Rating: 7/10
Recently (like over the past month) I’ve gotten into Ariana Grande’s music, so I’m very excited to begin reviewing her albums. For this one, I’ve found that she, similarly to most artists, has a debut album that, while not bad, is somewhat bland, with a few really good songs but mostly just filler-esque tracks.
I’m gonna start the ranking now, so I hope you enjoy my worst-to-best ranking of Ariana Grande’s debut studio album, Yours Truly.
12. Better Left Unsaid (Track 12)
This song is blander than French Vanilla coffee creamer. (Absolutely no hate to Ariana, I just don’t enjoy this song. At all. Also no hate to anyone who likes French Vanilla coffee creamer.)
11. Piano (Track 6)
Yeah, I wish I could just snip this song off the album. It’s not catchy, it’s just annoying. I’m sorry to be so negative about these bottom-tier songs, but they just suck in comparison to the top songs on the album. That’s my thing with Yours Truly. It’s like the highs are really high, and the lows are really low. Believe me, I will have far more positive things to say as we move up this ranking.
10. Popular Song (Track 11)
This song is so bubblegum-pop and cheesy, I just can’t get into it. The reason I have it higher than the last two songs is because it samples ‘Popular’ from Wicked, which is a great song and a great musical. This is the last song I’m gonna talk about from this album that I actively dislike, so now we can move onto the songs that I don’t dislike, but don’t absolutely love.
9. Lovin’ It (Track 5)
I enjoy this song well enough. I don’t love it or anything, but I like it. The verses and pre-chorus aren’t anything special, but the chorus is pretty dang catchy. It’s just a fun song, and it has a 90s throwback sound, which is cool.
8. Baby I (Track 2)
The first time I heard this song I didn’t like it AT ALL, but it’s grown on me. I don’t know what changed, but all I know is that I used to cringe when I listened to this, and now I bop along to it with no shame. Maybe it’s the upbeat, 90s-inspired production, maybe it’s the irresistible quality in the chorus (especially the “But every time I try to say it, words they only complicate it” part), but this song is pretty cute.
7. Daydreamin’ (Track 7)
This is a really sweet and charming song, and it has a very old-school, 60s sound to it (except for the chorus) which I appreciate. I really like the verses, and I REALLY like the pre-chorus, it’s just the chorus that kind of messes the song up for me. It’s a lot more produced, and they add these vocal effects on her voice later on that I don’t like. Still, I think the lyrics in this song are really nice, and it’s not a bad song by any means, it just didn’t live up to its full potential (in my opinion, of course).
6. Almost Is Never Enough (Track 10)
Okay, so we’ve now reached my favorites from the album. All the songs I’m gonna talk about from here on out are ones that I love, and I think are the highlights of Yours Truly. ‘Almost Is Never Enough’ is a beautiful piano ballad, and a duet, so that’s pretty spicy. Ariana sounds beautiful here and I love the simple melody and piano line. Unfortunately, Nathan’s voice kind of bugs me at times during his parts, but it’s not too bad. I also think the lyrics are very beautiful, and I really resonate with the theme of this song.
5. Tattooed Heart (Track 4)
“I wanna say we’re going steady, like it’s 1954. No, it doesn’t have to be forever, just as long as I’m the name on your tattooed heart.” Ah, this little number. ‘Tattooed Heart’ sounds like something straight out of the 50s and I love it. It’s a sparkly, doo-wop belter and it’s so charming. Ariana really showcases her incredible singing abilities here, belting the chorus out like her life depends on it (it sounds amazing though). And not only does this song sound like something from the 50s, it also has a lyrical theme that fits into that time period, which is really cool. This song is just stunning, and Ariana did an amazing job with it. “Wrap me in your jacket, my baby, and lay me in your bed, and kiss me underneath the moonlight. Darling, let me trace the lines on your tattooed heart.”
4. You’ll Never Know (Track 9)
This song is so much fun, with an irresistibly catchy hook, upbeat production, a great vocal performance, and empowering lyrics. This song is basically about telling someone who missed their chance with you to get lost because you’ve moved on, and I really, really enjoy it. It’s sassy, it’s independent, it’s sensible. And it’s an absolute bop.
3. Right There (Track 3)
You know, I really don’t know why I like this song so much, but I actually really love it. Normally I’m not a fan of rap features on songs, but I think Big Sean adds a lot to this track. If he wasn’t on it, the song would be a lot blander and probably a lot lower on this ranking. Ariana is also great on this track. She carries the melody super well and gives it tons of charm and a super infectious quality. She makes the chorus so much fun and basically impossible to get out of your head (in the best way). Normally this wouldn’t be a song that I would gravitate towards, but what can I say? It’s just a fun time.
2. The Way (Track 8)
Like I said, I’m not much of a person for rap features, but similarly to Big Sean, I love Mac Miller’s part on this song. It’s so fun and his voice sounds great. Of course, it’s a little to sad to listen to this with everything that’s happened, but it is a truly wonderful song. Their voices go together so well and the hook is absolutely irresistible. This song makes me feel so happy and warm every time I listen to it. It just has a timeless quality to it. Like, I feel like I can listen to it for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. This was also a song that I heard a lot when I was younger but I didn’t know what it was called, so when I was listening to it for the first time in years a couple months back, I was pleasantly surprised to recognize the chorus almost instantly. In summation, this an adorable song, and it’s a little bittersweet, but it’s delightful.
1. Honeymoon Avenue (Track 1)
“Baby, you know how to drive in rain, and you decided not to make a change. Stuck in the same old lane, going the wrong way home. I feel like my heart is stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I’m under pressure ’cause I can’t have you the way that I want. Let’s just get back to the way it was when we were on Honeymoon Avenue.” And THAT, my friends, is how you kick off an album. What an incredible opener. I first discovered this song a few months before I properly listened to Yours Truly in full (you can see this song listed in my monthly music post for April) and I was blown away by how good it was, so I kinda knew going into this album that it would be hard to beat. I mean, really, this is kind of a perfect song. The chorus has such a nice, driving (hehehe puns) beat and it’s great in a melodic and rhythmic sense. The metaphor of the song is pretty clever and allows for some really nice lyricism. Ariana’s vocals are amazing (not surprising but still worth saying) and she really carries a lot of genuine emotion in the way she sings the lyrics. AND THE OPENING STRINGS. STUNNING. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. STRAIGHT OUT OF A FAIRYTALE. Basically, this is one of my absolute favorite Ariana Grande songs of all time and I can’t praise it enough.
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