On March 8, pop sensation Ariana Grande released her seventh studio album entitled “Eternal Sunshine.” This is Grande’s first album since 2020 when she released “positions”. 

Her hit single, “yes, and?”, was released on January 12 and served as a precursor to the album being released. “yes, and?” was the ninth track on “Eternal Sunshine” and immediately topped the Billboard charts, making it Grande’s third number one single and further raising anticipation for the album. 

All 13 tracks on “Eternal Sunshine” have been ranked from lowest to highest.

13. “true story”

Starting at the bottom is Grande’s seventh track, “true story.” Although there is nothing inherently wrong with this song, it is lacking in both the lyrical and musical depth that is prominent in Grande’s other songs. The chorus of “gimme love” feels slightly repetitive, and the song seemed to be missing an obvious beat drop.

12. “don’t wanna break up again”

Next, is “don’t wanna break up again.” In “don’t wanna break up again,” Grande goes back and forth contemplating her experience being in a toxic relationship. She refers to this as a “situationship” which is a popular Gen Z slang term denoting a noncommittal relationship. Though “don’t wanna break up again ” is enjoyable enough to listen to, there are truly no memorable moments throughout the song. The chorus fails to be truly remarkable at all.

11. “i wish i hated you”

Another song referencing her ex, “i wish i hated you,” feels like a filler song on “Eternal Sunshine.” While the song lacks originality, Grande does have some beautifully executed vocals throughout the song, particularly on the line “No matter how easy things could be”.

10. “eternal sunshine”

Being the title track of the album, listeners may have high expectations for “Eternal Sunshine.” However, although it is not a bad track, “eternal sunshine” pales in comparison to many of her other songs on this album. Listeners may also enjoy references to the popular 2004 sci-fi romance movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey. Unfortunately, “eternal sunshine” fails to have a truly memorable chorus, and some lines feel sloppily written. Grandes’ line referencing a popular 1980s’ video game console (“Yet you played me like an Atari”) feels somewhat out of place in the song. The song is not unenjoyable, but I considered it as a somewhat neutral song on the album.

9. “Saturn Returns Interlude”

“Saturn Returns Interlude” is part of the concept aspect of Grande’s new album. The track features very little of Grande herself, as it is mainly composed of a dialogue spoken by Diana Garland. Garland is an astrologer who posts content on Youtube. The spoken dialogue discusses Saturn’s cycle which happens every 29 years, and the rebirth of a new cycle. In the song, this is symbolic of how people feel pressure to suddenly be more mature as a young adult. This relates to Grande personally since she recently turned 29. This track is enjoyable as it is thought-provoking and provides a transition to the next song which is “Eternal Sunshine.”However, it is difficult to imagine anyone listening to this track apart from the album as it is incredibly brief and does not contain a chorus. 

8. “intro(end of the word)” 

“intro(end of the world)” is the opener for “Eternal Sunshine.”It begins with Grande questioning if she is in the right relationship, which foreshadows a common theme throughout the album. Grande’s vocalizing on “intro (end of the world)” is simply perfection. The song feels warm and inviting and is an immediate attention-catcher if one is listening to the album all the way through. Nevertheless, similar to “Saturn Returns Interlude,” the song is incredibly brief at only a minute and a half, making it difficult to listen to as a stand-alone song. And in today’s age where listening to an entire album is less common, it is disappointing Grande did not make this a full-length song on her album. 

7. “supernatural” 

“Supernatural” is an upbeat love song from Grande, which aligns with both her past and current style. Once again, the backing vocals are extremely well executed. It includes some clever wordplay such as the simile in “Need your hands all up on my body like the moon needs the stars.” It is easy to see “Supernatural” being a hit track on “Eternal Sunshine.”

6. “imperfect for you”

“imperfect for you” features Grande reflecting on her flaws and how she works through it in her relationship. The song is rest-assuredly one of the cutest songs on “Eternal Sunshine,”  and feels reminiscent of the work of some other artists such as Olivia Rodrigo with her soft-spoken singing style. The octave jump on ‘you’ in the chorus is symbolic in the song and provides an extremely pleasant contrast to the vocalizing in the chorus. It also includes more references to space, with lines such as “We’d rearrange all the cosmos”, which is a common theme throughout the album that ties the songs together.

5. “bye”

Following “imperfect for you” in the ranking is “bye.” “bye” is a song that immediately catches one’s attention from the first few moments. Although some might argue that the chorus of “bye” is overly repetitive, this is simply not true. “bye” does what “true story” fails to do in creating an extremely captivating and heartening chorus which one does not mind hearing over and over again. The repetition of “bye” also serves as a literary device in the song.

4. “ordinary things”

Grande’s final track on the album, “ordinary things” offers somewhat of a resolution to one of the main conflicts discussed throughout the album, which is her questioning her relationship. In this song, Grande discusses seeing the beauty in the mundane things in life. “ordinary things” comes in with a strong bass and maintains its powerful message through the outro, which is given by Grande’s grandmother, Marjorie Grande. In the outro, Marjoirie Grande gives advice which serves as the main resolution to the conflict discussed in the album. Her grandmother tells her to never go to bed without kissing goodnight, and if she feels uncomfortable doing that, it is not the right relationship. “ordinary things” is an incredibly cleverly done and incredibly unique way to conclude the album. 

3. “the boy is mine” 

As the original version of “the boy is mine” by Brandy and Monica is an absolutely iconic 90s’ banger, Grande definitely was setting herself up for people with extremely high expectations when she recorded this cover. Thankfully, she did not disappoint. Grande’s cover of “the boy is mine” is similar enough to the original to be paying homage, however, it is different enough to be an authentic and an entirely new interpretation of the song. The heavy bass and Grande’s famous vocalizing is featured throughout the entire track and makes it immediately one of the top songs on this album.

2. “yes, and?” 

Grande’s ninth track immediately stood out as a hit song after being released as a single in January and took over popular social media platforms such as Tiktok. This is likely due to the extremely catchy and upbeat chorus. Grande celebrates self-empowerment and womanhood, especially after dealing with a break up, with lyrics such as “Be your own f—— best friend” and “…if you find yourself in a dark situation/Just turn on your light and be like/Yes, and?” With its encouraging message and addictive melody, “yes, and?” is the kind of song that you can put on repeat for hours without getting bored.

1. “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” 

we can’t be friends (wait for your love) is hands down the best song on “Eternal Sunshine.” Not only does it employ a number of clever lyrical metaphors such as “I don’t know how you paint me, yet I’m still here hanging,” the chorus is undeniably catchy. Despite being a fast-paced song, Grande’s ethereal voice is attention-grabbing in the beginning and remains present throughout the song.Once again, Grande’s vocalizing provides a rich and full sound in the chorus. “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” could easily be a hit song for years to come.