Why Ariana Grande's "Sweetener" was a disappointment after another

[SJAG 1,597]

5 minutes ago, NIGHTCRAWLER said:

well I love her singing and her melodies (except on many songs on Sweetener that were produced by Pharell) in general. But is it me or her lyrics barely mean something? I agree GIAW could have been something clever, a real reflection on God and women and how men empowered the world and it has to change etc but at the end I'm not even sure I understood the song... if someone can educate me 

Exactly my point. "God is a Woman" could have been THAT song, but in the end she made it about sex, giving it barely any meaning.

[FRANK1991 3,323]

I always found her songs to be very sexual when I think of Ariana Grande.

This time the album has some great positive empowerment tracks but the rest was just average (tbh I feel the same way towards the rest of her discography, I usually like 4 to 5 songs)

I enjoy when she uses her vocal ability to wow us but I think that's about it.

One Last Time is still her best song and nothing she makes will top that imo (Into You and Breathin came close tho)

 

oh and Dance To This by Troye Sivan ft. Ariana is the best pop song this summer I bop to this so hard

[Irrelevant 20,281]

Although I love every track on the album (yes i do ), I did imagine the album to have some more deeper songs. However, this album is called sweetener and I think that the tracks represent a "sweetener" vibe nicely.

[Suspiria 10,683]

I agree with most of what you say, however I don't get all the hate for NTLTC, that song was perfect.

It's not just a fun dance song, the lyrics are very clearly about Manchester - about how she's reached a point where she can't be any more upset, and you need to enjoy your life because you still can while others cannot. I think the choice to make an uplifting and positive song rather than a ballad was really great. Plus the production, vocals and melody are all just gorgeous. Probably my favourite song this year.

[RadioIsOurs 13,866]

Omg this is so cool yeeeee!

 

[Drin Lon 7,875]

Give credit where credit's due, yes the album is not amazing but you don't have to come for NTLTC and God is a woman when they are in fact great pop songs. The album has some other nice songs and imo not every Pharrell track is bad, so yeah. I agree that the critics are overating it tho.

[Regina George 59,387]

I don’t understand unnecessary “hate” towards NTLTC. That song is one of the best pop songs of 2018/17. It has catchy lyrics and her voice in it is beautiful. And that video is best video I saw since LWYMMD. Also your arguments for GIAW are just not realistic. That song has it all. Lyrics (which are not as sexual as you think and are more about woman empowerment), melodies are perfect, again her voice is something not everyone has and video concept is also perfection. I don’t know what you expected from this album. It’s just her way of showing this part of her life where she is happy, satisfied, loved and just chill. Album has a concept and it is pretty obvious if you listen to it in full.. Not everything has to be pop perfection and artists are not obligated to give only hits to fans. Ariana experimented with this album and I appreciate it and think that it’s good. We all know she can sing and she has nothing else to prove and I think she knows it too and that’s why she went with this concept for the album.

Conclusion: it’s just not that serious. 

[SWhaaaat 534]

The OP is really nice and well written

[Bad Kids 3,054]

Wow I like reading this article and the design, I wished more threads looked like this

[Sunday 2,175]

You explained my exact feelings for Sweetener better than I'll ever could.

[ItsTommyBitch 12,640]

1st off, slay me with that OP format

2nd

I disagree with a few things. I think thematically - more so than lyrically - the album is more mature than you're giving it credit, or at least its mature in a way you might have considered. I do think the lyrics on this record aren't entirely shallow or basic as you claim, they are a bit conversational with the topics ranging from light to reflective or healing... it's more than a 15 song pop album with every record being about liking a girl or a guy like many other "pop" artists have been putting out, so I'm giving here minimal credit here) Like you say about maturity and topics like sex, on the other hand Ariana didn't have to release grueling testimony about her mental state post Manchester or try to make heavy-handed political statements in order to be "mature" - sometimes maturity is knowing that you could do that, but choosing to be selective in order to be uplifting anyway, and I respect it. I don't think any of us really want what this sounds like from Ariana's voice anyway; I thought I did at one point, but now I realize I would probably be off put by it and it may feel too much of a 180 for her acoustically; on top of that, wbk Ariana is just an okay lyricist, I don't think it would flow well musically w.o a lot of serious editing/oversight and since the people on her team were Max, Pharrell, Tommy, etc... it's a no from me.

