Is Eternal Sunshine Ariana's Best Album Yet? (Maybe) | Review + Anaylsis 

What was your favorite track off of Eternal Sunshine? Also what do you want as a single?

She really tricked us with yes and? What WE got on the album was leagues better, my fave is Supernatural (cries in single 😭), with WE can't be friends and imperfect for you being the runner ups.

Ariana's lyricism has evolved immensely! I was so impressed

ariana’s growth as a songwriter is insane to me. the lyrics on this album are definitely her best ever. she is telling a story and she is enunciating and i just like how she evolved on this album.

People are dragging her because the album got a little more than 58m streams debut but considering shes going through a hate traina nd people are going out of their way to not listen to her those are good numbers to me, and the album will definitely grow on people that dont like it

We Can’t Be Friends is by far my favorite, and that music video actually really hurt my feelings and I don’t know why 😭

Truly her best lyrics, production and concept by far. Somehow still has vibes of her original style from yours truly

She took the best melodic structures from "Sweetener", mashed them together with the production of "Positions" and you get "Eternal Sunshine". I'm so happy she ditched the bare bone production from "Thank U Next", I cannot grasp why that album is so beloved by so many people. I loved the title track of that album and "Bad Idea" but the rest just never clicked for me; I think she's in her best element when she's doing music like this. It's literally soothing for the soul to listen to.

I loved how light and airy the record was but I am dying for her to use the full power of her vocals and do some r&b

3:34 Actually 🤓 'true story' was a different song than 'fantasize' & already leaked a long time ago, Ariana said that 'the boy is mine' is the actual "fantasize 2.0"

This may be my favorite Ari album. we can’t be friends and supernatural are just too good.

it’s certainly my favorite! at first i was a bit jaded by the album only being 35 minutes but after i finished the album i was satisfied with the length. if it had been any shorter or longer i feel it wouldnt have been so impactful. definitely my favorite from her !

'I wish I hated you' is by far my favourite! It is so gentle and that voice crack is everything. I can hear the emosion. I have been enjoying this album so much. I love how cohesive it is. By far my favourite album of hers.

I haven't absolutely loved an Ari album since Dangerous Woman. I LOVE eternal sunshine so much. The production, the melodies, the layering, the concept, the songwriting... I am just in love! Two of my friends who I talk about music with didn't like it, so I was the only one which was surprising. I'm buying it today at Target.

Tbh, after listening to 'yes and?', I didn't have high hopes for this album. I was worried we were going to get positions 2.0 (while not a bad album, it does feel very flat). But, I was pleasantly surprised! I really like how she explores the complex emotions that come with leaving a relationship and moving on, through a lens of self-love and maturity. (Honesty, this album feels like a more mature and less petty version of Thank You Next.)

Ari really surprised me! I had a good feeling about this record prior to the release but wow it did exceed my expectations! The cohesion, concept, voice control, production,the lyrics.. also the fact that yes,and? was nothing like the rest of the record. Like WOW I’m very positively surprised! My top 3 atm would be: 1. Eternal sunshine 2. Don’t wanna break up again 3. Boy is mine …also loved “ can’t be friends “ and the video made me emotional hahaha… loved the intro and bye so much too. Really great album imo. I’m sure the rest of the tracks will grow on me more since it’s only the second day it’s been released. Props to ari! It might really be her best album

it’s been so long since I’ve heard an album i can really enjoy through and through like ES❤

A super strong candidate to win Best Pop Vocal Album next year on the grammys. im not gonna type more compliments for this record as i’m running out of words at this point. This woman truly gave us a major release this year, i loved it so much. Favorite tracks so far: - Intro (end of the world) - Bye - Supernatural - Don’t wanna break up again - We can’t be friends (wait for your love) Two more things: Jail time Ariana! the intro is criminally short, should’ve been longer. The We Can’t be Friends video had me bawling my eyes out 😢 💔

This album kinda blew my mind and put all her previous work in a new context. It’s not that her old stuff is bad now, but I think Eternal Sunshine revealed that a consistent vision was really missing on her previous albums. Most of her album (sans TUN to an extent) feel like a collection of great songs, while this feels like an ALBUM, yknow? Sweetener was my favorite record of her prior to this and while I still love it, it’s so all over the place tonally and stylistically, and while ES has a lot of variety too it’s strung together with a more cohesive sonic vision. I also think her writing has significantly improved and her vocals on this are easily her best. Overall this is the most down to earth and human thing she’s ever done, and I think a lot of people might not get it at first but the vision of this thing will endure over time.

