By: Kay McCray | April 8, 2024
Photo Credit: Pixabay
On March 8, Ariana Grande dropped her seventh studio album “eternal sunshine” which fans expected to be about her recent divorce. The album, said to be “for anyone going through a heartbreak,” features 13 songs going through the stages of heartbreak and being in love.
The album takes you through the stages of what it’s like to break up with someone you imagined a future with and find yourself falling for someone new at the most unexpected time. The lead single for the album was “Yes, And?,” a song dedicated to emphasizing the importance of focusing on yourself after a breakup. As most of us know, when you’re going through a breakup there’s this urge to just move on to someone new and avoid feeling the pain. Grande reassures us that it’s okay to just spend some time with yourself and heal from the pain we’re feeling.
In this same sense, Grande shows her relatability on tracks like “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” where she sings about accepting that what you once shared with this person is over, but still saving a space in your heart for them. During the chorus, she sings, “We can’t be friends / But I’d like to just pretend / You cling to your papers and pens / Wait until you like me again.” This song absolutely broke me because of how much I was able to relate to it. Your mind knows that you two are over and that this person isn’t coming back, but your heart is still holding a spot for them in case they ever do.
This goes hand-in-hand with “I Wish I Hated You,” where she talks about not being able to hate this person even though you wish you could. Another extremely relatable song because even though you want to hate this person, you can’t help but look back on the good memories you two shared and still wish the best for them.
While the album talks about what it’s like going through a breakup and being heartbroken, Grande also sings about finding a new love amid all these confusing feelings. The most notable being “The Boy Is Mine,” an R&B song where she beautifully plays into the headlines that have been flooding social media following her new relationship. In the hook, she sings “And God knows I’m trying, but’s just no use in denying / The boy is mine,” playfully giving the fans what they want without actually giving any answers. On a more innocent note, Grande is talking about being open to falling for a new person on “Supernatural.” The beat for this song sounds euphoric, which ties into how it can feel to move on after an unhealthy relationship. You feel like you’re finally over that person and ready to fall in love again.
Throughout the album, Grande walks us through the stages of a breakup in a strategic and relatable way. She talks about doubting the relationship and being tired of hurting your partner in tracks “Intro (End of the World)” and “Don’t Wanna Break Up Again.” During the “Saturn Returns Interlude,” we hear a woman speaking about the astrological importance of Saturn and how the planet is said to represent change.
The interlude perfectly encapsulates the messages of songs like “True Story” and “Eternal Sunshine.” In “True Story,” she’s talking about still being angry at this person for ways they may have hurt you during and after the relationship but accepting that you have to rise above the drama of a past relationship to be able to truly move on. While “Eternal Sunshine” is more lighthearted and talks about being able to find peace in knowing that the relationship wasn’t healthy, and that the best thing to do is move on.
Grande closes the album out on a positive note with “Ordinary Things,” which features her grandmother – the only feature on the album. During this song, her and her grandmother are talking about how doing things with the person you love can make the mundane feel exciting.
All in all, “Eternal Sunshine” was a very relatable and clever album. Something interesting I realized during my listens was how the beats of the songs matched the feelings associated with the stories she was telling. Whether you’re going through a breakup or not, I recommend everyone give this album a listen.
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