Culture
Music Review: Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande

After a very public divorce, being cast in the movie adaptation of wicked, and a new whirlwind romance, Ariana Grande’s seventh studio album, ‘Eternal Sunshine’, not only discusses themes of peace, loss and longing but also draws inspiration from the 2004 film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’.
In the sci-fi romance the two main characters erase their memories of each other in order to get over their breakup only to realise, almost too late, that they still care deeply for one another.
In the title track ‘eternal sunshine’ Grande gives us many great call backs to the Jim Carrey classic with the lyric “so I try to wipe my mind/just so I feel less insane/rather feel painless’’ she goes on to further explore this concept in track 10, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” where she discusses how the relationship (or lack thereof) has become toxic and believes that although she would love to look past any transgressions she cannot maintain a relationship with this person, see the chorus lyrics “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”, many have theorised that this song in particular is a nod to the fans, specifically those that have brought into what they have read online about the singer. Grande is commenting on how changeable the public opinion can be and that we are only ever seeing a small glimpse of her life.
This album is showing the public a new Ariana.
This theme is common with Grande’s music, not only in this album with tracks like the pre-released single “yes, and?” (which interpolates Madonna’s Vogue) but also with some of her previous work like the track “I don’t care” from her third studio album “dangerous woman” where she states: “I used to let some people tell me how to live and what to be/but if I can’t be me, then what’s the point, no.”
This album is showing the public a new Ariana, when interviewing with the Zach Sang show, Grande commented on how this album felt like showcasing two sides of herself “pop Ari” and “human Ari”, she credited this to taking a break (Ariana’s previous release before eternal sunshine was 2020).
“My relationship to music changed and healed a lot through taking a break,’’ said the singer to Zach Sang during an interview. All this is evident in track 4, “Saturn returns Interlude”, where she delves into entering a new chapter of her life post-divorce, Grande uses the celestial event of Saturn Return to signify this.
Women’s Health describes this astrological phenomena as ‘’your Saturn return is when the planet Saturn returns to the exact degree of the same sign it was in when you were born.’’ It takes roughly 30 years for your Saturn to return (Grande is currently 30 years-old) and apparently brings challenging periods and time for self-reflection, which you could argue is one of the overarching themes of this album.
The first lyric of this album is a question (“how can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?”) which Grande explores throughout the track list and finally answers via her Nonna (grandmother) in the final song, where she says: “And as I told her never go to bed without Kissin’ goodnight/that’s the worst thing to do, don’t ever, ever do that/and if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it/you’re in the wrong place, get out’” which not only answers the question Grande began with but also leaves fans with a valuable piece of advice.
Grande has given us some of the best pop this year with Eternal Sunshine and it could be considered a modern classic.
While the new pop/human hybrid and Saturn returned Ari has shown us that she is something to look forward to, Grande is still hitting us with her notorious bad girl anthems. One of the few bad girl anthems on this album is track eight “the boy is mine” which Grande has said is her take on the 90s hit of the same name by Brandy and Monica.
In the song Grande serves her “what I want, I get” attitude that has worked amazingly on previous songs like, ‘into you’, “break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored”, and “7 rings”. When interviewing with apple music’s Zane Lowe, Grande discusses how “the boy is mine” and “true story” work hand in hand, where “true story” sets up “the boy is mine” to be an elevated bad girl anthem.
While “the boy is mine” makes a great girls’ night hit many fans still wish for her viral leaked song commonly referred to as “fantasize” to be released on streaming platforms. When questioned by Zach Sang about the leaked songs that were flourishing all over TikTok, Grande said: “Those were all written for a TV show… that wasn’t my song [fantasize], that wasn’t for me, it was like a parody of like a 90s girl group vibe, but they [the fans] loved it… it’s so corny but it’s okay, I took the note and I kinda gave them Ariana’s version of that…’’
With all this in mind, it is highly unlikely that we will be getting the 90s R&B/pop song that is ‘fantasize’ however we should not rule out the possibility of getting more songs a-kin to the leaked hit, especially since Grande was keen to pay homage to it.
Throughout Grande’s promotion for ‘Eternal Sunshine’, she has claimed that it is somewhat a concept album (the concept being the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), concept albums can be tricky to do correctly, there is a fine line between a good concept and a gimmick, something Grande has done beautifully is pick a good concept for songs on this album however you can’t really classify this as a concept album when only two of the song fit into the concept.