I’ve been waiting since the album dropped for this video

Second single is breathtaking

At first I was apprehensive to call this her best so soon but I think it is.

the boy is mine is actually the fantasize remake! true story IS a leaked song 😭😭 it’s been fully leaked longer than fantasize lmao

WHAT A BANGER! I wasn't that optimistic after yes, and ngl, but she came through with possibly the best album of her career. I had no idea Max Martin was producing, but I could feel his presence all through that middle section. The streak from eternal sunshine to the boy is mine is one of the best in her discography, instant early 00's nostalgia, and True Story is easily top five songs of hers ever. The vocal arrangement, all through out the album, but especially on that song was on another level. The addlibs, the belting HUH?! My only critic overall, would be that those last 3 songs, other than the lyrical content, are kinda underwhelming and it kinda loses momentum. But maybe that'll change with multiple listens. Instant classic, 9/10 for now. Thanks for the video king Side note, is Eurovision season and I encourage anyone who sees this to check the Greek entry, I'm very proud of our song this year, if u like Rosalia, it's like the Balkan version of her chaoticness ❤😂

The true story demo leak was actually about Dalton she tweaked the lyrics quite a bit where in the demo she said “boy this is not what I need” it was clearly about a lover lying etc. However for ES she switched it to be about the media and what they think of her which was a very interesting switch since the former would have fit the album anyways. My favorites are title track, don’t wanna break up again and bye.

The album pleasantly surprised me considering the quality of the leading single. I still think Thank u, Next and Sweetner are just still so iconic, it’s hard to outdo them. But eternal sunshine could definitely compete with Positions and Dangerous Woman.

This is 100% her best album. It’s mature, elevated and gorgeous

This is a great analysis. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I’ve been a fan of Ariana’s albums throughout her career and have supported her growth. The media circus lately has driven me away as a mom imagining the drama taking a toll on a mother and her baby, but this analysis help me see more clearly into the artistry.

i love this album so much already❤️♾️☀️my favorites rn are supernatural, eternal sunshine, and imperfect for you

I really wasn’t expecting to like this, tbh I thought it’d be worse but this is like one of my favourite albums! My all time favourite song on there is definitely imperfect for you, the vibe it gives me is honestly amazing. She did a fantastic job on this

This is genuinely her best album...and I was so shocked😭. The lyrics could be better but the production and her melodies have never shone brighter? Ariana has never been the "singer-songwriter" type and the lyrics are passable so I'm cool with it tbh...

I really liked how the explicit songs were in the minority; and in them, she would only swear twice, at maximum. I'm not trying to shame language, but it's really nice how she was able to talk her shit clearly and strongly without having to adhere to swearing, and when it happens, it fits perfectly. Her "fucked up" in imoerfect for you doesn't feel like swearing. I really, really commend that.

My track ranking: 1. supernatural 2. the boy is mine 3. we can't be friends 4. eternal sunshine 5. true story 6. bye 7. imperfect for you 8. don't wanna break up again 9. intro 10. ordinary things 11. i wish i hated you 12. yes, and? 13. Saturn Returns Interlude

i reaalllyyyyy hope “bye” gets single treatment. i just love it so much but also i feel like most of these songs are worthy of being a single, so we’ll see! it’s just such a cohesive album i am very obsessed with it at the moment

I only listened through once, but I also really liked we can’t be friends and I had her singing you’re my eternal sunshine stuck in my head. I will have to listen through again now that I understand the concept more. She’s really a great artist. I don’t know about all the personal stuff 😭

supernatural hive rise tf up!!

