Ariana Grande-Butera, known professionally as Ariana Grande, is indisputably one of the greatest pop stars of the modern generation, having earned over 240 awards by some estimates and nine number one hit songs. After her debut on Broadway, she rose to fame on the hit Nickelodeon show “Victorious,” where she played Cat Valentine, and shortly after releasing her debut album “Yours Truly” on August 30, 2013. Grande has since become one of the most famous and influential women in the music industry. “Sweetener,” Grande’s fourth studio album, touches on themes of toxic relationships, sexuality, anxiety, and perseverance through personal struggles. At the time of “Sweetener”’s release in 2018, Grande had broken up with long-time boyfriend and best friend Mac Miller, and began a relationship with Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson. This album also follows the 2017 Manchester terrorist attack at her show, which killed 22 people and the terrorist, leaving her understandably devastated and traumatized. Some of my favorite songs from Grande have been off this album, so I’m very excited to finally listen to it in full, especially knowing the emotions she was feeling while writing and recording this song, which was a period of roughly two years from July 2016 to the release in August 2018.
raindrops (an angel cried)
This a capella track is beautiful. There is no backtrack or anything, just her vocals. This track is believed to be dedicated to Mac Miller or the Manchester bombing victims. “The day you left me, / an angel cried” implies to me that she intended it to be a tribute to Mac Miller in some capacity. This track is a cover of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ “An Angel Cried,” which is about sorrow and grief of a loved one. This introduction really sets the stage to the rest of this album’s sad themes, though the tracks themselves aren’t always super depressing on first listen. I don’t think this track qualifies for a typical rating, but I personally think it’s beautiful. 8/10.
blazed (feat. Pharrell Williams)
Produced by Pharrell WIlliams, who’s the feature artist on this song, “blazed” actually has an upbeat and lively production. Grande described the song as being “[like] loving someone and being with them.” This track is one of the least popular off the album, but I honestly think it’s pretty good. I personally don’t understand why it’s hated amongst some of her diehard fans, also called “Arianators,” I think it’s pretty good overall. Is it my favorite of Grande’s? No, but it doesn’t deserve the hate it gets. 6.5/10.
the light is coming (feat. Nicki Minaj)
This track starts off with Nicki Minaj rapping, setting a more upbeat tone for this song, actually. This song is primarily about relying on yourself and relying on positivity within yourself to persevere. “The light is coming to give back everything the darkness stole” and “Ca-ca-can’t let a f-boy eff up my nice vibes” are directly saying that things get better and that you shouldn’t depend on someone else for your happiness. I personally am not the biggest fan of this song because I don’t really click with the production style, but it’s still not at all a bad song. If this song was playing, I wouldn’t mind. 5/10.
R.E.M.
I already know I love this song. The production by Williams is beautiful, the lyrics are lovely and relatable, her vocals are dreamy… this song is one of my favorites off this album for sure. Her R.E.M. state is obviously a metaphor for the feeling of having fallen in a state of love with someone. Grande tweeted about R.E.M., revealing that this song is based on Beyoncé’s “Wake Up,” which was from her self-titled album “Beyoncé.” Grande even named her makeup brand “R.E.M. Beauty” after this song, which I think is alluding to the importance of eye makeup in her beauty line. It’s also the name of one of her perfumes. I love this song, obviously. I think that it’s nearly perfect in its production and vocal delivery. 9.5/10.
God is a woman
”God is a woman” was originally written for fellow music artist Camila Cabello, but Grande ended up taking back the song after Cabello disliked her demo that she recorded. And thank God for that. “God is a woman” debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. This song is about sexuality and sensual subjects. Contrary to what some believe and argue online, “God” is likely referring to Grande herself, with “When all is said and done, / you’ll believe God is a woman” heavily implying that whatever Grande was doing would’ve been able to make someone believe that she is a god. I love this song and its production. I’ve loved this song since it was first released. It’s catchy, pleasing to the ear, and has subtle enough lyrics that ten-year-old me liked the song without realizing the true meaning until years later. Another solid 9.5/10 for me.
sweetener
For a track holding the album’s title, I’m actually not the biggest fan of this song. It’s okay, but not really my style. I’m not a fan of the chorus’s repetition of “Get it, get it, get it, / Hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it” and so on. I’m not the biggest fan of this kind of repetition in songs. My personal all-time favorite song that I’ve loved since the sixth grade, “I Wanna Be Yours,” is an example of repetition that I really like, but “sweetener”’s execution of the repetition is oddly irritating to me and I really don’t know why. 4.5/10.
successful
I originally skipped over this song, having only remembered its existence through TikTok a few years ago when a snippet of the song was trending on the app. I don’t think that this song is bad at all, it’s definitely underrated in my opinion. It doesn’t even have lyrics under it on Spotify, that’s how underplayed it is. This track is uplifting and really upbeat, discussing Grande’s successes and happiness she’s found in her career, as well as empowering others to continue working hard to get the pay off they deserve. “It feels so good to be so young / And have this fun and be successful,” immediately followed by, “And girl, you too, you are so young / and beautiful and so successful.” Couldn’t say it even clearer myself. 7/10.
