Posted March 25, 20214 yr George’s 20 Favourite Ariana Grande Songs- YUH! I have always loved ranking and compiling lists of my favourite things- whether that be films, albums, places, or my personal favourite: songs. One thing that has come more recently with this passion is the commentary I began to write that went alongside these rankings. So, here I am starting with my first attempt at listing an artist’s songs that are true favourites of mine. There may be some stories behind some, some may be undeniably great, some may be unpopular opinions, but ones I am willing to back up with facts, thoughts, and feelings! Feel free to discuss your thoughts on my choices and opinions on the songs!
March 25, 20214 yr Author Before I start, here are the amount of songs featured from each album: Yours Truly- 3 My Everything- 4 Dangerous Woman- 4 Sweetener- 4 Thank U Next- 2 Positions- 3
March 25, 20214 yr Author 20. POV (Positions) nQJEp-k-ogs Our top 20 opens with a track from Ariana’s latest release, Positions- a low-key affair that can’t claim to match the energy of a song like Into You or the BPM of Break Free- the album can however offer a slew of mid-tempo R&B numbers making this the album most reminiscent of Mariah Carey’s 90s work- an artist Grande has had many comparisons to her entire career. POV opens with soft electronic pulses and a strings section before she opens with “It’s like you got superpowers”-immediately setting the scene for the romantic, sensual number. Ari doesn’t use her signature powerful vocals in this one- instead opting for a falsetto based vocal performance best highlighted in the twinkly middle eight that sounds like something straight out of Phil Spectre-produced Motown tracks.
March 25, 20214 yr OOH :wub: surprised that 'thank u, next' has the least amount of represenation but 2-4 from each album is a decently even spread nonetheless! Excited *.* 'pov' is a great one to start with <3 I suspect that could do quite well in the 'positions' rate. Here's hoping it gets a video soon!
March 25, 20214 yr Author OOH :wub: surprised that 'thank u, next' has the least amount of represenation but 2-4 from each album is a decently even spread nonetheless! Excited *.* It’s actually my second fave Ariana album as well surprisingly!
March 25, 20214 yr Author 19. Bad Decisions (Dangerous Woman) RlRgnsyR00Y Next up is the immensely catchy, Bad Decisions- a cut from Grande’s third studio album, Dangerous Woman- a project that sees her shifting genre from track to track. The song is a bouncy pop track backed by a refrain performed by guitars and drums. Disney-like in melody, the song captures Ari’s desire to make, you guessed it, Bad Decisions and the chorus sings about her lover that inspires these. The highlight of the track without a doubt comes from the bridge where Grande whispers “ain’t you ever seen a princess be a bad bitch” before production comes crashing in against her soaring vocals. If there was ever a song that summed up the movie cliché of driving in Miami with the top down and beach go-ers in awe at the bikini-clad passengers- it’s Bad Decisions.
March 25, 20214 yr Oh yesssss - I'm ready to stan pretty much anything from 'Dangerous Woman' tbh :kink: I love 'Bad Decisions' and was really happy that we got to showcase it in AF Idol last year *.* the elongated notes in the chorus are probably my highlight <3 although the bridge is a good shout too.
March 25, 20214 yr A sublime album track. Due to strong competition I never saw it working as a single, but I do wonder what it would have done if it was released in place of 'Focus'.
March 25, 20214 yr Author 18. Daydreamin’ (Yours Truly) eLQMGYHVJ_I Whilst not the most groundbreaking number, Daydreamin’- taken from Ariana’s debut album, Yours Truly, is three and a half minutes of dreamy lyricism backed by a 50s-doo-wop production and ad-libs a plenty telling the story of Grande’s time spent thinking about the one. Against some tracks on the album that sound trend-chasing and very of the time- this is one of a few tracks that sounded like a loving homage to musical theatre and the musical legends Ariana has cited as her influences. It’s a shame Ari likely doesn’t class this as a favourite as it’s a sugar-sweet listen and underrated vocal moment from our pop princess.
March 25, 20214 yr I’ve been in a bit of a ‘Yours Truly’ mood today thanks to the anniversary of ‘The Way’ being released! ‘Daydreamin’ is lovely so this continues to be a strong start. 🙌
March 25, 20214 yr Author 17. 34+35 (Positions) B6_iQvaIjXw We return to the latest effort from Ariana here, with a track from Positions. There was no speculation upon the release of the album that this track was going to be an instant fan favourite and a smash hit- with the song reaching top five peaks on both sides of the pond. Subtlety is Grande’s worst enemy on the song as she, rather graphically sings about her favourite extracurricular activities including drinking coffee, keeping it squeaky and of course… maths. The song works so well due to Ari’s tongue being very firmly planted in cheek- she’s aware of the campiness and silliness of the lyrics and sounds like she’s having the time of her life on the track! The less said about the Megan Thee Stallion verse on the remix, the better.
March 25, 20214 yr Author 16. Better Off (Sweetener) -mNEr0OGusU Sweetener was an interesting album, fans either seemed to be immediate fans or very critical- I took the route of the latter. Grande’s fourth album is for me, her weakest, but when she hits, she scores a home run- as shown by the three singles and this album cut which stands out amongst the Pharrell produced tracks and underwhelming performances. Her lower register on the verses is soothing and carries the entire song as she doesn’t go overboard on vocal ad-libs instead letting the minimal production do the heavy work. The lyrics are romantic and create the perfect imagery to match the backdrop of the strings and slight trap beat.
March 25, 20214 yr Okay time for a disagreement as I do prefer the remix :kink: and '34+35' isn't a massive highlight from the album from me, but I do appreciate 'positions' era representation nonetheless, as it feels like her most underrated album since her debut in terms of online reaction. 'Better Off' though... so lush :wub:
March 25, 20214 yr It’s actually my second fave Ariana album as well surprisingly! I actually get why that would be the case for you. "thank u, next" is my favorite album of hers because it's immaculate as a whole body of work. It's very much more than just a sum of its track list. Interestingly enough, if we take a track by track look at the other projects, I have several songs all above every track of "thank u, next".
March 25, 20214 yr Author 15. Breathin’ (Sweetener) kN0iD0pI3o0 Speaking of Sweetener’s three singles- here we are with the first of them in the mid-tempo pop bop that is Breathin’. The albums release was another clear case in what HAD to be the next single- with this track scoring a top ten peak in the UK despite the lack of any promotion- the power of a great song! The lower register appears on the verses again and really give the song these different moments and a soft element- particularly backed with the thoughts of the tragic Manchester attack being a strong inspiration behind the song’s lyrics. Also, the runs, the RUNS on this track!
March 25, 20214 yr Nice to have such variety in the top 20 with all albums represented by more than one track. A great start too, pov, Daydreamin' and breathin are all really good and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest!
March 25, 20214 yr 'breathin' is my favourite inclusion thus far :wub: absolute stunner... yet my least favourite of the three 'sweetener' singles? :lol: an insane era for single picks!
