On February 8th, 2019, pop sensation Ariana Grande broke the internet (and iTunes) with the release of her highly anticipated album, "thank u, next". After #1 hits like "thank u, next" and "7 rings" were released prior to the album came out, everyone knew that Ariana would be blessing our ears with another smash album.
For those of you who haven't listened to "thank u, next" yet, or who would enjoy looking at my take on the album, here is the definitive ranking of all of the tracks on "thank u, next", from worst to best.
7 rings
Okay, I know you're all going to fight me, but honestly from a lyrical and musical standpoint, "7 rings" is the weakest track on Ari's new album. Am I saying it's bad? No. Compared to the rest of the gems on this album, however, "7 rings" is going to have to fall at my bottom. It will forever be a GNO pregame hit, though.
bloodline
Listen, I'm all here for a song describing a friends with benefits type situation, but once again, there are just too many bops on this album for them to all be #1.
imagine
When this song first came out, I LOVED it. Probably more than people did. And while every time I listen to it my mind travels to this fantasy land of being in a world alone with a lover, I know that this song hasn't made waves quite like the other singles have. It kind of makes me sad, because I wish I could place "imagine" so much higher on my list.
make up
Honestly, who HASN'T been here, fighting with your boo just so you can make up? Totally relatable. Also, I'm really loving the reference to Fenty Beauty in this one.
bad idea
Trying to numb the pain of your ex by calling over someone else? Yeah, it might be a bad idea, but you gotta do what you gotta do...
fake smile
Oh, Ari. Breaking my heart into a million pieces with this one. "fake smile" shines a light on exactly that—someone who feels like whenever they go out they have to put on an act for the world, even though their personal life has gone to shit. I love it when artists can be vulnerable, which is exactly what Ariana is doing in this one.
NASA
After the whole "Pete Davidson wore a NASA hoodie and Ariana wrote a song called NASA" Internet trend, I was very excited to listen to 'NASA'. As soon as I heard, "This is one small step for woman...", I knew that I'd be in love. This track is super catchy and fun and all about needing your space.
break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored
Okay, first off, can we just talk about this title because it's ICONIC. But on a real note, buwygib exceeded every expectation that I had and is the perfect way to end this album.
needy
This lyrics are beautiful and personal and everything I'd ever need. As someone who is always the clingy, 'needy' girlfriend, this song sings straight to my heart.
in my head
Something I love about all music is how relatable they can be, while still being personal to the artist. That's exactly what 'in my head' is. So many times, we get our heart broken because we've falling in love with someone we've created in our head. The intro really got me and I knew from that point on 'in my head' would be one of my favorites from the album.
thank u, next
'thank u, next' will forever be iconic. Even though it doesn't quite fit with what all of the other tracks are saying, this song really put Ariana on the map and helped increase the hype for the album's release. Usually I'm disappointed by title tracks, but 'thank u, next' is far from a disappointment.
ghostin
The first time I listened to this album it was like 4 am. I sobbed the first time I heard 'ghostin', in my bed, at 4 am. Clearly a knock to Ariana's relationships with Mac Miller and Pete Davidson, bringing in that element and understanding how Ariana feels about those relationships, that were clearly displayed to the public eye, breaks my heart. The slowed-down vibe of 'ghostin' paired with her heartwrenching lyrics is beautiful enough for me to place it at #1. This song will forever hold a special place in my heart.
