires and wanting to fall in love, Grande switches the narrative here as she reflects on past mistakes while coming to terms with them.
Choosing my favorite songs from the album had to be one of the most challenging decisions I ever had to make. However, they have to be “eternal sunshine,” “the boy is mine” and “Saturn Returns Interlude,” which features astrologer, Diana Garland.
Although “eternal sunshine” seems to highlight Grande’s divorce with her former partner, she expresses in this song that, rather than forgetting what happened, sometimes in order to move forward, you have to come to accept the reality of the situation. Her captivating vocals and the production of this masterpiece truly brought the story together.
“the boy is mine,” to me, is such an empowering girl boss anthem that was such a perfect rendition of the classic 90s hit of Brandy and Monica’s duet.
All in all, this album leaves you wanting more of Grande’s versatile talent and storytelling. With her experimenting more on the production and mixing side of music, I am curious to see what emotional roller coaster she takes listeners on next.
Grade: 9.5/10
