March Releases: Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine" and Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" from an Outsider's Perspective
One of my missions for 2024 is to expand my musical horizon. I have a handful of artists that I adore (Taylor Swift, Lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers, just to name a few…), but lately, I’ve been feeling as though my music taste is in a bubble. For a while, I’ve been listening to the same 10 or so artists on repeat, so I’ve been motivated to discover new music. I’ve created a list of, “Albums I Eventually Want to Listen to,” and so far, there are 39 albums on that list. I intend to get to all of them at some point this year. For whatever reason, I’ve felt particularly compelled lately to delve deep into the discographies of the legendary female pop stars whose music shaped the 2010s.
Fortunately for me, the two biggest music releases of the year so far have come from such artists, namely Ariana Grande’s 7th studio album, eternal sunshine, and Beyonce’s 8th studio album, COWBOY CARTER. Obviously, I have been exposed to some of the music by these artists before. It’d be hard not to. I liked a lot of Ariana’s songs in 2018-2019, particularly no tears left to cry and 7 rings, although I’d never listened to any of her records in full. Similarly with Beyonce, I’m of course familiar with all her big hits, but prior, the only LP of hers I’d listened to in full was Lemonade. With how much hype and excitement there’s been around these two releases, I couldn’t not give them a listen.
Writing about music helps me figure out how I feel about songs, so I wanted to write a piece on these records, but at first I didn’t feel like I was qualified to because I’m so new to both the world of Ariana Grande and the world of Beyonce. I know it’ll be completely different when I review Taylor’s new album later this week, because I’ve listened to all 10 of Taylor’s albums countless times, I’m aware of all the lore surrounding the new record, and I’ve been an avid listener of Taylor’s music for almost 10 years now, therefore I feel completely comfortable voicing my opinions on her music. However, I do find it interesting to hear takes on albums from people who aren’t necessarily die-hard fans, because they’re going to be less biased. If I’m going into a new release from someone like Taylor Swift or Lorde, then I’m going to go into it knowing I’ll probably like it and will connect to it more easily, whereas if I’m going into a release from an artist who’s new to me, that fondness that I have for my favourite artists won’t be there. So with that, here is an outsider’s thoughts and opinions on the new Ariana Grande and Beyonce records.
Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine is her first album in over three years. It’s her first release since her 2020 record Positions, partly because she’s been kept occupied with the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, Wicked. The record’s title was derived from the 2004 film starring Jim Carey and Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Similar to how that film focuses on a turbulent relationship, the main topic explored throughout this collection of songs is the breakdown of Ariana’s marriage and eventual divorce.
It’s introduced from the very top of the record. On the intro track, titled intro (end of the world), Ariana opens by saying, “how can I tell if I’m in the right relationship? Aren’t you really supposed to know that sh*t?” It immediately lets the listener know that while creating this album, Ariana was in a state of uncertainty and confusion, especially in terms of her current relationship. This uncertainty is carried onto multiple other tracks, including don’t wanna break up again (a personal favourite of mine) and the title track, eternal sunshine.
But there are also songs that were written post-breakup that reflect how Ariana views the relationship in hindsight. bye and i wish i hated you are essentially about the same thing, just with different mindsets. bye is a joyous, freeing song in which Ariana expresses gratitude over finally getting out of that relationship, while i wish i hated you shows that while she did have moments of relief, there were also moments of great sadness. On this track, Ariana wishes that she hated this person she’s separating from, because if they were an awful person who treated her horribly, it would make it easier to say goodbye and move on. But in reality, it’s a lot more complicated than that. It’s not that they grew to hate each other, it’s that the more time they spent together, the more they each realised they’re just not the right fit. Sometimes love is not enough. While this is a nice song lyrically, it doesn’t interest me melodically.
While a chunk of the record is designated to the collapse of one relationship, another side of it discusses the beginnings of a new one, which we see on songs such as supernatural, the boy is mine, imperfect for you, and the closing track, ordinary things. ordinary things ends with a voice note from Ariana’s grandmother, in which she answers the question asked at the beginning of the record, “how can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” to which she says, “never go to bed without kissing goodnight. That’s the worst thing you can do (…) and if you can’t, if you don’t feel comfortable doing it, you’re in the wrong place, get out.” That was such a clever way for Ariana to bring the album and the story she told within it full-circle.
But another motif of this record is discussing Ariana’s relationship with the public eye, particularly how recently the media and general public fell out of love with her. Each song takes a different approach. On true story, Ariana leans into this villainous persona that many have made her out to be. On the lead single yes, and? Ariana discusses the matter in a light-hearted, dismissive way. we can’t be friends is considered to be an album highlight for many, but the inspiration behind the song has been up for debate. While some think it’s another song about her divorce, others have speculated it’s an ode to the media and general public. Ariana herself has stated that she purposefully wanted this song to be vague so it could be open to interpretation.
