What We Learned From Ariana Grande’s New Album, Eternal Sunshine

As most of us know, Ariana Grande recently released her seventh studio album Eternal Sunshine… and it’s to die for.

It’s been a busy year for Ari with her marriage to Dalton Gomez ending and her new relationship with Ethan Slater gaining a lot of attention in the media, but she has made the best out of the situation – by releasing this album.

With songs such as Yes, And?, We Can’t Be Friends and Bye, Ariana is more self-assured and confident than ever before, and we love that for her.

Lucky for us, Ariana has included some valuable lessons in her newest songs, and we’ve listed 4 things that we learned from Eternal Sunshine.

1. Ignorance Isn’t Bliss

If you haven’t watched the We Can’t Be Friends (wait for your love) music video you’re missing out!

Not only is this song a serious bop, but Ariana is giving us a very important message.

The music video is based on the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind and is about erasing someone from your memory.

In one of the scenes, we see Ariana holding onto a necklace that this person gave her, and she doesn’t want to let go of it, even though she knows she needs too.

We can all relate to the struggle of letting go of someone we love, as the memories and bond you share can make it difficult to move on, but ultimately, it’s what you need to do.

However, as Ariana is showing us, ignorance isn’t bliss and erasing someone from your memory isn’t the answer.

Even though someone hurt you and you want to forget that they ever existed so you can forget about all the pain, it’s so much better to keep those memories – the good and the bad.

2. It’s Okay To Move On

 

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Track 3 of Ariana’s new album, I Don’t Want To Break Up Again, is all about moving on.

Fans have speculated that this song is about a past relationship and that Ariana is exploring the on-off nature of the experience.

She says, “I don’t wanna fuck with your head / It’s breakin’ my heart / To keep breakin’ yours again (Yours again, yours again, yours again) / This situationship has to end / But I just can’t refuse / I don’t wanna break up again (Up again, up again, up again), baby.”

Sometimes when a relationship isn’t working, it’s better for both partners to go their separate ways. Ariana tells us that it’s okay to move on and that sometimes it’s for the best.

In the bridge the singer says: “We both know it’s time / So we say goodbye / Just one kiss goodbye / With tears in our eyes / Hope you won’t, won’t regret me / Hope you’ll still think fondly of our little life.”

3. Stop Caring About Other People’s Opinion Of You

It’s none of your business, really.

Ariana released Yes, And? back in January as a sort of teaser for Eternal Sunshine and it has taught us one very valuable life lesson.

In Yes, And? Ariana is responding to the backlash she received when she began dating Ethan Slater.

She says, “Now I’m so done with caring/What you think, no, I won’t hide/Underneath your own projections/Or change my most authentic life.”

Yes, And? has taught us not to care about other people’s options of us, only you know who you are.

4. If You Can’t Kiss Them Goodnight, You’re In The Wrong Relationship

 

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The most heartfelt thing we learned from Eternal Sunshine comes from Ariana’s Nonna.

In first song on the album, Intro (end of the world) Ariana asks the question “How can I tell if I’m in the wrong relationship?”

Then in a full circle moment, the singer’s Nonna answers her question in the final song of the album, Ordinary Things.

She says “Never go to bed without kissing goodnight. That’s the worst thing to do. Don’t ever ever ever do that. And if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it, you’re in the wrong place. Get out.”

So girls, if you can’t kiss them goodnight you might want to reevaluate your situation and take Ariana’s Nonna’s advice.

We definitely feel we’ve learned some valuable lessons from Eternal Sunshine and are forever grateful to Ari for sharing her wisdom.

Words by Grace Sweeney 

• Ariana Grande