IT IS 100000% MY FAV RECORD OF HERS of ALL TIME

Agreed agreed agreed! This offering felt both so light and weighty. There was such depth and eclecticism in so many unexpected places that I really felt this work all over. On Friday morning I tried to get some work done while listening and I couldn’t because it captured my full attention and I think that alone speaks volumes in this day and age where it’s hard to immerse anyone. It’s hard to pick tops because I agree it’s a body together more than the sum of its parts but my favorites at the moment are bye, supernatural, don’t want to break up again, eternal sunshine, true story, and I wish I hated you. My fave production wise are the boy is mine, true story, supernatural, don’t wanna break up again. I like the Robyn-esque prod in we can’t be friends and odd trippy rock of the 2000s instrumentation on imperfect for you. Also shout out to the impeccable album sequencing which I always love when artists pay deep attention to how that’s presented and I think it works so well especially where yes and sits musically and supernatural. I can’t believe we’re age the same age! 🤩 (though I can’t tell if you meant it was just starting for you or your in the midst, Ariana is a few months older than me for context- either way, baby millennials here!) Take your time to say the things you need to say and process. I think you would rather put out a video you feel sure of and fully realized than rushing to keep up with the rushing petty pace of our overwhelming world. Thanks for another hit! 😁 see you next time 😉

Imperfect for you is golddd

That baby girl line break me every single time. Holy shit

This is definitely my favorite album of hers immediately!! I’m sorry but I definitely have skips in all of her albums but I physically cannot skip any of the songs on this album ❤❤❤

I’m happy to see a lot of artists in a great place in their careers as we can see through the music and their releases in 2024 so far.. Ariana, Kacey Musgraves, Lana Del Rey.. ect. They all seem so happy with the music they are releasing and it’s so refreshing! ‘Eternal Sunshine’ blew my expectations out of the water, I’m so excited for Kacey to release ‘Deeper Well’ next week and I already know Lana has put her everything into ‘Lasso’ which we will (fingers crossed) hear in September! So happy to do the girls in their happy eras!!

My favourite album will always be positions but I loved this album too! ❤️❤️

Great review, I’m still sitting with it and I enjoy the production. She loves film and I love the references.

i think a specific choice that shows the complexity of the album is by noticing that on ariana grandes official account she usually posts the track by itself AND a lyric visualizer separately. she didn't separate them here.

Oh my god. What an amazing album. It’s actually so amazing, and i’m not even joking. I am so disappointed she gave us yes, and? as the single, bc why tf did she release the worsttttt song on the album, as the lead single?? (I get the logistics of it, but musically, I don’t get it) My favorite is don’t wanna breakup again, and the title track, eternal sunshine, with true story, supernatural, we can’t be friends, and the boy is mine, closely following. I think this is her best, and I’m so glad she didn’t make the tracklist bloated for no reason, and js decided on a swift, smooth, tight, 35 minutes, of amazing music. And I can’t wait for the official release of the deluxe.

This is a no-skips album! Favorite tracks (right now) are supernatural, the boy is mine, imperfect for you, AND don't wanna break up again. I honestly can't choose a single favorite. The range of emotions and how cohesive it is sonically keeping me coming back to this record. Thank you for the quality content as usual!

MY FAVE album. It's an album of her Divorce.

Its my favorite album by her already

This is one of the best reviews i've seen! You truly have a very fitting voice for this type of video. great work!

I personally think that this is her best album along with sweetener and thank you next this album is just as vulnerable as sweetener, and similar besides production, and a couple things. This one is more of a break up album/healing taking control of prerogative aka being the villain. and honestly I had wish this came out earlier because I went through a break up and ended it and felt so empowered! when I heard the song bye that has to be my favorite on this record. I have some more but I don’t really feel like listing them. Maybe I’ll edit and will as far as the visuals. I really like the visuals are very cozy and they do give off and internal sunshine. this album is very daylight/evening even with it sad moments I don’t get nighttime vibes. It’s still somehow healing and positive and empowering even though at times it can be very sad. also, within this album, you can tell that she is definitely having a fun time with wicked. There is a lot of theater symbolism within the music videos like we can’t be friends the whole part where she’s in the dark in the spotlight shines on her that gave off being on a stage at theater and with yes and? that also gave off theater/Vogue Madonna vibes. As for touring I don’t know if she’s going to tour but she said that she’s not really sure which she’s never really said that before I don’t know she says it has to do with her recording wicked, etc. but I think a lot of it else has to do with the fact that you know she is in a hate train right now and tickets probably just wouldn’t do as well. They would do good but not Ari level.