I don’t know if it’s the norm for Ariana, but this is a very sonically cohesive record. The production throughout isn’t too loud or in your face, it’s actually quite calming. I love the interwoven themes of space and astrology. While some might deem it unnecessary, I actually like the addition of Saturn Returns interlude, it fits in perfectly with the themes of the record. Overall, I think this is a fantastic album. As I’ve already said, I’ve never listened to any of her other projects in full, so I have nothing to compare it to, but this record has set a high standard. I’m excited to eventually be able to delve into her previous work.
COWBOY CARTER is Beyonce’s 8th studio album, and it’s the second in a trilogy of records; the first being her 2022 release, RENAISSANCE. While RENAISSANCE is a mixture of disco, dance, and house music, COWBOY CARTER has been labelled a country album. Many of the most country-esque songs are on the first half of the record, and true to the genre of country, they explore themes of family and her roots; songs such as 16 CARRIAGES, PROTECTER, and DAUGHTER. The album begins with AMERIIAN REQUIEM, which is a grand, bold track that immediately immerses you into the record.
While there are undeniable country influences, this is a genre-bending record. As has been said, this isn’t a country album, it’s a Beyonce album. That’s made perfectly clear on the track SPAGHETTII, which opens with the American singer Linda Martell saying, “genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? (…) in theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand. But in practice, well, some may feel confined.” Fittingly, Beyonce then starts rapping, which drastically strays away from the country singer-songwriter guitar ballads that the first act is mostly made up of.
Speaking of Linda Martell, there are many iconic country legends featured on this record, even if it may be just for a spoken-word introduction, as seen with Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. Miley Cyrus features on the track II MOST WANTED. While this is not one of my personal favourites, I can still say that Beyonce and Miley’s voices go so well together. It’s nice to see two of the biggest and most powerful female artists in the industry collaborate. We go right from one feature to another, with the next track, LEVII’S JEANS, featuring Post Malone. It’s an unexpected pairing, but again, it works.
Perhaps at this point, I should adress the JOLENE cover, which has been a topic of much debate. To say at least one positive thing about it, Beyonce’s vocals are gorgeous on this track and I love the idea of taking a well-known song and putting your own spin on it. However, certain lyrics and the overall sentiment of this cover just rub me the wrong way. I hate the notion of women taking all their anger out on the affair partner rather than the man. One specific lyric that has caused people to raise an eyebrow is, “takes more than beauty and seductive stares to come between a family and a happy man (…) we’ve been deep in love for 20 years. I raised that man, I raised his kids. I know my man better than he knows himself.” I don’t need to point out why those lyrics are problematic, but I will say that while Beyonce intended for these lyric changes to switch the song from a desperate woman begging another woman not to take her man to a confident woman warning another woman to back off, to me it just comes across as insecure. Certain lyrics also give off a slight misogynistic tone, specifically, “there’s a thousand girls in every room who act as desperate as you do.” Again, it just comes off really insecure and like she’s projecting. I think Beyonce intended for this cover to be an empowering anthem, but it completely falls flat.
Swiftly moving on, there are many songs on this project that are, for lack of a better word, camp. YA YA is one of my favourites off the record, and it is daresay the campiest song on the album. It samples Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots are Made for Walking and interpolates the Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations, and somehow, she makes that work. I love the call-and-responses in this song, it’s very reminiscent of the 60s time period this song is clearly inspired by. This song also touches on Black history in America, particularly in the first verse, when she says, '“whole lotta red in that white and blue. History can’t be erased. You looking for a new America? Are you tired working time and a half for half the pay?” She also references the Chitlin Circuit, which was a collection of venues African-American musicians could perform at during the height of segregation. It’s incredible that even in a song as fun as this, she manages to add a deeper meaning.
COWBOY CARTER, overall, is such an immersive listening experience. The way that the songs all transition and flow right into the other adds to the immersiveness, as do the interludes. I’m aware Beyonce is an artist that’s known for making her albums a listening experience. In a time where artists now get so caught up in singles and charts and short snippets of songs that maintain people’s ever-shortening attention spans, it’s nice to know that one of the artists at the top of the food chain is still concerned with creating an album that you can sit down and listen to from start to finish that allows you to really get pulled into the music.
The intention of this piece wasn’t to compare these new releases by Ariana and Beyonce in any way (doing so would be difficult, as they are totally and completely different artists), but simply to share my thoughts on two albums that I have really been loving lately. As I said at the start, I have a goal to expand my range of artists and explore all different kinds of music, and this is only the beginning. 2024 has already been an outstanding year for music, and I suspect it is only going to continue to get better.