“Thank U, Next” holds nothing back

An emotionally raw album putting Grande’s past on blast

Emotionally fueled to straight-up sexual, Ariana Grande’s latest album filled listeners’ ears with whatever antidote they needed to escape and improve their daily lives.
Grande dropped her newest album “thank u, next,” titled after her first single released off the record, at midnight on Friday.
The album starts with “imagine,” which Grande released as her second single off the album. “Imagine” didn’t receive as much media attention as its predecessor, yet it shows how strong Grande’s vocal range can be. Nearing the end of the track, “Can you imagine” plays on repeat, followed only by the highest notes Grande has ever sang.
The song itself is about relaxing in a lowkey relationship, with the beat only further enhancing the idea of a dream world and love. Grande, however, noted in her Instagram that dreaming of love instead of accepting what one has can be detrimental.
“For those of you asking about ‘imagine’: I would say if ‘thank u, next’ = acceptance… ‘imagine’ = denial. Hope that makes sense,” Grande said.
In her second track, titled “needy,” Grande unpacks her emotional baggage. The song is about exactly what one would expect: needing to be shown attention by a lover to the point that she felt needy.
Grande addresses the problems being needy creates, and apologies to her lover, singing, “Sorry if I’m up and down a lot/ sorry that I think I’m not enough/ and sorry if I say sorry way too much.”
“Needy” is the ultra-realistic ballad that reflects most relationships, regardless of fame or wealth.
“NASA” is her third song and many fans believe it’s about Grande’s ex, Pete Davidson, who coincidentally owns a sweatshirt with NASA embroidered on it. “NASA” talks about a clingy lover, being the opposite of “needy.” One can only question how unhealthy their relationship was when Grande sings, “Give you the whole world/ I’ma need space.”
Two of the next songs “bloodline” and “bad idea” are undeniable hits, if Grande decided to release them as singles. Building off the theme of girl power that “thank u, next” originally created, these songs have strong beats with sultry lyrics, as though Grande listened to Tinashe on repeat before recording.
Although very similar themes, Grande’s “bloodline” is about wanting someone sexually who wants more from her than just that. “Take it or leave it/ you gotta take it or leave it,” she sings. “Bad idea,” however, reflects hooking up with someone after a break up, singing, “Forget about it, yeah, forget about him, yeah” and “Yeah, I’ma call you over here to numb the pain.” Both songs continue to show a more R&B-oriented Grande with sexual lyrics and beats that anyone can vibe to.
“Fake smile” comes between the two in the track listing and focuses on the negatives of being in the public eye. Grande sings, “I read the things they write about me/ hear what they’re saying on the TV, it’s crazy/ it’s getting hard for them to shock me/ but every now and then, it’s shocking, don’t blame me/ I know it’s the life that I chose/ but baby, I’m grateful, I want you to know.”
Grande shows the pressures of the music industry, but she still remains grateful throughout the track, even though she sometimes has to show that she’s mad and hurt at the media’s actions.
On Grande’s seventh track, “make up,” she sings about how fighting and making up are her favorite things in relationships. The theme itself is not healthy in any sense, yet the lighthearted beat of the song makes it sound positive. It continues with the same dream-world beat as “imagine,” as though she is still in denial of the negativity.
“Ghostin” comes directly after “make up,” and it is her song for her ex Mac Miller, who passed away last fall from an accidental overdose. On Twitter, Grande said the song is about “feeling badly for the person you’re with bc [because] you love somebody else. Feeling badly bc [because] he can tell he can’t compare…. and how I should be ghosting him.”
Emotional, raw and heartfelt, Grande references her relationships with both Miller and Davidson, whom she was engaged to when Miller passed. It’s about love lost for good. Grande admits on the track that she still was in love with Miller even after he passed, singing, “Although I wish he were here instead/ don’t want that living in your head/ he just comes to visit me/ when I’m dreaming every now and then.”
Grande sample’s Miller’s track “2009” on the song.
Throughout the album, most songs have some intro to them, whether it be Nonna, Grande’s grandmother, talking or a friend. For “in my head,” Doug Middlebrook sets the scene of the song, saying “Here’s the thing: you’re in love with a version of a person that you’ve created in your head, that you’re trying to but cannot fix. Uh, the only person you can fix is yourself.”
This statement is the main theme of the song. Throughout each line, Grande focuses on how in love she was with a make-believe version of a person to later find out that in reality the person is nothing like that at all. After Grande confirmed on Twitter that this track was written about a specific person, it would only make sense to assume that person was Davidson, whom she jumped into an engagement with.
Two of the last three songs, “7 rings” and “thank u, next” were released as singles prior to the album launch. Both reflect the idea of not needing a man and being confident in yourself and with your best friends. These positive anthems are exactly the chart-topping tunes that Grande and all other girls going through a painful breakup needed. Both have received strong radio airplay and hit number one on Billboard for a reason.
“Break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored” is Grande’s last song on the album, which she released the music video for when she dropped the album. Although originally fans assumed this song was about her ex Big Sean, she makes note in the song that she never met this man she wants before.
Sultry, Grande sings to a man about how she wants to be sexually involved with but can’t, noticing that he has a girlfriend. She knows that she shouldn’t be interested in him, but also acknowledges the other girl can’t compare to her.
Grande repeatedly sings, “I know it ain’t right/ but I don’t care” while pleading with this man to choose her body over everything his girlfriend has to offer.
Fun and sexual, Grande’s video also plays on the sultry vibes of the song, with dark themes and slow-motion party scenes. To top it all off, the boyfriend is played by Charles Melton, a teenage heartthrob who plays Reggie on the CW’s “Riverdale.”
While no one should be trying to break up a relationship for one’s own gain, Grande inspires teen girls everywhere to gain confidence with this song.
With personal ballads, strong R&B infused pop beats and even stronger vocals, Grande shows she is a force to be reckoned with. She has a song for everyone — whether single, in a relationship or “it’s complicated.” Overall, there’s only one word to describe this album: powerful.