ariana grande - positions (oct. 2020)

deluxe ed., teased:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EtLrcvfUYAAUNsL?format=jpg&name=medium

ayyy

Snap, the other tracks are all new (not remixes):

positions deluxe friday 🤍 which of the new additions are u claiming ? https://t.co/FpkiHYLFqt pic.twitter.com/IegiKqjjKz

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) February 15, 2021

the new traxx are lushhhh

"main thing" is positively aquatic

these are all great, especially "test drive"

She has a new Vevo performance thing happening – first clip:

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

When the news broke, a new verse on a remix of a 6-year-old Weeknd song seemed like the most meager of offerings (in the middle of this lengthy, Wicked-induced spell of no new recordings) – but she does sound great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ-qToZUybM

why does this even exist lol

Someone said the original song has been blowing up on TikTok recently (this the remix); don’t know if that’s accurate

*thus

it’s a top 10 hit and was recently the number one song at radio

tiktok randomly making hits out of older songs is still so weird

Modern version of Levi's ads?

True heads will pay $0.69 for the a cappella version

Her new studio pics are v funny (including the vid that pretends to have audio, but is silent). She's back, baby

Was there ever a poll of the Sweetener/Thank U Next era?

Here is the all time Ari Top 30 from a recent r/ariheads Reddit poll of faves

1 god is a woman
2 no tears left to cry
3 Pov
4 everytime
5 goodnight n go
6 in my head
7 thank u next
8 better off
9 ghostin
10 needy
11 dangerous woman
12 into you
13 positions
14 nasty
15 bad idea
16 love language
17 greedy
18 safety net
19 get well soon
20 34+35
21 the way
22 one last time
23 7 rings
24 bloodline
25 breathin
26 rem
27 sometimes
28 off the table
29 break your heart right back
30 moonlight

that's a real weird list

Weird list for sure ("GIAW" is one of my least fave tracks, fwiw)

love to see "POV" getting its due

i've learned over time that my interpretation of her catalog is much different than the majority of her stans, in that dangerous woman & sweetener represent the clear valley to me

i think i just like when she's making R&B music bcuz i've always seen her albums as

1. thank u next
2. yours truly

3. positions

4. my everything

5. dangerous woman
6. sweetener

sweetener in particular to me just feels like a lost era -- everyone was super excited about her becoming a true tabloid celebrity and she made her first gesture towards auteur status w/ the pharrell stuff, pitchfork jumped on board (her only album given an 8.0+ lmao) but that album was always flat to me, she jumped on the pharrell train far too late & honestly i haven't heard "no tears left to cry" or "god is a woman" out in the world in a long ass time. dangerous woman was always pretty mid to me too, i love "be alright" but even "so into you" leaves me cold. i can never match the energy and spirit of the other girls when that one comes on at the party, i just don't have it in me

positions was always in a tough spot of following up her obvious career apex but i still fight over that album to this day -- it's one of the better R&B albums of the decade, which is kinda fucked up but not really ariana's fault

I have a slightly different “POV”… I love Sweetener (tho agree “GIAW” is its valley), but Positions is also my favorite at the end of the day. I don’t think TUN is quite as strong overall as either of those albums, but it does have some of her best songs (in addition to maybe her worst!: “7 Rings”).

“DW” is terrific musically, but the lyrics let it down in spots. “So Into You” is its weakest track… it’s fine but could have gone to any artist, it doesn’t feel distinct to Ariana or really showcase her talent.

I tend to think of TUN as a world-class EP that’s sort of “padded out” to fill an album, which is ok, it’s a special kind of thing.

“So Into You” is its weakest track

wtf

I mean, comparatively! It’s still a good track

The lyrics to “Greedy” are cringe, but it’s a bop

(and highlights her vocal ability better, IMO)

I know songs are shopped around, but it’s hard listening to “GIAW” without thinking about how it was originally with Camila Cabello (and probably could’ve stayed with her…). It is one of AG’s favorites though, fwiw

i completely agree about sweetener being very overrated but dangerous woman is one of her best which is why sweetener was so disappointing

Canny numerologists have pointed out that she posted the seven (7) studio pics/vids on December 7 (…in case there was any doubt whether they just related to another feature on someone else’s remix, or something like that).

Only figured out recently that "Santa Tell Me" is originally her song. It's kind of crept into the Xmas canon already so I figured it was an older song she was covering. I enjoy hearing it more than most Xmas songs

She just released the “naughty version” (which has a slightly spicier bridge).

Being an Ariana stan in 2023 involves engagement w/several degrees of irony & camp.

Another quality teaser (in studio w/Max & Ilya)

I've been listening to DW and Sweetener (thanx to the above discussion)... they both hit just as strong as ever; Sweetener in particular is such a wonderful & special album, it has this magic that's just like nothing else...

Did anyone get one of the postcards that were being sent out in the mail to fans? They look cool! I want one.

I’m still waiting for mine! :D

(I think they were just sent out to the five or so big stan accounts that she coordinates things with?)

…ah looks like it was ~7~ fans (to fit the theme)

New single apparently titled “yes, and?”

There are hints it’ll be released Friday, Jan. 12 (but not confirmed)

^now confirmed, btw

Turns out the lyric she's been teasing – "Say that shit with your chest" – also appears in a Mac Miller song

The track is said to be influenced by (or even "interpolate") Madonna's "Vogue"... which also happened the case w/"Motive," from the last album.

I've learned to keep expectations in check (with any artist/band I'm a fan of)... no streak lasts forever, lighting doesn't necessarily strike 7 times, etc. But few artists have her level of "quality control"/taste in her own material; and especially for her big comeback single, it's hard to imagine a swing + miss (I doubt we're getting a "Focus" situation here). But you never know...

Btw – I've been listening to Positions; and even accounting for the fact that AG music prob sounds 5x better to me than a non-fan, I'm surprised the album wasn't more generally acclaimed. Even putting aside her vocals and the melodies (which are f'in incredible), the production is just amazingly lush; every song full of gorgeous details under the surface. It's just a world-class album...!

i agree entirely. i think 'thank u next' was just such a career peak both in terms of her music and her celebrity, her really just being in the center of the pop culture zeitgest and releasing great music that spoke directly to all the attention, that i think the follow up was always going to be in a really tough spot in its shadow regardless of whether it was good or not. it just so happens to be really really good

New thread for a new "era": ariana grande - eternal sunshine (2024 album)