The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    thank u, next

    thank+u%2C+next

    In light of all the recent controversy over Ariana Grande’s love life and Mac Miller’s death, no one expected such a smash-single released so close after the end of her engagement with Pete Davidson. But, alas, Grande continues to surprise us all as the reigning Queen of Pop.

    The R&B inspired song and title of her next album has some surprising attributes. In the first verse of the song, Grande relays her past relationships:

    “Thought I’d end up with Sean
    But he wasn’t a match
    Wrote some songs about Ricky
    Now I listen and laugh
    Even almost got married
    And for Pete, I’m so thankful
    Wish I could say, “Thank you” to Malcolm
    ‘Cause he was an angel”

    Instead of being petty about her exes, Grande actually says that she is thankful for them all–and the many lessons they taught her. This mature reaction to her breakup with Pete Davidson and past relationships, shows us how truly strong Ariana Grande is in the face of adversity and lost love. Although the Pop-Star seems carefree from the surface, she’s dealt with much more than merely a breakup in the past years. In May of 2017, a terrorist detonated a bomb at the exit of her show in Manchester, killing 22 attendees and leaving Grande with serious PTSD. To comfort her at the airport when she flew home, however, was her boyfriend at the time–Mac Miller. Miller would begin to be too problematic to deal with any longer around a year later when the two split and his destructive behavior worsened. Her boyfriend of two years, Mac Miller, overdosed and died on September 7th of this year–just roughly four months after they split.

    Along with being a catchy song and being gracious about breakups, the tone is extremely empowering. Ariana Grande nailed this one and it’s worth the listen–only if you’re ready to listen time and time again (yes, it’s that good). Junior, Tyler Tayyara, comments on the song,”I think it’s a very positive perspective on the past.”

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