Thank U, Next: A 4-year retrospective

On February 8, 2019, Ariana Grande released her 5th studio album ‘Thank U, Next”. Upon its release, the album received widespread acclaim and commercial success with it being Ariana’s most successful album to date. But here we are, 4 years later, to review the record and see if it still holds up today.

Thank U, Next is arguably her most personal album to date so to understand the contents of the record we have to recap some major events in Ariana’s career and life up until that point. On May 22, 2017, The Manchester bombing occurred, a horrendous terrorist attack that resulted in 23 deaths (including the attacker). Needless to say, this attack left many involved psychologically scarred including Ariana herself. Ariana has expressed her struggles with PTSD and anxiety on her social media and in her music. But instead of letting everything she’s been through potentially change her for the worse Ariana chose to be happy and focus on the good. 6 months prior to releasing Thank U, Next Ariana released her 4th studio album ‘Sweetener’. A very hopeful album, with the message of the record being centered around love, perseverance, and maturation. The Sweetener era was supposed to be about growth and healing but unfortunately, Ariana’s world came crashing down again when her ex, Mac Miller passed away, and her engagement to Pete Davidson was called off. The media was blaming her for mac’s passing and saying she moved on too fast with Pete. At this point, all eyes were on Ariana wondering what she was gonna do next and many speculated she’d disappear from the public eye for a while, but yet again, Ariana returned with music. So let’s talk about it.

Album Review:

imagine - One thing about Ariana is she knows how to open an album and Imagine just might be her best opener. While my personal favorite is Honeymoon avenue, Imagine as an opener makes the most sense within its album. As i mentioned before, Thank U, Next is a deeply personal and intimate record and Imagine feels like this grand opening to that world with lyrics feeling like they came straight from her diary. She just sounds so raw and passionate on the song in a way i had never heard from her up until that point. To me, it feels like I’m listening to Ariana singing about this ideal fantasy she has with someone that isn’t here. From her perspective, this fantasy is something she wishes for with this person but now that dream is forever unattainable so now all she can do is just imagine it. This song is truly beautiful and one of my favorite songs of hers indeed.

needy - Needy, as the song may suggest is Ariana singing about her being needy but overall the song is more generally about her being introspective and addressing her personal issues. She talks about being obsessive, loving too hard, being an over thinker, and of course being needy. This song just comes off as Ariana admitting her faults and being honest with and about herself. I remember this being one of my favorite tracks when the album first came out and i found the song very relatable back then and I honestly still do now. I enjoy its more stripped back production here, really adds to the emotional weight of the song and lets us know this album is gonna get into some deeply personal shit.

NASA - Nasa is a song about her needing space from whoever she is singing about. I like the dichotomy of this song coming right after a song of her being needy. These contrasting songs being placed one after another shows how ever-changing emotions can be and how one moment you can want one thing and then what the complete opposite another. Her use of space references and terminology to talk about needing space is also really cute and cheeky. Overall, i really enjoy NASA it’s not a song i go back to a lot but when it comes on while listening to the album i have a blast.

bloodline - bloodline is a reggae-influenced pop BANGER! This was my favorite track on the album for so long like the production is amazing and honestly, if i had my way this would have been a single along with in my head. If you have some good trumpets in your song i am gonna fall in love with it, this is a scientifically proven fact at this point. But anyways lyrically, Ariana sings about wanting someone for a “good time” but doesn’t want anything long-term. She sings about not looking for her “one true love” but is just looking for someone to fill that void but only temporarily. This sentiment is a consistent theme within the album and aids the story and message of the album.

fake smile - Fake smile might be Ariana’s most honest song on Thank u, next. On it, she sings about not being able to pretend to be happy and fake smiles after everything she’s been through these past 2 years. The sparse production of the song makes the lyrics and voice stand out more are and i honestly think this is one of her best written songs and she sounds amazing on it, naturally. This song is an excellent example of the reliability this album has while also being deeply personal and specific to Ariana. Because while she’s singing about reading things people write about her and what they say about her on the Tv, it’s the sentiment about having to fake a smile in general that is so relatable and what resonates with so many people.

