Two-time Grammy-winning artist, Ariana Grande, has dominated the music industry with pop hits, such as “Breathin,” “Thank U, Next,” “Side to Side” and many more. She released her first album, “Yours Truly,” in 2013, which went on to sell 180,000 physical copies in the first week. This came directly after the end of the  Nickelodeon show, “Victorious.””. This solidified her as not only a talented actress, but also as a singer and a songwriter. Grande decided to build on the fame of that album by re-releasing it, titled, “Yours Truly (Tenth Anniversary Edition).”

Each song covers something different, showing off her versatile songwriting. The record starts with with the song “Honeymoon Avenue,” of which the album also includes a “Live from London” version. The song is about missing the days before arguing and fighting in a relationship, commonly known as the “honeymoon phase.” Grande longs to go back to the time where they weren’t “stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.” 

Driving on a highway is a metaphor for the progression of a relationship, and the traffic represents the stop. “Bumper to bumper” could refer to stubbornness between the two, each of them refusing to move. This could mean that they have begun arguing a lot, and that caused a strain.

The next track is “Baby I”. This is your typical love song; Grande talking about her heart, not knowing what to say to your significant other and feeling warm and cuddled. She’s so in love with her significant other and feels so swaddled that she’s at a true loss for words. 

Track three is “Right There,” featuring artist Big Sean. It’s another love song, with its main idea being attachment between the two. It also uses astronomy allusions, which we see again in “NASA,” such as in Sean’s verse when he raps, “Got me right there/With Apollo on the moon,” and in one of Grande’s verses, “Finally, the stars align”.

The next song on the record is “Tattooed Heart”. This song paints a lot of imagery in how the relationship is versus how she wants it to be. She emphasizes the idea that “it doesn’t have to be forever,” just that she wants him to be hers at this moment. In the last verse, she gets really romantic with what she wants, saying “Wrap me in your jacket/Lay me in your bed/And kiss me underneath the moonlight”. This paints a vivid romantic picture of what Grande wants from the relationship.

The final song that’s going to be covered is “The Way (feat. Mac Miller)”. Miller passed away on Sept. 7, 2018 from an accidental drug overdose. Grande pays tribute to Miller in the visualizer video for the track, with all of the words of the title fading out of the frame except for “Feat. Mac Miller”. This song being re-released with three different versions (the “Live From London,” “Spanglish Version,” and the original) and is a beautiful homage to her late ex-boyfriend, still showing that she cares about him and misses him. The line, “I love the way you make me feel,” seems to have a different meaning, the meaning now being that she feels warm reminiscing on the memories the two shared.

Overall, the impact this album had on Grande’s life and career was incredible. She went from a small actress to a pop superstar, and that wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for her debut album, “Yours Truly”. Re-mastering this album was a perfect way for her to revisit the times in her past that shaped her into who she is now and the foundation on which her career was built.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.