When I hear “we can’t be friends” I cry in tears it cracks my heart in gets into it thats how sad it is and I cry even more when I watch the Mv the saddest scene from the Mv is when she cry and hold her necklace it is so sad.

Bang on about it being best as a unit. Not even just lyrically, but sonically, I feel like it would work worst when listened to within a mix of other songs compared to other songs she’s made. That said, it’s probably the best album she’s made, and is certainly the most mature and intellectual, as you say. I’ll probably listen to it less than others, because it’ll best be listened to as an album, where it’s greater than the sum of it’s parts, but it’s probably also my favourite. I’m also not convinced it not working independently is even worthy of major criticism. Dark side of the moon by Pink Floyd is universally recognised as brilliant, but out of order it wouldn’t really make sense. That’s not it’s purpose, though. Great review!

I loved eternal sunshine!!! Soo pretty

It's beautiful!! I'm impressed she wrote it by herself!!! I didnt expect she could create something of that level! Ariana 👏👏👏👏👏

your analysis of we can't be friends is great. i hadn't thought about the lyrics that way. this album is phenomenal

such a coincidence that I ought the CD & you upload the video😄😄😄

Ya know, what with you recommending that everyone watch the Eternal Sunshine movie (which I agree with!), it's making me think you should do some movie reviews. Of course, as you have a music channel here, you can limit yourself to just movies about music. And I don't mean just traditional musicals, but rather films about songwriters themselves or the industry. Those can entertaining. And eye opening. And I'm sure some of them are streaming free on RU-vid and Tubi. Yay! 🤗

Absolutely in love with this album. It has become my favorite of hers. Best song is probably we can’t be friends (wait for your love). I loved how you were able to breakdown the song, but from the perspective of a divorce the song hits waaay harder. “We can’t be friends, but I’d like to just pretend, You cling to your papers and pens, wait until you like me again”, papers and pens being divorce papers and the initial shock and heartbreak of dealing with such a big separation that you just want to pretend like the person you married can be your friend. Seeing the song like that makes me connect with the story more and I just LOVE how she used the movie in the mv

Supernatural and we can’t be friends are my favorites

Oh this video might be the one that gets me to break and actually listen to this album!! I love thank you, next so so much and i love me some astrology also.

i prefer pop ariana ig i've not liked anything that much from ariana post dangerous woman. the music video for we can't be friends ATE down tho. the only songs that i liked were i wish i hated you and supernatural. i wish the album's runtime was a bit longer. after 4 years, 36 mins runtime seems very short. i'm willing to give it some time and see how i feel.

people underestimating her ability to make a solid album because of yes and's underperformance was pissing me off. Like they need to trust mother more 😩

The album is Good but not great to me I love hearing people other reviews and their opinions I’ll definitely watch the movie bc I’ve never have seen it so maybe that’s why I couldn’t really enjoy/understand to the music entirely great video

Something that struck me most about this album is that I’d known for a while that Ariana was a fan of Imogen Heap, but this is the first time (apart from “goodnight n go” of course) that I could really hear that in Ariana’s music? Some of the electronic elements and her vocal delivery reminded me a lot of Imogen’s work, to the point where I went to check if she was involved in producing the album. “eternal sunshine” (especially the bridge!), “supernatural,” “we can’t be friends,” “i wish i hated you,” “imperfect for you,” and “ordinary things” are all very Imogen-coded IMO, even as they are also still true to Ariana as an artist. I think I’ll have to listen to eternal sunshine a few more times to fully process it but I like how cohesive and rock solid it is - my only real criticism is that it feels short, but even then, that probably helps with the cohesion, so maybe the brevity isn’t a bad thing.

