20. Like Magic (2020)
After the one-two hit of Sweetener and Thank U, Next, albums that dealt with life-changing impacts, there's something deservedly boastful about this track from the Positions album. After a brief summary of his daily routine (meeting, meditation, study listening to "some shit I wrote"), he expands to pontificate on the benefits of a positive mental attitude. Yet the blessings come tinged with pain: "Take up my pen and write some love letters to heaven," she sighs as the song briefly fades into memory.
19. Adore (con Cashmere Cat) (2015)
Relegated to a bonus track on Norwegian producer Cashmere Cat's debut album, 9, Adore's offbeat R&B pits Grande's soaring vocals against a wall of sound that utilizes gurgling, clanking, and backwards handclapping. At the end of the song, the two become trapped together, falling as the song falls off the edge of a cliff.
18. It Rains on Me (as Lady Gaga) (2020)
The post-lockdown summer hit of 2020, the stoic Rain on Me is primarily Gaga's show. She takes the rain/headache and delights in showing who's boss with a snarl, while Grande seems to accept her appearance but doesn't let it stop her. As the song enters its third act, it is Grande who picks up the line "I hear the thunder fall, won't you rain on me?" to a tear-stained dance floor.
17. The Road (with Mac Miller) (2013)
The lead single from Grande Yours Truly's debut album, The Way's 2000s R&B spins around like an excited puppy. The melodies drop, Mariah Carey-esque vocals rise and fall, while Grande sounds genuinely ecstatic as she and her boyfriend-to-be Miller trade ad-libs. The sound of a star arriving fully formed.
16. Liberate (2014)
co-produced bymax martinJoined by German EDM practitioner Zedd, Break Free finds Grande loosening that famous high ponytail and walking into the party. A synthetic blur of jackhammer blows and vertigo-inducing crashes, it comes with a drunken yell incorporated at 3am. through the absurd "Now that I have become what I really am."
15. Safety Net (with Ty Dolla $ign) (2020)
With a pounding pulse and a lush melody, Grande reflects on the feeling of giving yourself completely to another person and the fear it generates. Ty Dolla $ign begs her to drop it all, whose raspy vocals underpin Grande's airy vibe. The best moment comes in the last third, when Grande, finally happy to give her heart away, pleads "never let me get away."
14. In My Head (2019)
Instead of placing the blame on others, Grande spends most of this frank breakup song berating herself for not noticing the signs. “My imagination is so creative / They see the devil, I see the angel,” she sings, as subterranean pulsing sounds like alarm bells in the background. “I thought you were someone else, you…” she finally sighs, the thought of her fading into the ether.
13. Get Well (2016)
On her third album, Dangerous Woman, Grande was beginning to expand her sonic palette, with this fan favorite elegantly dipping into '90s deep house andfashion culture. Proof that uplifting anthems of self-empowerment don't need to be delivered at a snail's pace, the sashay Be Alright practically walks away from your troubles.
12. Problema (com Iggy Azalea) (2014)
Opening Wannabe-style with the sound of laughter, Problem is an equally defining superstar moment. Built around a raving horn riff, it upends the pop playbook by putting all the hooks in the verses and gloriously soaring pre-chorus, before uncredited Big Sean whispers "I've got one less problem without you" in a Empty space. It should be.
11. Stalls (2020)
Though it was her fifth US number-one single, Positions eschews the edgy pop punch of some of Grande's other lead singles. This is laid-back, string-drenched R&B with a lively step. Reflecting on a new relationship, Positions opens with plucked strings, the sound of crickets and Grande's soaring "Heaven you to me." Layered harmonies cover the music like silk sheets on a king-size bed.
10. Breathing' (2018)
Sweetener's third single uses a gentle Drakeian beat to explore Grande's battles with anxiety. “Feel my blood rushing, I swear the sky is falling,” she sings in the pre-chorus, before remembering that the best advice is to take a moment. The song's simple instruction, "Just keep breathing and breathing," is sung on a loop until it begins to sink in.
9. Point of View (2020)
Built around watery textures, there's something instantly dreamlike about the heart's point of view, like it's the soundtrack to that moment you blink awake next to a loved one. Unhurried and elegantly paced, it features Grande's rousing plea: "I want to love myself like you love me." The perfect emotional ending to the sweaty odes to the fourth Olympiad on the Positions album.
8. Thank You Next (2018)
Eschewing a media narrative that demands "the tea" from celebrities when it comes to exes, the stylish Thank U, Next, the moment Grande's superstar status was properly cemented, acknowledges, learns from, and moves on from the past. . While the title instantly became a meme, a very modern meaning of cultural dominance, it also feels like a timeless addition to the pop canon.
7. Love Me Harder (com o Weeknd) (2014)
This billowing ode to good sex not only introduced The Weeknd to a crossover pop audience, but also kickstarted a fruitful creative friendship that also produced this year's Save Your Tears remix. On this Max Martin-produced behemoth, it's Grande who steals the show, her silky smooth background vocals cradling The Weeknd's graphic lyricism.
6. One Last Time (2014)
Originally released in 2014, the brooding One Last Time, about desperately trying to hold on to something that's about to exist only in memories, has become an anointed fan anthem ever since.the terrorist attack at Grande's concert in Manchester in 2017. Filled with longing and rapidly building emotion, its chorus perfectly articulates a desperate longing for just one more moment together.
5. Ghosts (2019)
This light ballad reveals the emotional fallout afterdeath of ex boyfriend mac miller, specifically its effects on Grande's relationship with then-fiancé Pete Davidson. “I know it breaks your heart when I cry again, for him,” she sings softly as throwback synths and Disney strings weave around her. In the song's coda, a multi-channel chorus from Grandes gently envelops the concerned listener in a warm embrace.
4. Piano (2013)
Strangely denied bachelor status, the jaunty piano is a toothy grin in musical form. Wrapped in syrupy strings and a sweet groove, it manages to feel retro without delving into pastiche, with Grande edging closer to the cheesy lyrical concept: should she write a sad piano ballad or something more radio-friendly? – with youthful taste.
3. Imagine (2018)
The cheeky love song takes a tragic turn in this single teaser for Thank U, Next. Grande paints a happy picture of relationship goals achieved, before the music drops and grief takes over. "Why can't you imagine such a world?" Grande pleads with a gut-wrenching punch in this minimal ode to Miller, who died two months earlier.
2. No Tears Left to Cry (2018)
Released a year after the Manchester Arena attack, Sweetener's first single begins as a somber ballad. But it's a parody, the song snaps quickly into its UK garage-inspired groove. From there, it takes aim skyward, Grande's vocals unleashing as the melodies tumble and hooks are revealed with every turn. “Oh, I just want you to come with me,” she sings pleadingly at one point, happy to lead others to a place of hard-earned strength.
1. About You (2016)
“I like you so much I can barely breathe,” Grande murmurs at the start of Into You, an immaculately constructed pop that seems constantly on the brink of despair. It focuses on that moment just before the flirtation melts into something hotter and heavier, with the song's pulsing production, all synths and whiplash, mirroring the increasingly thirsty lyrics ("A little less talk and a little more touch on my body", says the Chorus). At the center of it all is Grande, who lowers her register on the faltering first verse, before slipping through the gears as the questioning pre-chorus ("Is this going to happen?") collides with the heart-sized chorus. stadium, the voice of Grande. voice now in full delirium.