Unpacking all of Ariana Grande’s lyrical easter eggs on Positions
TW: Pete Davidson
Ariana Grande loves a recurring theme. For those who have been fans since her first album Yours Truly, or who have delved into the back catalogue, the lyrics of her 6th studio album Positions will feel all too familiar. We hear numerous allusions to familiar motifs — such as the universe, being uncharacteristically “bad,” staying up late, yearning for an “old-fashioned” kind of love, and Grande’s signature hair, as well as broader themes of wealth, success, femininity, anxiety and power.
During Grande’s much-anticipated interview with radio host Zach Sang, Grande stated: “I like the nods to the other albums lyrically, that are kind of trickled through the album, I purposely kind of tried to tie in certain phrases, that reflect and tie in other records, to make sure there is a through-line,” leading to conjecture across social media about what exactly Grande was trying to say with callbacks to previous work.
This, alongside the unique reflective quality of Positions, warrants a closer examination of all of the literary allusions to previous work in Grande’s discography. Setting aside broader thematic examples, we’ll look at line-by-line comparisons between lyrics on Positions and Grande’s previous work— some “obvious,” some “Right There,” and others, well, “Why Try”?
Although we’ll focus primarily on lyrics, Positions’ sonic echoes from Grande’s past work cannot be ignored. Most prominent of this comes as soon as we hit play on the first track, “shut up”. The prolonged, cinematic strings section transports the listener directly back to the 2013 release of Yours Truly. All of a sudden, we’re back on “Honeymoon Avenue,” (which, appropriately, is about yearning to return to the carefree beginning of a relationship) but something’s different this time. This string section has seen some shit — instead of an angelic build, these strings have a darker, more textured, descending feeling. We’re being led to a denouement.
While previous albums were characterised by tingling synths, heavy guitar, and trap beats, giving strings a starring role on Positions sets the tone for a sonic rebirth. Older, wiser, more mature — a woman scarred and transformed by her past traumas — Grande has weathered the storm enough to establish a new relationship with the previous incarnations of herself, and her music. Welcome to the Grande renaissance.
Track 1: shut up
My presence sweet and my aura bright — “shut up”
Then you come through like the sweetener you are / To bring the bitter taste to a halt — “Sweetener”
Grande opens Positions by recalling the title track of her 4th studio album, Sweetener. In this reprise, instead of thanking her partner for bringing sweetness into her life, Grande turns the gratitude on herself, defining herself by her positivity and lightness. Verdict: Obvious
Diamonds good for my appetite — “shut up”
Lashes and diamonds, ATM machines / Buy myself all of my favorite things — “7 rings”
This line is both an allusion to Grande’s infamous shopping spree at Tiffany & Co., but more than that, it hearkens back to the release of 7 Rings (and thank u, next) as a turning point for Grande’s fire to produce music as a means of processing trauma. Verdict: Right There
All them demons helped me see shit differently — “shut up”
I’ve been livin’ with devils and angels — “Why Try”
They see demon, I see angel — “In My Head”
Listeners can interpret references to demons on “shut up” in two different ways: inner demons or external ones. Is she recalling a treacherous ex? Or her own trauma? Either way, this lyrical turn feels like a bold farewell to her pain. At its core, “shut up” is about setting boundaries — a mature take from someone who has been so vulnerable in the past. Verdict: Obvious
Track 2: 34+35
Watchin’ movies, but we ain’t seen a thing tonight — “34+35”
And the movie is playing/ But we won’t be watching tonight — “Moonlight”
“Netflix and chill” is Ariana’s signature move, as we originally learned in Moonlight. Verdict: Obvious
You say, “It tastes like candy” — “34+35”
Sweet like candy/ but he’s such a man — “Moonlight”
As we heard previously on “shut up,” this is yet another example of a lyrical reprise on Positions where Grande takes a lyric in praise of an ex, and applies it to herself. Verdict: Obvious
Even though I’m wifey, you can hit it like a side chick. — “34+35”
You can hit it in the mornin’/Yeah, yeah, like it’s yours— “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”
