Ariana Grande - AG4 (2018 album)

She doesn’t belittle Mac. Also, I don’t think she’s belittling the others, she’s being honest about them. When she says “thank you,” it’s genuine — there’s nothing catty in it. Though obv. the song plays on yr expectations of what a post-breakup song with that title would be.

(That guy Ricky insta’d a “reaction shot” of himself hearing the song; and she was like, “Haha sorry, I gave you the worst line”)

it kinda exists in a space between petty and legit grateful, which is how i feel about a lot of my exes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0iD0pI3o0

i love this song so much but admittedly she could remake "into you"/"touch it" for the rest of her career and i'd be satisfied

Also, a fun live performance of "thank u, next" is posted @ https://www.ellentube.com/

pic.twitter.com/1V5zcCe75W

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 8, 2018

that "mmmah mmmah yeah" part she does 2/3rds of the way thru breathin' <- i'm dead

i guess Genius says she's singing "my air" so ... w/e

Number 1 in the uk. Her first since Problem in 2014 astonishingly.

does anyone have the vinyl for this? and if so, is the clean versions?

i bought vinyl from Amazon and they sent me clean mp3s. i can't imagine the vinyl is clean, is it?

shaping up to be a huge hit stateside too. personally i don't understand the appeal

it’s the right song at the right time

xp whatever one thinks of it, it's undeniably unique subject matter / POV for a pop song - a rare thing - I totally get its appeal on that alone + it is very much of the moment

I love this song and that Ellen performance is so endearing.

so nice to see a little perfect bubblegum pop coming back around after a few years of nothing but drivel, not to mention its sincerity <3

hmmm

It’s now her first-ever #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

thank u, next

I just saw the ellen performance : it's great and so fresh and alive (the misstep, dance moves, laughters...).
regarding the track, I like the "hiii" she does a couple of times, right at the end.

just browsed several pieces of writing about this tune and am annoyed that it appears to be more frequently often described as "synth pop" and "pure pop" (?? blech) than anything else. if any r&b 'influence' is acknowledged it tends to be mentioned in passing wrt production -- no mention whatsoever of her delivery or cadence. like, hello?! the triplet verses? the punctutated 1e--2e--3e-- delivery of the chorus's final line? have any of these writers turned on an 'urban' radio station for the past 5 years?

it was also described as "bubblegum pop" upthread and supposedly a reprieve from the 'drivel' that has been successful on the charts lately (presumably rap music) so maybe it is instead i who is not seeing something. any help?

Nah, it’s totally R&B-“influenced”... that’s partly why it’s such a big hit, IMO

if a black artist recorded it it would be simply described as "r&b", no influence invoked or assumed. so i agree! but the number of people who seem to have failed to notice or are otherwise ignoring or downplaying this fact is worryingly high. (it's also possible that the articles i browsed were not representative and that all my hand-wringing is senseless.)

It is rnb but the most pop/mainstream side of it maybe (it reminds me of early 90s rnb/pop hits)

maybe my vernacular of bubblegum wasnt so appropriate. i just meant that its light, breezy, fun, simple and memorable in the same way songs like 'call me maybe' were - not abrasive, maximalist and full of millenial whoops.

the "My Boo" progression

The much-anticipated (and -teased) video has premiered:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl1aHhXnN1k

this is very nice but unfortunately the ellen performance is still the official video

cute video!

Yeah the video is silly and cute but the Ellen performance is the shit !

just got around to the ellen performance, it is indeed very endearing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX_vx_s6Gr0

really don't like the trans gag character in the thank u next video

I was looking up Ariana Grande guitar chords (I don’t have a guitar) and discovered the chords to “Pete Davidson” are just BAE over and over and I can’t believe I just wrote the Da Vinci Code pic.twitter.com/L48k3V7o5i

— Grace Barry (@gracelbarry) December 6, 2018

haha

A new single titled "Imagine" drops tonite, fam

It’s some next-level shit, y’all !

"imagine" is pretty nice, especially the ending section - it's better than most of sweetener

guessing a christmas album release? that feels like something she'd do

as in the album gets a surprise christmas release rather than she's recording a christmas album lol

I know I’m prone to hyperbole ITT; but I feel like this year we’ve seen an already extraordinary artist just “come into her own”... she’s totally in the pocket, every release feels like a minor revelation. I can think of only a few rough analogies — witnessing an artist this perfectly in the zone — in my lifetime of music fandom. I’m so happy to be here for it.

both "imagine" and "thank u next" are better than anything on Sweetener except the lead single

"imagine" def not as effortlessly good as "thank u next" but im just rly happy to hear her over some good production that is not pharrell or max martin

I've listened to "Imagine" a couple of times.
I don't find it particularly good so far (and not better than some Sweetener tracks).
But I'll certainly give it more time. Maybe it'll grow.

"imagine" isn't a smash but kind of revelatory for me as someone who's been listening awhile to hear her release a very good song that isn't straining itself to be a smash

i would contrast with "god is a woman" which to me sounds like it's contorting itself into some truly grotesque shapes in order to go bigger and wider with each second that passes, by the end it's mike teevee at the end of charlie & the chocolate factory, towering overhead but so thin and wobbly that a slight gust of wind might knock it to the ground

"imagine" is much looser, more natural, more listenable, more recognizably human

i knew her music would get a lot better once she left max behind, i just never imagined it would happen so quickly

y’all and your backhanded compliments, lol...

I need to find or establish some kind of community of like-minded individuals... maybe I’ll hand out my card to other adult dudes when I see her perform at Staples in May.

I ordered pad thai tonite in honor of this song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjQerQlqYgI

Catch her performance on Fallon last night? It was tight

she turned down a damehood, respec!

<3

thank u, yes!

side a - thank u, next
side b - imagine
vinyl available now
🖤https://t.co/DrD7Oi96Ju pic.twitter.com/PITRnapGdb

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) January 3, 2019