Ariana Grande has some things to get off her chest, and as she should. As one of the most famous women in the world, Grande has been the subject of intense public discourse for most of her life. It has been especially critical in the past year. If it isn’t about her love life, the conversation and relentless comments turn to her body and weight rather than her work. It’s no wonder that Grande plans to retreat from the public spotlight once the Eternal Sunshine Tour ends in September because of all the scrutiny she’s faced.
It’s also the kind of nastiness Grande seemingly addresses in her eighth studio album, petal. The 12-track LP might sound like the musician going through the grievances of a past lover, but it isn’t hard to imagine the album also being her way to clap back against all the rumors that have been said about her. Sonically, it’s quite experimental, lowkey, and somewhat subdued as compared to the hard-hitting pop productions we’ve heard from the singer in her past albums.
Lyrically, though, it finds Grande unburdened and ready to air out how she’s been feeling. In a way, it tackles the love-hate relationship she has with the public, with the persona of a former partner being the stand-in for Grande’s subject. The album’s cover art is a reflection of this letting loose, as it’s the Grammy-winning musician with her hair down and without her famous ponytail, no longer beholden to acting and speaking a certain way. She uses rage and controversy to fuel petal, which makes for some standout tracks. So below, we rounded up some of our favorite songs from the album.
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hate that i made you love me – Regrets, She’s Had Plenty
Among all the songs on petal, hate that i made you love me is one of the most commercial-sounding, which made sense to have as the album’s first single. But the track also works as an introduction to what petal is all about. The pop-synth track sees Grande sing about her regrets in making someone fall in love with her after seeing what they did to her. However, it can also be a metaphor for Grande’s sometimes tense relationship with her overzealous fans who overstep their boundaries. The song may not jump at you right away, but it gets better with subsequent listens, especially with its catchy pre-chorus.
oh well – Bad Guys Go to Hell
One of petal’s most striking tracks, oh well has Grande show the door to someone who clearly wasn’t a healthy presence in her life. With lyrics like, “The bad guys all go to hell”, and a drum-and-bass-driven production, Grande is ready to move on from toxic people in her life and doesn’t mince words on where she thinks they belong. Considering that the previous track, stay, was about wishing for a love to last, oh well goes the opposite direction but works just as fine in realizing that, as hard as it is to move on, it’s just not worth it.
big feelings – She’s Still Grande
Ariana Grande knows the power she holds in this playful track about how she gives a man “big feelings”. What exactly that means is up for the listener to decide, but as Grande puts it, there are worse things she could do. It touches upon Grande as a lover while also hinting that she’s more than just a woman who wears her heart on her sleeve.
like i do – Nobody Does It Like Ariana
With a deep bassline, a sprinkling of her trap sensibilities, and unbridled confidence, Grande makes it known exactly who is in charge in the relationship in this R-rated track. To whoever the subject Grande is singing to, she leaves little to the imagination of her place and importance in someone’s life. Also, the song features one of the album’s most memorable lyrics in “Keep my heels tall, my ego small, but I’m still grande.”
bad thing (bunny hop) – The Temptation of Love
Unlike most of the songs on petal, bad thing (bunny hop) is one of the few that’s relatively positive message-wise, though with its caveats. The song stands out for how fast-paced it is compared to the rest of the album, but the production adds to the track’s energy as Grande debates whether or not to get into a new relationship. As much as she recognizes what it’s like to be in love, there’s also a hesitation on Grande’s part about the risks involved. This isn’t so much of a love song as it is a mature realization that there’s more to relationships than just the initial butterflies.
Featured Image: ARIANA GRANDE, Photographed by KATIA TEMKIN
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