This allusion is another clever… re-positioning of Grande in her own narrative. In the thick of her trauma, Grande can be (admittedly) “a little too reckless” — and tempts the audience with the fantasy of commitment in the throes of infidelity. Post-trauma Grande flirts with danger from a safe distance. Verdict: Right
You such a dream come true, true / make a bitch wanna hit snooze, ooh — “34+35”
You’re such a dream to me. — “REM”
Because she is a relatable queen, Grande loves to sleep. With this new rush of love, she’s willing to sacrifice sleep for sex, which is a pretty big deal. She relates this to “REM,” from the Sweetener era, except, she hopes, this “dream” is more than just a figment of her sleep cycle. Verdict: Obvious
Track 3: motive (with Doja Cat)
To see if I’m gon’ be the one that’s in your arms — “motive (with Doja Cat)”
All I really care is you wake up in my arms”— “One Last Time”
It’s another script-flip here, in a call back to the pleading message of “One Last Time.” But this time, Grande holds the position of power — asking her partner to make their intentions clear. Verdict: Obvious
Did you want a trophy or you wanna sport me, baby? — “motive (with Doja Cat)”
Ayo, trophy wife, out, you won me — “The Light Is Coming”
Intentional or not, I love that both Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj gave us a parallel between their verses on both “motive” and “The Light Is Coming.” Verdict: Right There
Track 4: just like magic
Think it in my head, then it happens how it should, ayy — “just like magic”
I thought that you were the one/But it was all in my head — “In My Head”
Got these thoughts in my head/Ain’t no way to forget — “Thinking Bout You”
Inner monologues dominate Grande’s songwriting, and we could take this reference to the concept of manifestation in a couple of different ways; either Grande has transcended from distrusting her own thoughts, as in “in my head,” or she may even feel overpowered by the strength of her thoughts as in “Thinking Bout You” — and in this case, how they can produce real life results. Verdict: Right There
Then I ride to the studio listening to some shit I wrote — just like magic
Shoot, go from the store to the booth/Make it all back in one loop, give me the loot — “7 rings”
I get everything I want ’cause I attract it — “just like magic”
I see it. I like it. I want it. I got it. — “7 rings”
There are some strong parallels to “7 rings” in “just like magic”— it’s a song about getting what you want, but from the perspective of a less braggadocious, more centered Grande. She’s progressed through coping mechanisms, from retail therapy to meditation, and shifting her focus from material wealth to spiritual riches.
In this same way, the connection to the original Rodgers and Hammerstein sample, “My Favourite Things” (while not present in “just like magic”) feels more genuine. Maria celebrates the little things, and this new version of Grande is more grateful, more aware, and more optimistic.
Similarly, the “I get/I want” narrative can be related back to Grande’s love of musicals and theatre more generally — specifically her well-documented fondness for the work of Alan Menken (and Howard Ashman) on The Little Mermaid and other Disney Renaissance films — the duo who popularised the “I want” song in Disney’s animated musicals — think “Part of Your World.” Grande’s proclivity for musicals deserves its own essay, but it’s interesting to think of “just like magic” as Grande’s Disney Princess victory lap “7 rings” as almost a villainous anthem. While they both evoke the themes of an, “I want” song, they sit on opposite sides. (You could also make the case that One Last Time is Grande’s ultimate “I want” song but that’s another story.) Verdict: Obvious
Track 5: off the table (with The Weeknd)
Might not be quite yet healed already — “off the table (with The Weeknd)”
Want you to get better/My life is so controlled by the what if’s/Girl, what’s wrong with you? Come back down/Is there anybody else whose mind does this? — “Get Well Soon”
Healing is a dominant theme in Positions, so it’s no surprise that we get a reminder of the beginning (middle?) of Grande’s journey through grief in “Get Well Soon.” Verdict: Right There
Should I be goin’ too steady? (Too steady) — “off the table (with The Weeknd)”
I wanna say we’re going steady/Like it’s 1954 — “Tattooed Heart”
In another deep cut all the way back to Yours Truly, Grande is reflecting on her yearning for love in a simpler time, and maybe coming to terms with what modern romance can feel like. Verdict: Obvious