That’s not to say that this album hasn’t got its merits, any Ariana Grande song you listen to her vocals will always be the focal point and that’s no different on “Eternal Sunshine”, her use of harmony and vocal layering is on point as always, it feels as though Grande has stopped trying to out-sing herself on this album and is truly letting the music speak for itself which works wonderfully for the lyrical side of things, the instrumentals of the album are good, there is nothing wrong with them, but they still leave something to be desired.
The disco-esque bass, staccato piano, and glittery synth flourishes from “bye” are some of the best parts of the album but then you get to a track like “don’t wanna break up again” which feels overly safe instrumentally for such sensitive lyrics, a good producer knows moderation and a great producer knows the limit.
All that being said, Grande has given us some of the best pop this year with “Eternal Sunshine” and it could be considered a modern classic comparable to that of Taylor Swift’s 1989 or Beyoncé’s Lemonade. The overall rating for Ariana Grande’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ is 8.5/10, this is the part where she breaks free and safe to say were into it, after the emotional ride that is Grande’s 2024 release there really is no tears left to cry, while more could’ve been explored instrumentally it felt as though the fans got to see a new, evolved Ari who leaves us thrilled and enthusiastic for where this Saturn return cycle will take us!
Culture
Hampstead movie review
With the passing of Diane Keaton I decided that I would watch some of her old work.
I chose to watch the 2017 movie Hampstead as it seemed to be quite a good representation of her acting skills.
It is based loosely (trying not to give the plot away, however it did come out eight years ago!) on Harry Hallowes real life, he used to live on a plot in Hampstead Heath and then managed to claim rights on it.
One of the best parts of this movie was the chemistry between Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson.
It felt natural and not strained which definitely made it more believable for me.
Their chemistry also helped make their characters seem more natural making their performance that much better.
I’m not one who normally enjoys romantic (some may say sappy) movies but the mixture of romance and social justice themes in this movie made it not too uncomfortable.
It gives the audience a feel-good time with us feeling like we are doing something right, due to us deciding that Gleeson’s character is right.
It made me feel like I was standing up for the underdog and marginalised communities.
I found it quite clever how they made it an easy movie to watch, not too many sad themes, while also fitting in the themes of community and standing up for the right thing.
I would say that if you are feeling a bit down then this would be a very good movie too watch.
A perfect movie for a light matinee
As a nature person, the setting of this film was spectacular.
I really liked the idea of an expanse of nature so close to a city.
It creates a very picturesque backdrop for the movie which further added to the warmthness portrayed throughout the movie.
I especially liked where Keaton’s character ended up living in the end.
However, as always there are critics.
With this movie one of the big critiques was that the story was very predictable and followed the same formula that a lot of other romance movies used.
There was just too many cliches which made it painful for the audience to witness again and due to the lack of surprises it was not the most engaging film to watch.
This goes hand in hand with the fact that the characters where more broad and stereotypical than they should have been.
The other big critique from this movie was that people thought it lacked tone and depth, saying that while it did touch on different societal problems such as eviction, class divide and property divide it didn’t pronounce it enough.
It felt a bit like dipping one toe into the water of the problems.
While I do agree that it didn’t delve deep into the problems society faces, I didn’t think that was what the movie was about or what the directors were trying to get across to the audience.
I believe that it was simply highlighting these issues in an easy to understand way.
Culture
Are Max Martin and Shellback the downfall of Taylor Swift’s latest album?
The release of Taylor Swift’s 12th LP, The Life of a Showgirl, has been met with divided opinions.
Although a record breaking 2.7m albums were sold on the first day of release, not all these buyers are satisfied.
It might be a push to say the majority are. Online, listeners argue this album is “millennial cringe” and that Swift is showing her “true capitalist self”.
Alongside Swift herself, Max Martin and Shellback produced the album.
Long-time collaborators, they previously helped define 1989 and Reputation. But this marks the first time the trio have exclusively worked together.
1989 and Reputation catapulted Swift to global pop fame.
Through hits such as Blank Space, Shake it Off and Getaway Car, Martin and Shellback provided Swift a clean break from her country roots, throwing her into the deep end of mainstream pop.
However, a decade later the formula feels tired.
So why has The Life of a Showgirl fallen so flat?
Following Swift’s last album The Tortured Poets Department, a lyrically rich 31 song LP radiating heartbreak and introspection, the synthetic glitz and glamour of Showgirl feel false.
In a post-Folklore world, where Swift proved her strength as a lyricist with the help of producer Jack Antonoff, the return to maximalism and Martin-Shellback production feels hollow.
