Returning to the music scene after a four year hiatus, Ariana Grande’s most anticipated, “eternal sunshine” album has already found itself the center of attention. The album offers a refreshing, yet raw side of the pop star as she paints her struggle grappling with the media and letting go of memories that come with heartbreak.
“eternal sunshine” begins with a posed question on a favorite track of the album: “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” through the first track, “intro(end of the world),” painting Grande’s pondering over her marriage is worth saving. She sings if their love could withstand the absence of the sun’s light or if she’d be on their mind if the world ended. This question is quickly answered in the next track, “bye,” in which Grande escapes the confines of her past relationship and leads into the early stages of independence. “So I grab my stuff Courtney just pulled up in the driveway,” signifies Grande’s new beginnings of freedom.
Grande’s array of controversies throughout the past year, namely her former marriage with Dalton Gomez coupled with new romance with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater has signified the singer’s “Saturn Return.” This period is known as one’s transformative and challenging phase of life, often between the ages of 27-30, hence the album’s fourth track, “Saturn Returns Interlude.”
Grande confirmed the album draws inspiration from the film, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” inherently conveyed in “we can’t be friends.” The song explores the difficulty of maintaining a friendship with someone who you used to love, yet continuing to wait for one’s love to be reciprocated. The song’s music video depicts Grande erasing the painful memories of heartbreak similar to the film “Spotless Mind,” panicking as she realizes that letting go of the bad memories entails forgetting the happy ones as well. The song in itself draws parallels from the singer’s previous works, namely, “in my head” from her “thank u, next” record, where she sings of the couple’s perceptions of one another. Grande sings in TUN, “painted a picture, I thought I drew you well,” as she realizes that she must let go of the image of what she thought her significant other was, to the recent “don’t like how you paint me” to depict how her other half painted her with doubt, rather than potential as she once did.
Grande proved her talent as a storyteller across numerous tracks including “don’t wanna break up again” and “i wish i hated you.” “don’t wanna break up again” encapsulated Grande’s projection of blame for her heartbreak onto herself, expressing that the thought of breaking her partner’s heart would break hers just as much. Though the singer’s sorrow during her marriage precedes this, she sings of the endless nights she spent crying just for her partner to “turn up the TV,” coloring a sense of loneliness the singer fought during her marriage. She also sings “no matter how guilty, I still feel saying it” within “i wish i hated you,” to convey the bittersweet feelings she has for her former partner, although fogged with heartbreak. Grande plays with layers and articulation within these tracks, allowing her voice to break and in “i wish i hated you” and allowing her audience a glimpse of the tears she’s fought through her marriage.
Grande closes the album with “ordinary things (feat. Nonna),” exploring the little things to which she values when looking for someone to love. The album’s initial question, “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” is answered by her Nonna. Nonna expresses the importance of a love where no fight can drift them apart and finding one who will fight for you. “And if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it You’re in the wrong place, get out.”
Grande offers an exploration of love, heartbreak and self-discovery, showcasing a fortifying side of her artistry. Despite critiques or controversies surrounding its release, “eternal sunshine” stands as a testament to Grande’s ability to curate powerful and resonant music, inviting listeners on a journey of emotional epiphany and self-reflection.
