After four years of post-pandemic silence, a discreet wedding, judging on The Voice, a subsequent divorce, and prepping for her role in the upcoming Wicked movie, it’s safe to say that Ariana Grande has had a quiet yet tumultuous time since her last studio album Positions came out in October 2020. Loosely billed as a “concept record” about her divorce from Dalton Gomez, entering her Saturn return-inspired thirties, and her new controversial relationship with Wicked costar Ethan Slater, eternal sunshine marks a highly anticipated return for the pop superstar.
As her seventh studio album, eternal sunshine is not Grande’s first time dealing with a public heartbreak and the scrutiny that comes with it through her music. But eternal sunshine takes on a different approach than her previous albums: It is a quieter, more mature album, and one of her best to date.
Inspired by the 2004 movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a science fiction drama about removing the memories of an ex after a breakup, the album starts off on theme, with Grande singing “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” in “intro (end of the world).” A magical, whimsy, yet simultaneously sad and nostalgic amalgamation of Grande’s flawless vocals, this track is certainly one of her best intros. In “bye,” Grande shifts to a more upbeat theme, saying bye to her failed relationship. Overall, these two intro songs were strong starts to the album, but somewhat predictable in her pattern of previous intros such as “Intro” on My Everything and “shut up” on Positions.
The third track “don’t wanna break up again” is a light and breathy, yet precise song about the feeling of knowing a long-term relationship is no longer right and the grieving that comes after it ends. After the two rather predictable first tracks, this song marked the excitingly distinct style that would appear throughout the rest of the album, in which Grande mixes her 90s diva style with contemporary pop and R&B. Personally, I feel “don’t wanna break up again” is one of the better songs of the album, and is criminally underrated on eternal sunshine album rankings.
“Saturn Returns Interlude” transitions into “eternal sunshine,” one of my favorites of the album. Another breathy pop and R&B track, “eternal sunshine” captures the feeling of the bittersweetness and melancholy that comes with the reality of a relationship. This title track is indicative of the incredible production of this album— I can confidently say that eternal sunshine is the best work of Grande and co-producer Max Martin in her discography.
“supernatural” definitely reaches more into Grande’s contemporary pop style, reminiscent of her style on Sweetener, serving as an upbeat transition into the strong songs of the album. At the halfway point of eternal sunshine, “true story” and “the boy is mine” are easily some of, if not, the best songs on the album. “true story” is a 2000s Timberlake-esque song of pure vengeance, with Grande singing “I’ll play the villain if you need me to.” A play on “Fantasize,” a leaked unreleased song that went viral last summer, “true story” is a bad girl anthem along the lines of “bad idea” from thank u, next. The track sets up for the following song, “the boy is mine,” an R&B diva track inspired by the classic song of the same name by Brandy and Monica. “the boy is mine” is a catchy 90s-inspired bop, exaggerating the first stages of love in a similar fashion to her previous songs like “Fantasize” and “34+35.”
The ninth track, “yes, and?” was the first lead single of eternal sunshine, released in January. Heavily inspired by Madonna’s “Vogue,” “yes, and?” is a disco house song about ignoring haters and staying confident under intense public scrutiny. While a catchy song, “yes, and?” was one of the weaker ones of the album, and definitely a red herring of a lead single for the rest of the album. “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” is the second lead single, and is a heart-wrenching contemporary pop song capturing the pain of letting go of an ex.
The album ends off with three final tracks. “i wish i hated you,” while a beautiful emotional song that has the potential to be on the same par as “imagine” from thank u, next, feels a bit repetitive with the breathy and light styles of previous songs earlier in the album. “imperfect for you,” a sardonic song about avoiding vulnerability and diving headfirst into unexpected feelings, is one of the more unique songs of the album and one of my favorites, stylistically reminiscent of “Moonlight” from Dangerous Woman. Finally, “ordinary things,” another chronically underranked track, is an emotional pop track about knowing whether you’re in the right relationship or not, playing into hip-hop, R&B, and pop styles to perfectly wrap up the album.
Overall, Grande’s vocals in eternal sunshine are quietly brilliant, not as showy as on her previous albums— a perfect display of her newfound maturity and more profound R&B influences working in tandem with Max Martin’s artistic production. Not only does Grande lyrically interpolate references from previous songs throughout the album, you also hear quiet shadows of her bright Mariah Carey-esque vocals of Yours Truly and My Everything mixed in with the darker, huskier register introduced in Positions, aligning with the overall theme of the album: reflection as one grows up and finding a sense of self.
eternal sunshine is definitely not Grande’s number-one album— it’s easily beaten out by Sweetener, Dangerous Woman, and perhaps even thank u, next. While eternal sunshine captures a new maturity and is some of Grande’s best production work, it is simply too short and doesn’t have any true standout tracks in comparison to her discography as a whole.
That being said, eternal sunshine is still some of Grande’s strongest work. Fans of Sweetener will especially love this healing album, but because of its various interpolations and general callbacks to pop, ballad, R&B, and 90s diva styles seen from her early stages in Yours Truly up to “Fantasize,” pretty much anyone who has liked anything of Grande’s in the past can enjoy this album.
Many fans are speculating whether certain songs on eternal sunshine are about Dalton Gomez, Ethan Slater, or Mac Miller, analyzing the smallest of lyrical details to find a reference to Grande’s personal life. Compared to previous albums (such as Sweetener— one of the tracks was literally named “pete davidson”), eternal sunshine is definitely one of the more cryptic ones. But ambiguity is the point of this concept album: it’s an amalgamation of various personal experiences and stories. Eternal sunshine isn’t supposed to be a tell-all about Grande’s love life or even her personal healing journey, but is a relatable exploration of navigating relationships and self-reflection, making the album one of her most alluring for old fans and new listeners alike.