I can love you harder than I did before — “off the table (with The Weeknd)”
’Cause if you want to keep me, you gotta gotta gotta gotta got to love me harder — “Love Me Harder”
It’s the return of The Weeknd, and of course we get a reference to their 2014 collaboration, “Love Me Harder.” It’s a beautiful continuation of a soap-operatic narrative about two tangled lovers. Verdict: Obvious
I was haunted by the hills (Oh yeah, yeah)— “off the table (with The Weeknd)”
I know that it breaks your heart when I cry again/’Stead of ghostin’ him— “ghostin”
This may be a stretch, but we can’t hear a reference to being haunted or ghosts without thinking of “ghostin.” More likely, this is The Weeknd’s own lyrical self-reference to his 2015 track, “The Hills” where he grapples with cheating, drugs, deception and his own demons. Verdict: Why Try
Can you touch it like you believe in it, baby? — “off the table (with The Weeknd)”
Something bigger than us and beyond bliss/Give me a reason to believe it. — “Love Me Harder”
’Cause every time I’m with you, I go into a zone/And I remember all the places you wanna go/Take me all the way/Ain’t nobody gonna touch it, touch it, touch it — “Touch it”
A double whammy in this line — as we get references to the aforementioned “Love Me Harder” as well as “Touch It”. Grande is at the same time asking her lover to convince her of their feelings, as in “Love Me Harder” as well as evoke the passion of “Touch It”. Verdict: Right There
Track 6: six thirty
You can only stay mad for a minute / So come here and give me some kisses — “six thirty”
I’m stayin’ mad all day so we can let it out tonight — “Make Up”
This line about the perfectly-imperfect nature of Grande’s relationship is a subtle nod to the toxicity of her previous relationships — but this time the lines feel a but more self-aware, and the conflict less-severe. Verdict: Right There
Act so possessive and crazy (Crazy) — “six thirty”
You drive me insane/Now we’re screaming just to see who’s louder — “Why Try”
I’m obsessive and I love too hard/Good at overthinking with my heart — “Needy”
So go ahead/And drive me insane — “Stuck with u”
Grande’s struggles with mental health are evident throughout her last three albums, and she tends to use words like “crazy” and “insane” as shorthand for superficial conflicts and self-deprecating nods to her own weakness. “six thirty” stays on trend with echoes of the same, but is probably more a broad statement than a specific callback. Verdict: Why Try
Down like sunsets — “six thirty”
The sun is setting/ And you’re right here by my side — “Moonlight”
Down like my head on your chest — “six thirty”
Love how my face fits so good in your neck — “Imagine”
Are you down? What’s up? — “six thirty”
Are you down? Can you let me know? “Bloodline”
(Girl, what’s wrong with you? Come back down)/Down, down, down, down/Is there such a ladder to get above this?/(Down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down) — “Get Well Soon”
Positions is full of a lot of active, directional language — I mean, look no further than its title. Throughout the album, she’s up, she’s down, she’s fallin’, she’s switchin’, she’s runnin’ — Grande is very much in the driver’s seat of the lyrics, and her life. In “six thirty” she’s asking if you’re down too — a lyric turn that reminds us of the sensual, “bloodline” and the soothing hymn, “Get Well Soon”. Lyrically, she wants a partner who will be “down” in every possible way — down like the glowy romance of “Moonlight”, down like the banal bliss of “Imagine”, and down, as in grounded as in “Get Well Soon.” Verdict: Right There
Track 7: safety net (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
Having put things in motion on “six thirty” Grande gathers momentum on “safetynet (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”:
How we get here so damn fast — “safety net (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”
How you even think it got this far? — “needy”
I know they say I move on too fast — “thank u, next”
Why do we have chemistry/ and a need for speed — “The Light Is Coming”
There’s a sentiment of, “whew!” on this track, as Grande reflects on how quickly she’s able to fall in love. While the track itself is slow, the opening phrase reminds us of the quick look back we heard in “needy,” “thank u, next,” and even “The Light Is Coming.” She’s slowing down in her mind, but submitting to gravity in her actions.
