This weekend on 92.9, we are bringing you the Top 10 Ariana Grande songs.
10.
Breathin'
Sweetener (2018)
Ariana Grande had some incredibly stressful experiences in 2017, most notably the deadly terrorist attack that killed 22 concertgoers outside of her Dangerous concert in Manchester, England. The songstress told Time magazine she was having lots of anxiety attacks after she'd completed her Dangerous Woman tour. "I've always had anxiety," Grande said. "I've never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it, but when I got home from tour it was the most severe I think it's ever been." Grande penned this pounding anthem about her anxiety attacks. "You know when you feel like you can't get a full breath? It's like the worst feeling in the world," Grande told TV host Jimmy Fallon. "So it's a song about that feeling."
9.
God Is A Woman
Sweetener (2018)
This sultry, vibe-heavy tune finds Ariana Grande embracing her sexuality as she takes on themes of spirituality and female empowerment.
Tweeting about the song's themes, Ariana explained they are: "sexual female empowerment and how women are literally everything and the universe is inside of us."
The female-empowered music video was directed by Dave Meyers and pays homage to various works of art and Greek mythology including Michaelangelo's fresco "Creation of Adam," the statue of "The Thinker," plus "Romulus and Remus," "The Pantheon," the mythological Cerberus, among others.
8.
Bang Bang
My Everything (2014)
The song was produced by Max Martin, Savan Kotecha and Ilya. The same trio also worked on Grande's hit single "Problem."
Jessie J said she is is elated about how the song came together, as she'd wanted to work with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj for a while. "Max Martin and I got the song and I was like, 'I have to record this'," she recalled. "I put my vocal down and then Ariana heard it and she was like, 'I wanna put a verse on it.' Then Nicki heard it and, I mean, I had tried to get Nicki on 'Do It Like A Dude'... I didn't know if she was really going to do it," she added. "And then they sent me a verse and I cried."
7.
Breakfree
My Everything (2014)
"Break Free" was written by Savan Kotecha, Zedd and Max Martin and produced by the latter two.
In a May 2014 interview during which he talked about "Break Free", Zedd spoke about wanting to collaborate with Grande after hearing her voice for the first time at a Universal showcase. He said, "I was backstage and I heard someone sing. And I didn't know who it was, and I just said 'I want to make a song with whoever is singing right now.' I didn't know who it was, and it turned out being her. And luckily, now there's a song!"
Grande first spoke about collaborating on a song with Zedd in late April in an interview with Billboard. She described the song as "fantastic and super-experimental for me" and further stated, "I never thought I'd do an EDM song, but that was an eye-opening experience, and now all I want to do is dance." She later talked about the song at Wango Tango and shared that she wanted it to be the next single.
6.
Rain On Me
Chromatica (2020)
"Rain On Me" is a collaboration between Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande about persevering through troubles and embracing the pain. The song was inspired by the similar traumas the singers have experienced in the public eye, including the terrorist attack that killed 22 concertgoers outside of Grande's Dangerous concert in Manchester, England. "I sat with her and we talked about our lives," Gaga told Paper magazine. "It's two women having a conversation about how to keep going and how to be grateful for what you do."
The techno-pop anthem is the second single from Chromatica. Gaga explained to Apple Music's Zane Lowe how heartbreak and painful breakups helped fuel the dance album. She shared, "How can I take something that was extremely painful for me and find the one piece of it that's universally human, and help somebody else."
5.
Problem
My Everything (2014)
The boisterous song was originally written by the American songwriter Savan Kotecha, who has co-penned many of One Direction's hit tunes. Ariana then worked on the track with Swedish hitmaker Max Martin, who previously created such hit tunes as "…Baby One More Time," "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "Roar." Ariana told MTV News of Max Martin: "He's amazing. I love working with him. He's like a mathematician. He knows music like math. It just makes sense to him."
4.
Side To Side
Dangerous Woman (2018)
The reggae pop song's dancehall riddim was supplied by Swedish hitmaker Max Martin and his co-writing and production partner Ilya Salmanzadeh. Martin and Ilya produced as a pair four of Dangerous Woman's eleven tracks and also separately worked on another one each. Two other hitmakers, Savan Kotecha and Alexander Kronlund, are also credited as writers along with Grande and Minaj.
The video finds Ariana Grande spinning, boxing and weightlifting in the gym clad in a combination of spandex and casual threads from GUESS's "Active" women's line. She's later joined by Nicki Minaj for a post-workout session in an electric blue sauna. The clip was directed by Hannah Lux Davis, who has filmed a number of videos for the pair. She shot Grande's "Focus" and "Into You," as well as Minaj's "Only" and " The Night Is Still Young" visuals. They also all worked together on the trio's collaboration with Jessie J, "Bang Bang." The original idea for the video came from a message Grande sent to Davis. "I'm just thinking... spin bikes." Grande then let the director take the reins.
3.
Positions
Positions (2020)
Grande is probably singing about her relationship with luxury home realtor Dalton Gomez. The pair first started dating in early 2020 and quarantined together during the COVID lockdown. This would have given the songstress plenty of opportunity to impress him with her kitchen and bedroom skills.
Dave Meyers directed the video, which depicts Grande as the President of the United States. It features cameos from two of her frequent collaborators: Tayla Parx plays her right-hand man in the Oval Office, and Victoria Monét shows up in a staff conference. Grande's mom, Joan, appears as a presidential advisor. Grande's decision to drop the video on October 23, 2020 tied in with the final presidential debate between Republican candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden, which took place hours before.
2.
No Tears Left To Cry
Sweetener (2018)
Written by Ariana Grande with Max Martin, ILYA, and Savan Kotecha, this power ballad was the first track to be released by the singer since the the terrorist attack that killed 22 concertgoers outside one of her gigs in Manchester, England. Though Grande doesn't directly reference the Manchester attack, she alludes to the tragic event by singing about moving on from pain. Right now I'm in a state of mind I wanna be in like all the time Ain't got no tears left to cry So I'm pickin' it up, I'm pickin' up I'm lovin', I'm livin', I'm pickin' it up After been brought down so low she'd run out of tears, Ariana is determined not to let the incident break her and is ready to embrace life again.
The futuristic-looking Dave Meyers-directed video alludes to the Manchester Arena attack at the very end when a worker bee - which is the symbol of the city of Manchester - flies towards the camera.
1.
thank u, next
thank u, next (2019)
"Thank U, Next" is a self-empowerment song in which Ariana Grande looks back at some of her past relationships. She expresses gratitude to her exes for having helped her to find herself.
The relationships that Grande references are her ones with: 1. Rapper Big Sean Thought I'd end up with Sean But he wasn’t a match The pair started dating in August 2014 and broke up in April 2015 2. Ariana's backup dancer Ricky Alvarez. Wrote some songs about Ricky Now I listen and laugh Ariana is said to have written "Knew Better/Forever Boy" "True Love" and "Moonlight" about Ricky. 3. The late Mac Miller Wish I could say thank you to Malcolm Cause he was an angel Grande's two-year relationship with Malcolm "Mac Miller" McCormick ended in May 2018, four months before his death. 4. Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson Even almost got married And for Pete I'm so thankful Ariana started dating the comedian and actor in May 2018. They got engaged the following month, and the singer penned a love song titled "Pete Davidson" that appeared on her Sweetener album. The pair ended their relationship in October 2018.