With the loss of Antonoff and the return of Martin and Shellback, has Swift lost the reflective heart of her songwriting?
That’s not to say Showgirl is without merit.
Its production is faultless, and the album follows a clear and fluid theme.
But perhaps that’s the problem. In collaborating solely with Martin and Shellback, Swift may have created her most technically accomplished album but her least emotionally convincing one.
Whether this is a misstep or the purpose of the album remains to be seen.
But the reception of The Life of a Showgirl questions the path Swift is on.
Now the world dominating Eras Tour is over, is the peak of Swift’s career over too?
Culture
The End of Strictly Come Dancing as we know it?
We all know Strictly Come Dancing as one of the most popular prime time slots on a Saturday night.
But could this be the end of Strictly as we know it?
The BBCs show has struggled recently with allegations of bullying and inappropriate behaviour, but now Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have released a joint statement to say they are passing the sparkly button on at the end of this series.
Their Instagram statement in full:
We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time. We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last “keep dancing” but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.
Tess & Claud
Following their joint statement they each released their own statements as a follow up.
Tess Daly’s statement in full:
After 21 unforgettable years, the time has come to say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing. It’s hard to put into words what this show has meant to me, so here goes… Strictly has been more than just a television programme. It’s felt like having a third child, a second family, and a huge part of my life since that very first show back in 2004. I knew then it was something special, but I could never have imagined the magic it would bring.
Strictly has always been about joy, celebration, and bringing people together – and I’m so proud to have played a small part in something that continues to mean so much to so many.
From that very first series, I had the great honour of standing alongside the incomparable Sit Bruce Forsyth.
Brucie set the tine for everything that Strictly became: warmth, wit, connection, and pure showbiz magic.
I have always been in awe of our superbly talented professional dancers, our magnificent judges, and all the celebrities who have taken part. I absolutely adore our brilliant crew – every single member of the Strictly team who have worked tirelessly to make this show what it is. You are the very best in the business – the kindest, most fun, most loyal, and definitely the hardest-working team in television.
Thank you for your laughter, the friendship, and the countless memories over all these years. You’ve filled my heart in ways I’ll never forget. I’ll miss you all so much.
And to you – the viewers at home – the biggest thank you of all. Thank you for welcoming us into your homes for over two decades.
Your love, loyalty, and unwavering support have meant the world. You’ve carried us through every series, and that has never, ever been taken for granted. You are the heart of this show, and I feel so lucky to have shared it with you. Being part of your weekend from September to Christmas for the past 21 years has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my career.
To my beloved Claud – what an absolute joy and pleasure it has been sharing this adventure with you. You’re one of a kind, and I’ll treasure every giggle, every live show, and every backstage moment we’ve shared. I’m so grateful to have you as my friend for life.
This isn’t goodbye to glitter, sequins, or Saturday night sparkle (I could never say goodbye to those!). Strictly will forever hold a special place in my heart – but it does feel like the right time to hand over the reins.
With all my love and endless gratitude, Tess x
Tess Daly has been on the show since its very first episode seeing over 300 celebrities enter the ballroom and join the competition.
She started the show with Sir Bruce Forsyth, with Claudia Winkleman being a part of their presenting team hosting the sister show It Takes Two.
The duo made history in 2014 becoming the first female presenting duo of a prime time slot.
As a team they have welcomed almost 200 celebrities into the ballroom.
Over their time on the show they have also seen nine judges join and leave the show.
Claudia Winkleman’s statement reads:
It’s very difficult to put into words exactly what Strictly has meant to me. It’s been the greatest relationship of my career. From working on It Takes Two in 2004 until now it has been my everything, the show I will be eternally grateful for. I will never forget Len Goodman trying to teach me what a cucaracha is (I still don’t know) and the complete thrill and honour it was to work with Tess on the results show to cohosting on Saturday nights.
Strictly is a magical, glittery, fake tanned train and it’s been a privilege to be a tiny part of it. The extraordinary talent of the dancers, the band, the hair and makeup and costume teams, the unbelievable production crew and creatives – all utterly amazing. I’ve always believed it’s best to leave a party before you’re fully ready to go and I know the new hosts will be magnificent, I look forward to watching them take Strictly to new heights. As for Tess – I’m so so lucky I got to stand next to you. You’re funny, kind, whip smart and a true friend and I love you.
With two of the biggest jobs in the BBC now up for grabs who will we see step into the glitz and glammer of Saturday night at Strictly Come Dancing?
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