Which tracks in Ariana Grande’s fourth studio album still hold up in 2020, and which one gets the title of “best song in Sweetener“?
Some may say that Ariana Grande’s magnum opus is her latest album, thank u, next, but if anything, Sweetener was the project that catapulted her into modern icon status.
This year, we are celebrating the second anniversary of Grande’s fourth album by ranking all fifteen tracks in it. Read more to find out which ones we think should be erased from memory and which one we declare the best song in Sweetener.
Within the Grande fandom, the entire Sweetener album is polarizing. Some say that it’s her best work to date, while some swear it’s her worst. And there’s the camp who says that Pharrell Williams ruined sweetener, while there are those who vehemently defend the tracks he produced.
Whether a song has awakened love or hate in the listeners, at least you could say it has made an impact. The worst sin you could commit in a sea of memorable tracks is to be forgettable… which unfortunately, get well soon is.
Tracks like successful are why I enjoy going back to albums years later and reevaluating their rankings. If I had ranked the entire album based off my first listen, I would say that successful is the best song in Sweetener.
It’s actually the very first non-single track I enjoyed off this project, but now it’s just okay.
There is definitely an appropriate mood to play this song, and that’s when I feel like celebrating myself and my accomplishments.
But would I listen to this song over and over? Probably not. While I dug the N64/video game-inspired production the first listens, it gets pretty old soon after.
To give credit where it’s due, I will say that the lyrics are pretty empowering and fun to sing along to!
*Insert obligatory “aged like fine milk” joke here”*
Regardless of its title, pete davidson is a cute little interlude that serves its purpose in the album to transition into the final track. It works in that respect but never really gets past first gear.
Do I feel like people are biased against it because they weren’t fans of Ari and Pete when they were together? Yes.
In hindsight though, pete davidson is an important track in the album because the internet was just eating up all the news about the doomed couple at the time. If you think about it, this track is actually a tiny time capsule that makes us remember that weird stage in Grande’s life.
Confession time: I actually liked this song a lot when it first came out! I never got the hate against TLIC, but as time passed, it seemed like the hate just grew bigger and bigger. It was even ranked #1 in the top 10 worst songs of 2018 by pop music Youtube reactor, AjayII.
It’s just meant to be a fun experimental project with Nicki Minaj after their successful collaboration back in 2014 with Bang Bang. However, the production does get pretty old years later like most Pharrell-produced tracks in the album.
Sweetener fans, do you still hear “you wouldn’t let anybody speak and instead” ringing in your ears?
The title track of this album is shockingly… immature. If it weren’t for the sexual euphemisms (lick the bowl), it could probably pass off as something Tess from Camp Rock would sing.
To this day though, I’d find myself singing along to the Bop It-inspired chorus out of the blue. I’ve also had multiple people ask me what Grande song was playing when they heard this playing in my car. So I guess the track works by giving us that I-hate-it-but-it’s-stuck-in-my-head feeling in the vein of hits like MMMBop and Baby.
I will say though, if Pharrell ruined the production of anything in the album, it’s this one.
This is a fun bop which does not have a ton of replay value because the production doesn’t go anywhere exciting.
I know every reviewer has said it already but Missy Elliott’s talent was thoroughly wasted in this “collaboration”. She had a pretty forgettable feature, which is unfortunate because the both of them would kill it if they showed out.
I also have some issue with the lyrical content in this one, but that’s a pretty small thing for what feels like a filler track that’s just meant to get you on your feet.
I normally wouldn’t rank a short album intro this high. But God damn, Ari ate this up and really said she is going to serve everyone in 40 seconds. I’m now left wondering if this would be the best song in Sweetener if it was actually a full-length track.
That power note doe!
This track is not an instant bop. I remember having ranked the entire Sweetener album back in 2018 and placing blazed at the bottom of the rankings.
But during quarantine, I took another listen and couldn’t get it out of my head! It’s a laid-back mid-tempo pop song where Ariana doesn’t feel too out of place with Pharrell’s eccentric production.
Of all the collaborations in the album, this is the only one that actually worked.
GIAW was released as the second single from Sweetener. Not being an Ari stan when it first came out, I was pleasantly surprised with this track’s R&B sound that casual listeners never really heard from her since her first second ever single, The Way.