In this light, NTLTC is simultaneously the perfect move and the most unexpected move for Ariana. It's very clearly about Manchester and a kind of mission statement of the album, but it is not a heavy handed ballad - Ariana herself did want it to start off like it was going to be, but blossom into a pop song, so lets give her credit for seeing this through.

Sonically, we can just agree to disagree. TLIC is not the t for many people, and that's okay.

While society may feel encumbered by the numerous "sexual empowerment anthems" out in the zeitgeist, I don't think that GIAW being a sexual song lessens its impact. I did want the song to be a bit more controversial, and a bit more generally like some of the lines in the song refer to, like the Pre-chorus:

" And I can be all the things you told me not to be
When you try to come for me, I keep on flourishing
And he see the universe when I'm in company
It's all in me"

I wanted more of this - NOT because sexual empowerment anthems aren't empowering at all, but because the title just had so much potential. There is nothing wrong with sexual empowerment of women, and there are many angles to take with it. It's complicated because women are seen as being valued for their sexual/reproductive potential and not their innate personhood or humanity; so some want to distance themselves from this, and others want to claim it - everyone's perspective can be different but coexist. 

I just disagree that sex or anything related must be shallow. I feel like your idea of maturity itself is what is shallow/narrow, which is why you discount the themes of the record  The video does help the empowering vibes of the song though immensely.

I'm not trying to be rude, but it seems to me more like this album just wasn't what you wanted it to be, and it's fine to be personally disappointed, but I think its good practice to not try to put people - especially artists - into musical/thematic/lyrical boxes and then get upset when they dare to not fit in those boxes  I get it; last year when Scooter talked about the album he said it would be her magnum opus that took her to the next level and would give her iconic, classic songs about her experience or whatever and it's what I wanted too, but I actually love Sweetener how it is and there's only a little I would change. 

To me and many of the critics that have reviewed this album, part of the beauty comes from the fact that it either subverted or said "**** you" to what people wanted it to be. She made the album she wanted to make. 

[SJAG 1,597]

2 hours ago, Suspiria said:

I agree with most of what you say, however I don't get all the hate for NTLTC, that song was perfect.

It's not just a fun dance song, the lyrics are very clearly about Manchester - about how she's reached a point where she can't be any more upset, and you need to enjoy your life because you still can while others cannot. I think the choice to make an uplifting and positive song rather than a ballad was really great. Plus the production, vocals and melody are all just gorgeous. Probably my favourite song this year.

I was not hating on NTLTC. I said it's one of my favourite song on "Sweetener". I didn't express my opinion on the song the right way. What I meant was that people were expecting a slow song entirely dedicated to Manchester, which she did with "Get well soon", while she released an upbeat pop song instead. I was not talking about MY expectations, but I read a couple of negative comments about the song when it came out. People were calling her out, but I actually love the song.

[ryanripley 86,575]

Just now, SJAG said:

I was not hating on NTLTC. I said it's one of my favourite song on "Sweetener". I didn't express my opinion on the song the right way. What I meant was that people were expecting a slow song entirely dedicated to Manchester, which she did with "Get well soon", while she released an upbeat pop song instead. I was not talking about MY expectations, but I read a couple of negative comments about the song when it came out. People were calling her out, but I actually love the song.

that's more of a them problem than an ariana problem tbh

[geopang 4,831]

Excellent and accurate post

[Andrea B 16,733]

OMGGGGG 

 

 

 

THIS IS AMAZING

 

OMG I'M GOING TO MAKE A LOT OF THREADS NOW