Trippin’ fallin’ with no safety net — “safety net (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”
Falling, falling, but I never thought you’d leave me — “in my head”
But, boy, don’t trip (Don’t trip), you know this isn’t real — “bad idea”
Here we go again. Lyrically, Grande reminds us that she only wants to fall for the real thing, and that she’s striving to get it right this time. She’s falling, as in “in my head,” but she might also be trippin’ as in “bad idea” — is that a good thing? She’s still not entirely sure. Verdict: Right There
Is it real this time or is it in my head?- “safety net (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”
I thought that you were the one/But it was all in my head — “in my head”
Grande herself confirmed this one in her recent interview with Zach Sang, a clear call back to the disappointment-laden “in my head” off thank u, next. Verdict: Obvious (Confirmed)
Track 8: my hair
It’s been way long overdue/Just like these inches down my back — “my hair”
Blew it out of scale, like my ponytail — “Jason’s Song (Gave It Away)”
To keep it real, sometimes it’s tracks — “my hair”
You like my hair? Gee, thanks, just bought it — “7 rings”
A bit less lyrically complicated here, but “my hair” gives us an opportunity to meditate on Grande’s identity via her iconic ponytail and mile-long extensions. While the references to her hair in, “Jason’s Song (Gave It Away)” and “7 rings” gives a finger to the hype about her hair — “my hair” gives us a bit of a more intimate reflection on Grande’s personal relationship to her bodily autonomy. She’s not just a ponytail — there’s a woman under there, and only the inner circle gets to know the real her. Verdict: Right There
Track 9: nasty
No more playin’ safe, let’s take it all the way — “nasty”
Take me all the way — “Touch It”
Sure, it’s there in black and white, but apart from the lyrical parallel here, not much depth to this one. It’s just a fun jam about sex contrasted against a slightly angstier jam about sex. Verdict: Why Try
Track 10: west side
I’ll bring the light right back — “west side”
The light is coming to give back everything the darkness stole — “The Light Is Coming”
If you ask me, “The Light Is Coming” is one of Grande’s most underrated records. From the first performance at Wango Tango to the Twin Peaks/David Lynchian music video directed by Dave Meyers — it’s just so meticulous and frantic and spooky. While “west side” has a softer, more R&B feel, it has sonic as well as lyrical allusions to “The Light Is Coming,” as we get a steady beat with some rewinding, spaceship-y vibrations in the background. Verdict: Obvious
In fact, I’d even say that “west side” is the love child of “The Light Is Coming” and “Needy”:
I don’t want it if it ain’t your touch — “west side”
Or what you can trust, ’cause I need your touch — “Needy”
Grande is challenging her subject, pleading, and seducing them, all at the same time. Bravo. Verdict: Right There
Track 11: love language
Track 11 starts to do some narrative heavy lifting, speaking directly to some of Grande’s most heart-wrenching tracks off Sweetener and thank u, next. She gives up an update on her mental health diagnosis, her “baggage” and the state of her heart. She’s characteristically un-subtle about the facts and coy about the future. Verdict: Obvious
You the medication when I’m feeling anxious — “love language”
I can so overcomplicate, people tell me to medicate — “breathin’”
Leavе my baggage at the door, I’ll claim you mine — “love language”
I’m a girl with a whole lotta baggage — “ghostin”
Head over my shoes like woah — “love language”
I swear my love is a curse, make you head-over-shoes — “Better off”
A special shout out to probably one of Grande’s best lyrics of all time, the coining of the phrase “head-over-shoes,” which makes its delightful return from “better off.” Verdict: Obvious
The addendum to “love language” can be compared directly to infamous track “Pete Davidson” off the album Sweetener. To that extent, I’d wager that the last few bars of “love language” were originally considered for their own track on Positions. Both musical interludes, spanning only a few seconds in length, read like love notes to Grande’s partner.
