Listen here: Ariana Grande, “Sweetener”
The title track of Ariana Grande’s fourth studio album “sweetener” (stylized in all lowercase) the pivotal nomination in my top-10 Ariana Grande list. This album, Sweetener, won Grande a Grammy. The artist herself has elucidated the essence of the album’s title, suggesting it’s an ode to the act of illuminating one’s existence or circumstances, metaphorically “sweetening” life’s myriad challenges:
it’s kind of about bringing light to a situation or to someone’s life or somebody else brings light to your life. Sweetening the situation.
The song’s vibrant chromatic chord progressions, coupled with a melody that carries the innocence and enchantment of a Disney composition, imbues “sweetener” with an ethereal, uplifting energy. It’s a musical embodiment of resilience, transforming life’s adversities with a dash of sweetness and light:
When life deals us cards Make everything taste like it is salt Then you come through like the sweetener you are To bring the bitter taste to a halt
The Sweetner era for Ariana Grande is known to be tumulous and heartbreaking–that she was attacked by a terrorist suicide bomber at her tour. Yet, the live performance at the Sweetener Sessions in Chicago stands as a testament to her power of cure. In the midst of profound sorrow, Grande channels her pain into strength, aiming to uplift the spirits of her audience. The emotional depth of her agony is palpable as she performs “breathin,” yet a smile breaks through during the bridge of “sweetener” as the piano gently shifts to a hopeful major chord, and the lyric reach “say i don’t know what i’d do without you in my life/ it’d be so sour…”, her voice dancing along in a rhythmic triplet.
Apart from the original studio recording and the live performances, there exists an unreleased video of Ariana lip-syncing to the song–possibly intended for a visual lyric video. Last but not least, the song was named as the 65th best song of 2018 on Pitchfork’s year-end list “The 100 Best Songs of 2018”:
“Sweetener” is not subtle. “Hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it/Flip it, flip it, flip it,” Ariana Grande instructs on the chorus to her fourth album’s title track, resembling an X-rated game of Bop It. Amid the track’s svelte production—trickling percussion, cushy bass hits, a lusty and cascading synth line—Pharrell punctuates Grande’s commands with a high-pitched “sheesh!” like a steam whistle cutting through the air. It all adds up to a gleeful evocation of sensuality on an album consumed with the heady pleasures of new love.
“Sweetener” carries a tender streak, too, embracing the notion of finding the good in so much bad, and toasting to the people in one’s life who encourage such perseverance. At a Manchester tribute concert following the deadly bombing at her show there last year, Grande said, “The fact that all of those people were able to turn something that represented the most heinous of humanity into something beautiful and unifying and loving is just wild.” And “Sweetener” embodies that same look-on-the-bright-side universality—a reminder that even the worst feelings can be turned into something radiant and nourishing.
–Larry Fitzmaurice