Ethan Slater; Ariana Grande.Photo:Eugene Gologursky/Getty; Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Eugene Gologursky/Getty; Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Ariana Grandeis giving fans the “True Story” behind her journey with love on her new album.
In light of the release of Grande’s seventh studio albumEternal Sunshine, which seemingly serves as a story arc from the end of a relationship to the excitement of finding new love, PEOPLE took a deep dive on its most revealing lyrics.
In a February interview on theZach Sang Show, Grande revealed she had no plans to release new music this year — but when the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes shut down production onWicked, Grande, 30, headed to New York City and teamed up with producer Max Martin for a week.
Eternal Sunshineis Grande’s first album in three-and-a-half years, and follows 2020’sPositions. Grande told Sang that in the years since releasingPositions, her relationship to music has evolved, thanks in part toherWickedcharacter Glinda(The first part of the movie is set for release on Nov. 27, while the second part will premiere a year later).
“I kind of healed a lot of parts of myself alongside and through her and it actually helped me heal a lot of my own personal weird stuff that I had with my relationship to music and to being an artist,” she said. “It all happened absolutely how it was meant to be.”
The album also arrived after Grande’sdivorcefrom ex husbandDalton Gomezand new romance with Broadway starEthan Slater, which PEOPLE firstconfirmedin July 2023.
Grande, who has not publicly commented on the separation or new relationship, seemingly sets the record straight for the first time in her new album.
Here are the most revealing lyrics fromEternal Sunshine.
“Intro (End of the World)”
In “Intro (End of the World),” Grande has a moment of reflection and poses an important question: “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?”
She follows up with: “Aren’t you really supposed to know that s—? Feel it in your bones and own that s—?”
In the midst of these feelings, Grande also introduces someone new (Slater?) into the picture.
“Then I had this interaction I’ve been thinkin' ‘bout for like five weeks,” she sings. “Wonder if he’s thinkin’ ‘bout it too and smiling.”
Ultimately, she decides she’d rather “tell the truth than make it worse for you” and sets an old lover (Gomez?) free.
“Bye”
There comes a moment where someone realizes a relationship is over — and Grande is detailing hers.
In “Bye,” Gomez finds the courage to pack up her things and go.
“This ain’t the first time I’ve been hostage to these tears/I can’t believe I’m finally movin’ through my fears,” she sings. “At least, I know how hard we tried, both you and me/Didn’t we? Didn’t we?”
“Eternal Sunshine”
On “Eternal Sunshine,” Grande is moving on.
In the opening of the track, Grande seemingly looks back on her relationship and releases the guilt of being the one to walk away.
“I showed you all my demons, all my lies/Yet you played me like Atari,” she sings. “Now it’s like I’m lookin' in the mirror (Won’t break, can’t shake)/Hope you feel alright when you’re in her (This fate, rewrite)”
Then, she focuses on the “good boy” she’s found — who’s her “eternal sunshine.”
“True Story”
Grande is owning her role as the “villain” in “True Story.”
Months after Grande received backlash for dating Slater soon after his split from wife Lilly Jay, she’s detailing the “true story about all the lies.”
“I’ll play the villain if you need me to/I know how this goes, yeah,” she sings. “I’ll be the one you pay to see play thе scene/Roll the camеras, please.”
In July, Jaybroke her silenceafter Slater filed for divorce and told theNew York Post’sPage Sixthat Grande was “not a girl’s girl.”
Grande later sings: “See it in your eyes (Eyes), you got too much time/For fun, you like to pray for my demise, mm/But I’ll play whatever part you need me to/And I’ll be good in it, too.”
“The Boy Is Mine”
After she set the record straight, Grande is claiming her territory on “The Boy Is Mine.”
“Something about him is made for somebody like me,” she sings, later adding, “And God knows I’m tryin', but there’s just no use in denying.”
“The boy is mine/I can’t wait to try him,” she sings in the chorus. “Le-let’s get intertwined/The stars, they aligned.”
Grande also admits she wasn’t planning on falling in love: “Please know this ain’t what I planned for/Probably wouldn’t bet a dime or my life on [it].”
“Ordinary Things”
In her new relationship, everything feels special.
On “Ordinary Things,” Grande opens up about enjoying the little things in life in her new relationship. From popping champagne in California to hanging out at the Louvre — Grande seemingly captures her feelings for Slater in the chorus.
“No matter what we do/There’s never gonna be an ordinary thing/No ordinary things with you,” she sings. “It’s funny, but it’s true/There’s never gonna be an ordinary thing/As long as I’m with you.”
In the outro of the song, Grande’s grandma,who she calls Nonna, gets vulnerable about her own experience with love.
“And when he’d come home and I’d see him, when he first gets off that train/It was like God almighty arrived/It was like seein' daylight,” she says.
The song and the album concludes with a piece of advice from Nonna that Grande seemingly took to heart.
“And as I told her, never go to bed without kissin' goodnight/That’s the worst thing to do, don’t ever, ever do that,” she says. “And if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it/You’re in the wrong place, get out.”
source: people.com
