Over the past several months, Ariana Grande has become a prominent subject of discussion due to personal drama, acting projects, and her most recent 2024 album, Eternal Sunshine. Because of its catchy nature, Eternal Sunshine has done well on charts; however, people often overlook the lyrics. Grande’s lyrics on Eternal Sunshine frame the album as not just a catchy tracklist, but as an expression of mourning—and apathetic self-absorption.
A recurring motif in Eternal Sunshine is the feeling of mourning after an unsuccessful relationship. In 2022, Grande publicly split from her husband, Dalton Gomez, which is the likely source of this sentiment. In the title track, Grande reflects on mistakes she made in the relationship, singing, “I’ll be the first to say I’m sorry / Now you got me feeling sorry / I showed you all my demons, all my lies.” In the track “don’t wanna break up again,” Grande regrets how a breakup might negatively alter her ex-partner’s view of her, singing, “With tears in our eyes / Hope you won’t, won’t regret me / Hope you still think fondly of our little life.” She also expresses a desperate sort of mourning through the album, hoping that her actions will somehow be undone. This can be seen in “we can’t be friends,” when Grande sings, “[I’ll] wait until you like me again / Wait for your love.”
While sadness is a recurring theme in Grande’s album, arrogance is arguably the much larger theme. In late 2022, Grande began to pursue a relationship with Ethan Slater, her Wicked castmate. Slater, however, was still married to a woman named Lilly Jay, who had recently given birth to their first child. Slater and Jay would soon break up—an event which Jay blamed on Grande’s involvement, according to an interview with Page Six. Grande has remained with Slater, and their relationship has caused significant controversy.
With this context in mind, Eternal Sunshine begins to feel very out of touch. In the track “the boy is mine,” Grande sings, “The boy is mine, mine / Somethin’ about him is for somebody like me.” After pursuing a married man, lyrics like this just add insult to injury. In the track “yes, and?” Grande sings, “I’m so done with caring / What you think, no, I won’t hide / Underneath your own projections.” These lyrics are not only out of touch, but they deny any kind of accountability; instead of acknowledging her immoral actions and the resulting public scrutiny, Grande blames all disapproval on people’s “projections.” In fact, she openly gloats about her actions in the song “bye,” singing, “I’m taking what’s mine.” This kind of lyric feels incredibly self-centered, considering the situation they allude to.
Eternal Sunshine gives contradictory messages: Grande expresses regret and grieving over her own divorce, while simultaneously gloating about her role in another couple’s split. This dichotomy highlights the self-absorption of the album, and her general lack of empathy for others. Overall, the album is mournful—and more significantly, very self-absorbed.
This article also appears in our April 2025 print edition.
