By Julia Esposito and Rachel Priest
On Friday, October 23rd, Ariana Grande released the first single, entitled “Positions,” of her upcoming album. Not only was the song a complete musical sensation to her Arianators, it also revealed a deeper meaning of the need for reformation with a little bit of shade thrown along the way.
When her highly anticipated song finally dropped, fans at first did not know what to expect. However, they swooned over the catchy, upbeat rhythm. The song’s sound is pop with a dash of R&B, and the simplicity of a guitar starts it off. Grande explores various parts of her voice with a light, fuller sound, but she still includes her iconic high runs throughout.
Her voice may have been light, but her lyrics were heavy. The first lyric she sings is “Heaven sent you to me, I'm just hopin’ I don't repeat history.” Although these lyrics seem innocent enough, people speculated a deeper meaning. Fans were quick to jump to the conclusion that this line was referencing her previous fiancé, Pete Davidson. Grande articulates the word “repeat,” by breaking apart the syllables to possibly indicate she is singing his name. Although this theory is not confirmed by Grande herself, millions of fans will attest to it.
“I think she totally did it on purpose. I thought it was clever!” said sophomore Melinda Matthew.
Source by Saanvi Mirchandani
The new music video for "Positions" represents Ariana Grande in the Oval Office alongside numerous women of color.
The music video dove deeper into the meaning of the song. It touches on important topics in today's society that are prevalent, especially with the election just around the corner. In general, it focuses on feminism, racial injustices, and minorities. One second, she is in the kitchen, and the next, she is sitting at the head of the Oval Office. This represents how women are expected to follow the status quo that society places on women. By bringing this issue into the media, Grande conveys to her fans that it is not their job to meet unrealistic expectations. Her music video also displays a diverse presidential cabinet, which people think references Trump's lack of diversity in government.
“I love the music video. While Grande recognizes the song itself comes off a little disrespectful to women, the video contradicts that, which envisions women in a position of power,” said sophomore Anna Detke.
Following the release of her song “Positions,” her new album is even more anticipated by her fans. But what can fans expect from the album? Since the song had a more R&B feel compared to her previous hits, some are expecting that mood throughout all her songs. Since she was advocating for important societal issues in her single, Arianators are hoping this theme is brought up in her album as a whole, which they will find out when the album releases on October 30th.