I admit that I’ve gotten quite tired of the song from playing it over and over again. However, it doesn’t take away from how good the track is especially with its stunning and memorable music video.
I remember when I had first listened to this on the radio and got confused. There are a lot of things going on with the production that it’s easy to feel disoriented. If you don’t listen attentively, you’ll think that it’s a hot mess of songs thrown together.
But now, I can say it’s “complex” rather than “confusing”. It was such a strong comeback single for Grande who had just gone through the Manchester Arena bombing, as she declares that she “ain’t got no tears left to cry”.
This song holds a special place in my heart for getting me through some tough times. Even though there’s a sense of delusion behind the lyrics, it’s perfect for those moments that you just have to cry while you party.
This track is just so perfectly wholesome and cute. As the title implies, it has this goodnight lullaby feel that makes you want to cuddle up with someone and talk the night away with this song playing in the background.
It heavily samples Imogen Heap’s Goodnight and Go, but it doesn’t feel that way because Ari injects her personality and musical style so well that she makes it into her own! The last chorus where she hits a high note to cap off the song is probably the best few seconds in her entire discography.
If I didn’t play breathin so much for the past two years, it would’ve been my personal best song in Sweetener. Nevertheless, this Max Martin-produced track is pop perfection, serving as one of Grande’s career highlights.
Like NTLTC, it is a song that makes you want to cry and party at the same time. Through the lyrics, Ari lets us into her state of mind by detailing her all-too-familiar experience with anxiety. On the other hand, the upbeat tempo encourages us to shout along with her and dance to the beat of our inner demons.
It’s a shame we never really got to see breathin take off as a single since it was released right before thank u, next. But we’re still lucky that Ari was able to give us a music video for it even though a lot was happening in her life during that time.
We all have that one toxic person we can’t move on from, and everytime never fails to remind us of them. I love playing this song whenever I want to remember my stupidity in keeping people who are just not good for me.
Musically, you could tell that Grande is in her most comfortable with tracks like these that combine R&B and pop influences. The production is a lot simpler here than in the other tracks, but it complements the vibe that the song is going for.
Now everyone sing along with me: “why oh why does God keep bringing me back to you?”
This track in a word: dreamy. Even Pharrell’s never-ending moaning in the background couldn’t stop my enjoyment of this track!
It’s one of those songs that makes you want to close your eyes and imagine a life with someone you really like.
Even though the production doesn’t change much, you’ll never get tired of listening to it over and over again. R.E.M is a track that is defined by Grande’s vocals. She grabs the listener by the ears and demands that you join her in a journey to romantic fantasy.
Ari’s vocal mastery is on full display here, and I know this because I’ve tried to sing it on-key to no success.
Surprise! Only a few of us Ariheads will say that this is the best song in Sweetener.
I’ll even take it one step further by saying that it is the greatest song in Ariana’s entire discography.
I could write an entire standalone article to justify my hot take, but you guys aren’t prepared for that. The simple but beautiful melody makes it a timeless track that you could easily listen to without getting tired. It’s also one of the rare times that Ari doesn’t really “go off” vocally; you could even say she was holding back here.
With both the production and vocals being so understated, better off forces the listener to focus on the story she’s telling through her words.
And when you do that, the song just hits you in the heart. If you’ve been following Ari’s life, then you know that she’s singing about Mac Miller, someone whom she really loved, in this track. In fact, she has said she was not going to perform this song live anymore after he had passed away.
On a personal level, I place better off in such a high regard because I could empathize with her headspace in this track. Grande candidly details her experience of letting go of someone who wasn’t particularly good for her.
And that wraps up our ranking of Sweetener! If there’s anything I want you to take away from this, it’s that better off is the best song in Sweetener, periodt.
This album may not be Ariana’s strongest on a musical level, but the impact the entire era had in pop culture cannot be denied.
Want to argue about which one of has no taste in music? Leave a comment below! Read our review of Lana del Rey’s Norman F***ing Rockwell here. Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a's insane chemistry
She-Hulk Oh Yoon-hee has arrived!
Joo Seok-kyung is her father's daughter.
"We might not say we love each other every day, but you have no fucking…
View Comments