10 Ariana Grande Tracks You Need In Your Life
Ariana Grande, Queen of the current pop scene, has recently launched her brand new album Sweetener. Full of tracks about what it means to experience difficult things and learning how to bring light to them, this record got me thinking about how often Ariana Grande does this in all of her music. It’s been a really difficult year for her and in spite of this, she has maintained her presence in the media as a role model for young girls.
Here are the top 10 Ariana Grande songs so far you need in your life. Perfect for every occasion and often making the darker times seem better, sing along to these relatable lyrics and dance away your problems.
1. God Is A Woman
The latest single to be released from the album is God Is A Woman, which has been a treat to Feminists everywhere. Full of references to the pursuit for gender equality, the music video especially is stunning to watch. Original Queen of Pop, Madonna, stepped in for a cameo, the glass ceiling is smashed and Grande herself even becomes living art in a replica of painting ‘The Creation of Adam’.
Fans are going crazy about it, especially the hilarious screaming gophers (for that, you’ll have to watch it yourself!). This is a song for all of those times when people are getting you down and telling you what you dream about isn’t possible. The reality is, you are capable of doing absolutely anything you put your mind to.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHLHSlExFis]2. Into You
Whether you’re in the midst of your first crush or there are some unrequited feelings at bay, you need this song and these lyrics. There’s something exciting and dangerous about those feelings, especially when you aren’t quite sure how to communicate them.
With an 80’s vibe and plenty of synth, it’s also really fun to listen to. And if you enjoy this track, you’ll also love her recent collaboration with Troye Sivan, Dance To This. If anything, this is a tune to remind you that when feelings seem suffocating, you simply need to look at them from a new perspective.
3. Problem
Another one about complicated feelings and affairs of the heart, Problem is Ariana Grande’s most upbeat song from recent years. With a snazzy saxophone riff and collaborative vocals courtesy of Iggy Azalea, it’s not hard to understand why.
If you’re not sure anymore how you’re feeling and you’re just done for the day with thinking, switch this on and turn up the volume. You’ll soon be too busy realising that life is way better when you have one less problem and one new song on your playlist.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS1g8G_njx8]4. Side To Side
With some rather contentious elements, namely that the song is built on euphemism, this song is one that you’ll either love or hate.
Again with an 80’s theme, especially in the music video where Ariana Grande and her backing dancers cycle on exercise bikes in the popular gym wear of the decade, this is a really fun one to listen to though the lyrics aren’t as relatable as her more recent content. But that said, sometimes you need to switch of from listening and, to quote Lady GaGa, just dance.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXiSVQZLje8]5. Pete Davidson
Dedicated to Fiance Pete Davidson, this track is short but sweet. The harmony builds up throughout until the end when Ariana’s voice is layered to create the impression of a huge choir. It’s about love at it’s best, completely head over heels.
If you want to send a song to someone you care about when you just don’t have the words to communicate it, send them this and they’ll soon understand.
6. No Tears Left To Cry
Getting up back on your feet again after going through something hard is the most difficult thing you can possibly do. No Tears Left To Cry gets that so completely you’ll hear something new every time you listen to it.
The first tune to be released from Sweetener earlier this year, it’s full of unusually chromatic harmonies that you’ll be left humming all day. It’s upbeat enough to keep you smiling for a whole week, so use wisely.
7. One Last Time
Used as a charity single after the Manchester Bombing, this is the most meaningful song on this list. You need it in your life because it is an example of how to handle something awful, how to find comfort in even the bleakest moments.
Those lyrics say it all, ‘one last time I need to be the one who brings you home’. If you have those you love and you are safe, that’s all that really matters in life and you can go from there.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPgEgaPk62M]8. The Light Is Coming
Such a fun piece, The Light Is Coming is highly experimental and feels more like several mini melody fragments slotted together to create a kaleidoscope view. This is for every time you need something to wake you up on a bleak Monday morning. Plug in your headphones and grab the coffee, you’ll soon be wide awake.
9. Breathin’
My personal favourite on the new album, this song has some of Ariana Grande’s most relatable lyrics and is incredibly open about the plight of life with anxiety or other mental health issues. In a world where so much is fabricated, it is easy to forget the best simple advice of all: Just keep breathing.
Without being sad or heavy, Breathin’ captures difficulty and joy at its fullest, with the intro even featuring a mini snippet of Ariana Grande’s Grandfather speaking adding an extra personal meaning to the artist herself. What she claimed to be one of the hardest songs to finish, this definitely sounds like her best yet.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BYr1br2Ee4]10. Raindrops
I’ve included this short 30 second recording from the beginning of Sweetener because, even though it feels like an introductory moment, it reminds me very much of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Summarising perfectly everything that Ariana Grande uses in every single song she writes and performs, this is what you need if you want to listen to some music but only have 5 minutes.
Listen to it as many times as you can in those brief pauses and when you go back to what you’re doing, you’ll remember just how strong you are and things won’t be so heavy anymore.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1gZSpKwv8A]