While Davidson’s namesake track is pretty in your face — a bit like getting a tattoo of your lover’s name — Gomez’s is a lot more subtle, not only is he never mentioned directly, but only illusions to his occupation and the tenuousness of the relationship tie the singer to her partner. It’s part cautionary tale, part valentine, and pure sweetness. These last 20-something seconds of the track are a tender revelation that Grande shares with her audience. Verdict: Right There
Track 12: positions
Heaven sent you to me/I’m just hopin’ I don’t repeat history — “positions”
Fell from the sky into my lap/ And I know you know that you’re my soulmate and all that — “Pete Davidson”
In its first bars, Positions picks up what “love language” set down. Grande reflects on the divine-intervention of love, before getting more practical. It’s as if she’s saying, I’m here now, so I may as well take charge. Verdict: Obvious
But I get tired of runnin’, fuck it/Now, I’m runnin’ with you — “positions”
Your Gucci tennis shoes/Runnin’ from your issues — “In My Head”
She continues the theme of forward motion with another reference to running, with an “if you can’t beat ’em, join ‘em” attitude. Verdict: Right There
Track 13: obvious
I’m praying we don’t fuck this up (Ah-ah-ah, babe) — “obvious”
I’ll give you all of my trust if you don’t mess this up — “Be My Baby”
While lyrically, this one is pretty thin, it’s worth noting that the 2014 track “Be My Baby” has thematically strong echoes throughout Positions. In fact, one possible reading of Positions as a whole might be: If you know how to be my lover/Maybe you could be my baby. Verdict: Right There
Maybe you should pack a suitcase too — “obvious”
We can leave right now, boy, you don’t need a duffle — “REM”
This parallel is a great illustration of Grande’s personal growth. Instead of saying she can provide everything for her (potentially ill-equipped) partner, as in “REM” off Sweetener, she’s instead inviting her partner to bring something to the table. That’s some real character growth. Verdict: Right There
Tell you all of my dirty truths — “obvious”
Tell me your secrets, all of the creep shit/ That’s how I know it’s true — “Imagine”
It’s another lyrical role-reversal for Grande here, this time, about confiding in her partner. While previously she’d been the confidant, now she’s the one with some secrets to share. Verdict: Obvious
Track 14: pov
If you don’t get choked up during “pov,” then I really can’t help you. The final track of Positions is soft and complicated. Continuing the themes of code-switching, role-reversal, and seeing things from a new angle, “pov” is a love song to the self, by way of a partner. Suddenly, the momentum of the previous tracks slows down long enough for Grande to take stock and face herself.
Still gеtting good at not leaving — “pov”
I’m not one to stick around/ One strike and you’re out, baby — “Stuck with u”
For the first time, we evoke her quarantine anthem, “Stuck with u” — as Grande confronts her discomfort with stasis. Verdict: Obvious
But now I’m out here, fallin’, fallin’/Frozen, slowly thawing, got me right — “pov”
Falling, falling, but I never thought you’d leave me — “in my head”
But she’s still moving, just slowly — just running in place. Verdict: Right There
All my baggage waitin’ safely (My baggage waitin’) — “pov”
I’m a girl with a whole lotta baggage — “ghostin”
But this time, her load is lighter. Not gone. Just ready to deal with in her own time. Verdict: Obvious
Positions takes us on a journey of perspective. Through Grande’s musical lens, we’re up, we’re down, we see things from new angles — and we get to know ourselves. Positions is prismatic. Crystallising and reflective. Sharp and luminous. Through short, at only 41 minutes, Grande shows herself as the multifaceted artist that she is — horny, human, hurting — but always pitch perfect. Decoding her many lyrical easter eggs just gives us just a bit more insight into where her head is at — and what position she may take on next.