Really enjoying this album. After a couple of spins, "we can't be friends" is the clear highlight. It's a Robyn-esque wistful banger. Speaking of, will we ever get a Robyn video? Her "Body Talk" album has become really influential and I'd argue 2018's "Honey" album beat a lot of pop singers to the retro dance-music (house, 80s post-disco, freestyle) party.

max martin is a g** d*** genius.

I love supernatural

Great video, I enjoyed watching! I have to admit, at several points throughout the video, I thought, “did we listen to the same album?” 😭 I definitely like the album, I’ve been listening to it pretty much nonstop since it released, I think the vibes of it are excellent. However, I feel the lyricism was quite lacking on many tracks and was not as intellectually engaging as a lot of the stuff on TUN and positions (in my head, off the table, etc). I definitely agree that the album is stronger as a whole. Although, I think Supernatural is an AMAZING track, one of my favorites from her ever!! The chorus melody is INSANELY good. I also definitely did struggle with making out a lot of what she says on some songs. I was reading along on the genius lyric page and even they had put a lot of “?”s for parts they couldn’t make out. Anyways, it was great to hear a different perspective on this album, I definitely gained more of an appreciation for some aspects, like the theme of Ariana wanting to have a more private life, and the album-wide references to Eternal Sunshine (movie) rather than just the two tracks.

I love this album review

Sweetener, Thank u next, and Eternal Sunshine are literally a holy trinity of 10/10 albums by her im so happy that this album was so amazing

Not sure about that thumbnail title but it's her shortest album for sure

I was hoping she’d work with Guy Sigworth! He’s great!

you are amazing

I guess the boy is mine is fantasize 2.0 while true story just uses the words fantasize. Plus, supernatural is literally like a Carly Rae Jepsen song, something from Dedicated. Hope they have a remix together now that supernatural has a Troy Sivan remix. My single choices for this era are: 1. yes, and? Though it feels weird as the lead, now after the album is out in full, I've come to respect it more 2. we can't be friends (wait for your love) It's pop perfection. I see this song as one of Ari's classics and the gp is already it. 3. the boy is mine The chorus is hypnotising, the hook is an earworm and the production is so retro R&B 2000s, this will blow up and can ve the song of this summer. It's literally the next 7 rings 4. bye It's disco, it's nice. I can see people eating it up and that's all I can suffice 5. supernatural It should be the single that ends the year. A remix with Carly Rae Jepsen will have the pop course in shambles. 6. don't wanna break up again It can be closer to the era, around the grammys. It's a great song but also can be excluded from the single run with supernatural being the last

I’ve been listening to eternal sunshine in a loop since it’s released, I’m literally healing emotional traumas to Ari’s songs.

I listen Supernatural on repeat❤

I loved half of it

Am I the only one who feels like We Can't Be Friends reminds them of Dancing On My Own by Robyn

Do not compare this to ocean blvd omfg

My favorite song is true story

Also, dont worry about being a couple days 'late', not everything has to come out the same day the album itself dropped. Like okay, calm down people😅

I like it but it is CERTAINLY not her best work. I loved Dangerous Woman so much.. It was such a moment and don't get me wrong but after sweetener her creativity and lyricism dropped dramatically. Eternal Sunshine is a really good effort to achieve critical acclaim that she lost during positions. I think the singles for eternal sunshine are bad and she didn't make the right choice. Still kudos to her!