everytime
This is my all-time favorite song of Grande’s. I’ve connected so much with this track since discovering it nearly three years ago in early 2022. This song is very clearly about her ex Miller. “You get high and call on the regular / I get weak and fall like a teenager” and “I get drunk, pretend that I’m over it / self destruct, show up like an idiot” are clear parallels to herself and Miller. Miller, who passed away due to an overdose in September shortly after the album’s release, was an avid drug user, even during his and Grande’s relationship from August 2016 to May 2018. Grande herself stated in a TikTok discussing personal issues that she had previously suffered from an alcohol problem around this time. Grande and Miller had been very close friends before and after their relationship. Grande allegedly called Miller 928 times after he passed away to hear his voice again from his voicemail. Grande later broke off her engagement to Davidson two months after Miller’s passing due to grief. This song is simply beautiful. The message is depressing and a sad reality for many. The story behind it and the events that happened after the release of the track adds a heartbreaking feeling in my heart whenever I listen to this track. I myself relate to this track, as at one point of my life I could relate to the theme of the lyrics and the emotions that Grande was describing in the track. I listen to this song daily to this day, and it’s one of my favorite and most played songs of all time. 10/10.
breathin
“Breathin” is for sure a track that the majority of Americans have heard at some point. This song was crazy popular in late 2018 and a large part of 2019, reaching the top ten in multiple countries outside of the United States, some of which include the United Kingdom, Hungary, Portugal, Ireland, and even reached number one in Iceland and Israel. It reached number 12 in the Hot 100 in the United States, but number one in the Billboard US Dance Club Songs. This song is one of her more popular songs, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s genuinely a good and well written song. It’s about anxiety and Grande expresses her feelings on the sudden feeling of not being able to catch your breath. She opened up to Vogue Magazine about her struggles with anxiety. She said, “I think a lot of people have anxiety, especially right now.” A very solid 9/10 for relatability and overall pleasing production and vocal performance.
no tears left to cry
”No tears left to cry” is the lead single of this album, and for valid reasons. This song topped the charts in thirteen countries and debuted at number three on the US Billboard hot 100. It’s her most streamed song off the album on Spotify at the moment, holding nearly 1.4 billion streams. This song is about having cried so much that you cannot anymore, and moving on because you’re exhausted and tired of feeling so depressed. I can relate to this song a lot, personally. I’ve never been the type to cry in my life, and recently I’ve noticed that I’ve been more prone to shedding tears recently. I love this song’s vocals especially. The production is beautiful, but Grande’s voice is the main piece that catches my attention. She mixes her vocals and harmonies perfectly and sounds so angelic when the music is factored in. Definitely one I’ll always have in my rotation. 9/10.
borderline (feat. Missy Elliot)
This song was kind of a miss for me. I’m not the biggest fan of the production, though her vocals are still good in my opinion. Another one of Williams’ productions, the backtrack is really upbeat. The feature doesn’t really fit in terms of delivery for me. Her voice is nice, but doesn’t fit on this track in my opinion. This song is just okay. 5/10.
better off
This track is another sad one discussing falling out of love and realizing imperfections in her relationships. Lines like “Nah, I’d rather just watch you smoke and drink, yeah,” “I’d rather your body than half of your heart,” and “I’m better off without him / I’m better off being a wild one” show this. This song is sad in message, and I can relate to the sobering realization that someone needs to be let go for the sake of their mental health. Overall a 7/10.
goodnight n go
”Goodnight n go” was produced by the duo Social House, which features Michael Foster and Charles Anderson, the former of which briefly dated Grande later from 2019 to 2020. This song is catchy in my opinion. I don’t have too many thoughts, it’s a solid track that I could vibe to at a party or function if played. This track takes much inspiration from “Goodnight and Go” by Imogen Heap, having drawn from many lyrics and basic production aspects to craft Grande’s version. Grande has made statements on social media explaining how Heap was a primary inspiration to Grande as an artist. 7.5/10 track.
pete davidson
This track is dedicated to Grande’s now-ex fiancé obviously named Pete Davidson. Davidson and Grande had a whirlwind romance, getting together shortly after her break up with Miller and being engaged a month later. The two split not long after Miller’s passing, however, causing myself and some others to suspect that she may have still been in love with Miller the whole time (though this is just my theory). Grande told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” that she wrote this song only a week after they started hanging out. Not really my cup of tea, but still somewhat catchy. Not a big fan of Davidson as a person. 6/10.
get well soon
The fifteenth and final track pays respects to those suffering and to the victims of the Manchester bombing at her concert. The 40 seconds of silence at the end of the track was also a tribute to those who lost their lives. This track is beautiful in its message, and it shows its support and respect in an uplifting way instead of in a depressing way, ending the album ona high note and in better spirits. About this song, Grande told Time Magazine, “I felt like I was floating for [three] months last year, and not in a nice way.” Very nice 7.5/10 to end the album.
My overall rating of this album is a good 8/10. In my opinion, this album does not deserve the hate it gets. It has some really high highs in my opinion, which out way the mid-level songs this album also takes. I listen to “everytime” almost every day, and I still find myself humming “R.E.M.” and “God is a woman” on a daily basis. I still think about the “no tears left to cry” chorus demo that recently went viral on TikTok frequently. This album is absolutely not her worst in any capacity, and I think that many Arianators and music-enjoyers should absolutely give this album a second chance.
