Pop singer, songwriter and actress Ariana Grande released her long-awaited seventh studio album “eternal sunshine” on March 8, 2024, over three years after her previous album, “Positions,” in late 2020. The title, named after one of her favorite 2004 films, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” encompasses her story of breaking unhealthy cycles throughout her life. Grande exhibits exceptional vocal growth within her four-octave vocal range, experimenting with different sounds on 13 tracks and only 35 minutes of runtime.
Grande introduces the album with the track “intro (end of the world),” and the contrast between the moon and the sun. Representing the light and darkness of her relationship, Grande wonders if her partner would still think about her and if she would think about him if they broke up.
“If the moon went dark tonight / And if it all ended tomorrow / Would I be the one on your mind, your mind, your mind? / And if it all ended tomorrow / Would you be the one on mine?” Grande sings.
In the third song, “don’t wanna break up again,” Grande reflects on her mental health worsening as their relationship began to fall apart. She wishes her partner would have put in more effort to stay together and reflects on her resilience toward the cycle of love and loss, hoping for light in the darkest times of her life.
“Spent so much on therapy / Blamed my own codependency / But you didn’t even try / When you finally did, it was at the wrong time,” Grande sings.
The title track, “eternal sunshine,” expresses how Grande wishes she could erase everything she hated about her previous relationship to clear her mind from the emotional turmoil. While eternal sunshine usually represents optimism, Grande feels pessimistic about the past and wishes she could erase it.
“So I try to wipe my mind / Just so I feel less insane / Rather feel painless / I’d rather forget than know, know for sure / What we could’ve fought through behind this door, mm,” Grande sings.
“true story,” the seventh track, is Grande reflecting on playing the role of Glinda in the upcoming 2024 film “Wicked.” As an actress, Grande can become good or evil, on stage and in her own life, commenting on outside perspectives of her life that feel ingenuine. She feels like she is performing for an audience through the media’s preoccupation with her personal life.
“I’ll play the villain if you need me to / I know how this goes, yeah / I’ll be the one you pay to see play thе scene / Roll the camеras, please,” Grande sings.
In the ninth track, “yes, and?” Grande develops a nonchalance toward how the public perceives her and begins living her life how she wants to, finding her authentic self.
“Now, I’m so done with caring / What you think, no, I won’t hide / Underneath your own projections / Or change my most authentic life,” Grande sings.
Grande begins to detach from her previous relationship and end everything rather than rekindling a flame that should have never been lit in “we can’t be friends.” She learns that she can achieve peace through blissful ignorance.
“I didn’t think you’d understand me / How could you ever even try? / I don’t wanna tiptoe, but I don’t wanna hide / But I don’t wanna feed this monstrous fire / Just wanna let this story die / And I’ll be alright,” Grande sings.
In “I wish I hated you,” the tenth song, Grande expresses darkness and light through the shadows of her relationship, disclosing how nobody should be blamed for leaving an unhealthy situation.
“Our shadows dance in a parallel plane / Just two different endings, you learn to repair / And I learn to keep me in one place,” Grande sings.
As the album concludes, “imperfect for you” reveals the beauty of a flawed relationship that is not completely ideal. Grande imagines her ideal life and wants to create something new with her partner, staying by his side despite the challenges they face.
“How could we know / We’d rearrange all the cosmos? Mm / We crashed, and we burned
Now I just can’t go where you don’t go,” Grande sings.
In the final track of the album, “ordinary things,” Grande’s questions are answered from the first track as she finds joy in the simplistic experiences of life. When relationships feel mundane, she learns to cherish ordinary moments and make them meaningful.
“You hit just like the first sip of wine after a long day / You hit like my biggеst fan when I hear what the critiquеs say / You hit just like a green light when I’m stuck runnin’ real late / I don’t need no diamonds, just your time,” Grande sings.
While Ariana Grande has experienced many hardships throughout the relationships, she has learned to embrace the “eternal sunshine” with vulnerability and openness to change. By accessing her happiness, Grande finds inner peace by staying authentic to herself and finding joy beyond and within her romantic relationships.