bad idea - Bad idea is a song of Ariana singing about wanting to do something with someone to help take her mind off the shit she’s been going through. Ariana in this song feels like to me she’s reaching her breaking point and has the idea to fill that void with someone who can give her “something she can feel”. When the album first released i used to have this interpretation of this song that the bad idea was Ariana being suicidal. I know it’s about mindless sex being used to take her mind off her problems. But the way she sings about “runnin’ outta time” and wanting to be saved it gave the song this ominous feeling and made this song a lot darker and sad to me. I also must say i was not a huge fan of this song, I don't know it never really resonated with me, but while listening to it for this review my body started moving a bit this time. maybe it had to grow on me like a fungus for 4 years. Oh! and I do like the live version on K Bye For Now, i’ve always enjoyed that one.

make up - THIS IS MY JAM! can’t nobody make me turn my back on make up. This song is just so much fun I know y’all don’t like to have that but I do and I have a blast with this song. Make up is just a song about make up sex and I love it for that. Every song doesn’t need to be deep and sentimental sometimes we just need a fun lil tune to bop to and that’s exactly what this is. Stop the make up slander and have fun!!

ghostin - good lord… ghostin. Ghostin without a doubt is Ariana at her most raw and vulnerable to date. The song is a heartbreaking ballad where she sings about reminiscing on a past love while being with someone else. The song is speculated to be about her exes Mac Miller and Pete Davidson. She sings about the partner she’s with being so understanding and there for her even though she’s crying and mourning over another guy and wishing he was here instead. Besides the title track thank u, next, Ghostin feels like the centerpiece of the album and what the album represents as a whole. This song is a necessity to the album and really grounds the album and reminds us that although the music may sound fun and happy at times, Ariana is going through it and Ghostin’s production being contrasted with the rest of the album makes it really stand out as a focal point and is a highlight of Ariana’s career.

in my head - As an over thinker myself the sentiment of being in my head all the time and having ideas of people in my head that may not be accurate hit close to home, needless to say, I related a bit to this song. And i really appreciate this song and needy because those are aspects of myself that I’m not necessarily proud of so her putting that on full display for the world to see and judge her is really admirable. Aside from all this, the song is a fucking BANGER. In my head is my personal favorite song on the album, i mean the bridge alone made it a certified hit for me at least.

7 rings - A song that really needs no introduction, everyone and their momma knows 7 rings. On the surface, this song is about Ariana flexing her wealth and status but the song is really about Ariana’s use of material goods to help her get over her problems. This song follows the same themes of bloodline and bad idea, where we see Ariana indulging in other people and things to help distract her from her hardships. To me, this song feels like Ariana is just putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. She’s not really facing her problems head-on but more so ignoring them and i get that sometimes it feels better at the moment to just spend a bunch of money on things you want. That immediate satisfaction you get can be very rewarding but like i said the root problem is left unresolved.

thank u, next - Another song that needs no introduction, Thank U, Next. One of the best title tracks and songs, in general, if we’re being honest. The timeless production mixed with its anthemic lyrics and triumphant nature how could you hate this song? Especially after seeing everything we know she’s been through at this time, it’s like we were all rooting for her. This song feels like a fresh start and I really don’t know why it wasn’t the album closer it would have really tied everything together with a pretty bow. The song is a direct response to everything addressed before it. But nonetheless, like i said the message of the song is timeless and i think this song has definitely aged the best and it’s really no surprise why this song did so well.

break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored - Now, just as a song by itself i really enjoy it the song is fine but i don’t like it in the context of the album. It being the album closer just kinda leaves the album on a bad note and feels so out of place in my opinion. If Thank u, next (the song) is about healing, self-love, and growth then Break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored feels like a regression and I’ve always felt that way about the placement of this track. If i had my way i’d place this song in between bad idea and make up i feel like it narratively makes the most sense to go there but what do you guys think?

Final thoughts:

In conclusion, I think Thank U, Next is a wonderful record. Listening to it multiple times to do this newsletter really made me appreciate it more and i applaud Ariana’s ability to not just release this album 6 months after Sweetener but her ability to get this vulnerable and personal is the true highlight of the record. The issue i do have with the record is the production at some points feel their age, the heavy influence of that trendy trap pop sound of the late 2010s can make the album sound dated at times. But that’s my biggest critique of the album and the only real downside but besides that, I think the record is a classic. And it’s no surprise this album was a success like i’ve repeated throughout the review the album is very personal and relatable and all eyes were on her at the time. Thank U, Next had all the right pieces fall into place and was bound to be a success honestly. It was fun looking back at this album and get to review it years later and just talk about some music that I like. If you like these kinds of reviews i’ll do more of so let me know. See you guys in the next one, peace.