I really like a few songs (Supernatural, Boy Is Mine, We Can’t Be Friends, Imperfect For You). But the album doesn’t have the emotional weight of TUN. And it lacks the fun factor of Dangerous Woman or Sweetener. There’s also only a few good hooks. I think it’s a step above Positions. But I hardly think it’s her best work.

true story isn’t related to fantasize at all; they leaked alongside one another. it’s the boy is mine that’s the reimagined fantasize

The sweetener trilogy is still top 3 but eternal sunshine is still great

I DON'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT ARIANA... I STILL RESPECT AND LOVE HER WORK . I LOVE THE "eternal Sunshine" ALBUM , ALL ABOUT THIS ERA GONNA BE ICONIC❤ - supernatural - yes , and ? - true story - we can't be friends - bye - the boy is mine ARE LITERALY MY FAVES😊

Warning long comment TLDR: I love eternal sunshine The album is a 9/10 or 10/10 depending on how I’m feeling. I feel like the album is a little short, I feel like with having an intro and interlude, each section could’ve had 1 more song each section. But I prefer it that way, it’s making me want the delux version of there is one to come. Every thing sounds so cohesive. I know this album won’t be for a lot of people which makes me sad. But it’s so damn good. Also I’ve not seen anyone else talk about it but imperfect for you sounds like an slightly more acoustic version of POV to me. Here’s what I would make the single roll out if I was on Ariana’s team 1. Yes and 2. Imperfect for you 3. Supernatural 4. Eternal sunshine 5. True story 6. The boy is mine 7. We can’t be friends (wait for your love) 8. Bye Here was my album ranking based on first listen 1. Bye 2. Eternal sunshine 3. Supernatural 4.the boy is mine 5. I wish I hated you 6. True story 7. Imperfect for you 8. Yes and 9.don’t wanna break up again 10. We can’t be friends 11. Ordinary things 12. Intro world ends 13. Saturn returns Here’s my album ranking now 1. Eternal sunshine 2.The Boy is mine 3.Bye 4. Supernatural 5. True story 6. I wish I hated you 7. We can’t be friends (wait for your love) 8. Yes and 9. Don’t wanna break up again 10. Imperfect for you 11.intro world ends 12. Ordinary things 13. Saturn returns

I don’t know why people were convinced this would flop. Sure she has controversy now but she hasn’t been selling a good girl image since before Dangerous Woman. Why would this recent controversy sink her? I think the people who think she’s definitely a homewrecker are just the most vocal. Unless you believe the tabloids wholesale what actually happened is pretty speculative.

Respectfully, I have to disagree. The concept behind this album was not fleshed out enough for a seventh studio album. The sound is great there is no denying that, but there isn’t enough substance here to keep the album afloat when people get bored of the sound. There’s really no new themes here that she hasn’t already covered before. That repetition makes it seem like she isn’t actually evolving as a person or artist but is masking that under new sounds to make it seem like she is. It’s very surface level self-examination. I just wish there was more in the album. 13 tracks that equal about 35 minutes. She airs out what her ex husband did, but there’s never any true self realization or understanding. No ever real finding herself as it goes from falling out of love into falling in love. For someone, who claims why do people care about her life she does throw major shots around her ex-husband without ever talking about herself. Her narration of events throughout her lyrics are glossy blanket statements that don’t provide any nuance.

The album is good it just doesnt compare to some of her former discography work.my album rank is........ TUN,DW,Positions,E.S, ,sweetner,My everthing,and yours truly.

Not her best but def one of her better releases. Where it lacks in big pop singles, it makes up in strong, well-written album tracks. It’s not quintessential, definitive Ariana (really, her voice is a much better fit for R&B-leaning materials), but it’s solid stuff. 1. Dangerous Woman 2. Sweetener 3. Positions 4. Eternal Sunshine 5. Thank U, Next 6. My Everything 7. Yours Truly

This definitely Ari's most unique era so far

Hey I have a topic for your podcast,ai my family says they love ai and it’s scary like Fr fr, so do ai.

Yes this album is probably the best as a whole. Individual records are up for debate. As Problem, God is a woman, and 7 rings are all fantastic- separate individual records.

Positions is better

i don’t think it’s bad at all but it left me very underwhelmed. i was hoping for a big come back and this didn’t deliver imo. i think it’s the most cohesive album but still doesn’t break top 4 for me

I thought the album was good. I just don’t think these songs hit as hard as a lot of her past music did. My favorites though were Supernatural and Bye

This album sucks, its on par with Positions.

i didn’t like it at first but after a few listen it genuinely grew on me. it’s so beautiful