Every Song On Ariana Grande's Positions Ranked

will you agree with my list? probably not. is POV number one? obviously.

Hey loves (❁´◡`❁) it's Thea :) and today i’m going to take on the very hard task of ranking every song on Ari’s latest album Positions

Dave Meyers

Released last October, this album is a celebration of self love, intimacy & healing; the narrative and music different from anything she’s released before

Without further ado, here is my ranking of 14-1, (non-deluxe songs excluded)

14. LOVE LANGUAGE

Last, but in no way least, love language. I know people who loveeee this song but it’s just not my cup of tea. That being said, it is definitely not a bad song, so you just know the rest of the album is good. The thing about this song is that the best part of the song is actually the last few seconds where she changes the melody up and the outro ends up being catchier than the rest of the song. Like I said, it’s not a bad song, but it’s also nothing new. Does this song remind anyone else of 'Blazed' from 'Sweetener', another song with a similar melody, and where the production is the most memorable part but also the most jarring. My thoughts: the production overpowers the song too much and if she slowed it down a bit, especially in the bridge, I would have liked it more.

13. MOTIVE

My thoughts when I saw the tracklist: “An Ari & Doja song, I already know this is going to be a banger."

But I’ll be honest, when I first heard this song, I was disappointed to say the least. Ari and Doja have been on such an incline this past year and this collab was the ultimate dream come true. But I'm sorry to say that I was let down. And I think it’s more on Doja's verse than’s Ari. I am a big fan of Doja, I know exactly what she's capable of, so I was so hyped for her verse. Unfortunately, her verse on 'Motive' wasn't as good as I thought it could be. Other than that, it is a fun song, and I have to admit it's undeniably catchy. I think Motive is towards the end of my list because my expectations coming in were so high, because between these 2 amazing artists, there was so much potential. I'm not that mad though because i know they’ll collab once again and make a truly great song.

12. MY HAIR

I was excited to hear a song called my hair because we all know that it’s Ari trademark. In my opinions, this song runs in the middle of the pack. I could see people loving it or hating it. Like a lot of the songs on the album, it is musically beautiful but the overall concept is just okay. I could see myself liking this song more on another album, but unfortunately, "my hair" blends in too much with the similar r&b production and lyrics as many of the other tracks. But the whistle tones though? WOW. No matter how I feel about the song, her voice never seems to fail. but something about the song feels unfinished, like a rough draft that needs a bit more tweaking before it's completely ready.

11. SHUT UP

This is the first track of the album and first song written for the album. Listening back, it really is a beautiful opening track for positions. It sets the presence of Ari truly not giving a fuck about what the haters think about her life & her music and focuses on Ariana living her life the way she wants to. The violins and overall instrumental are truly beautiful - almost disney-like. It is a beautiful song but it’s not one I could see myself listening to often. Similar to Love Language, the best part is the last few seconds of the song. The outro is actually amazing and I could only wish it was longer. I could see "shut up" as a top 5 song if she took the outro and made it into a complete bridge with a big belting note, like a real disney song.

10. WEST SIDE

That Grape Juice

I know I'm going to get criticized for this already. I've seen this song at the top of some people’s list and the very bottom of others. The song is not bad at all despite being towards the end of my list but I ranked it 10th because nothing about it particularly stands out to me. even in the original tracklist, it comes after my hair and before nasty, and after a while, the overall slow r&b production and lyrics have a tendency tp sound too similar to one another. "West Side" brings nothing new to the table but it’s still a song I enjoyed. My overall thoughts: Even though I ranked this song low, I still think it has crazy potential. Listen, imagine if she sped up the song a bit, and brought up the production and for the bridge, brought in a rapper. The rap would have added a contrast to the song while simultaneously complementing Ari's smooth and slow vocals, as rap and r&b often go in hand in hand. I also wished this song was longer. That’s what I think, tell me in the comments if you agree or not.

9. SIX THIRTY

This song continues the narrative of the album of her falling in love again after going though the worst moments of her life. It’s all about her falling in love and trusting again, as she wonders if her lover feels the same way that she does. This song is okay and maybe on any other album, I would rate it higher but as we reach the top of the list, this song falls slightly short. It's still a GREAT song, I'm just not a fan of the lyrics. Trust me, this song has top 3 potential if it weren’t for the lyrics. It just feels like a first draft, unfinished. I'm frustrated cause all of these songs have insane potential but many parts sound like afterthoughts.

8. OBVIOUS

As I much as I LOVE 'pov', I also think this would have been a great closing for the album because it bears similarities to "shut up". But does this song feel so short for anyone else? I feel like as soon as i press play, the song is already over and I find myself pressing play again? Something about this song makes it feel more like an interlude than the second last track on the album. Even though I'm not including deluxe songs, this song does remind me of "someone like u".

7. JUST LIKE MAGIC

YouTube

Put your middle finger to your thumb and then you snap it !! This song grew on me, I’ll be honest. I think it's fantastic. I find this song refreshing and carefree and after what’s she’s been through, she deserves everything good she has, and I'm just happy she knows it too!! She deserves the best and this song is just super catchy and makes me feel like I can manifest my success too. This song feels earned and listening to it, you know she had a great time recording it ❤

6. NASTY

If you agree somewhat to my ranking so far and you don’t like this song, keep listening to it, it will definitely grow on you. She's had explicit songs before but when I heard this I was like “holy shit, she’s grown up”. This song is smooth and sexy and though lyrically, it may not be as vulnerable or emotional as the other songs, it is still sensual and raw, without feeling shallow. This song feels finished and personal and even though people may see it as too much and too explicit, I think it’s a classic. And that bridge is *chefs kiss*

5. 34+35

We‘ve reached the top 5!! Let's get to it :)) My thoughts about this song: a bop. No other words needed. Yes, the topic can be seen as 'shallow' and not at all what was expected from Ari (she was scared of releasing it too), but the more I listen to it, the more I find myself loving it. It’s fun, bubbly and carefree. You can tell she had the most fun making this song. Also can we talk about that bridge? She killed that shit. Definitely my favorite part of the song (which is why I probably don’t listen to remix as much lol)

4. OFF THE TABLE

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS COLLAB FOR SO LONG. After 'love me harder', I was so excited for this song. and I was not let down at all. Unlike "Love Me Harder", this song is softer and sadder. Ari seemingly reflects on her present relationship after Mac’s death and it is truly a heart-wrenching song about falling in love again after such a great loss. And The Weeknd is a perfect duet partner. His timber voice and emotional lyrics is exactly what the song needed. You know he’s perfect person for this when you can’t imagine anyone else on the song besides him. Also, I have to say the soft songs on the album >>>>>>> upbeat songs.

3. POSITIONS

I saw a ranking once that put this song dead last. WHY? People have a tendency to hate title tracks cause they’re basic but this sets a wonderful tone for the whole album. After 2 albums filled with heartbreak and grief, Positions is all about Ariana feeling herself and getting ready for her next phase of her life. This songs shows that Ari has no apologies and it’s all about her and her lover. It's Ari's world and we're just living in it. This song is a bop. I won’t hear otherwise.

2. SAFETY NET

When I saw that Ariana and TY DOLLA SIGN were doing a collaboration, I was expecting a club song similar to her previous duets. This song was the entire opposite. And I LOVED it. This is probably the song that surprised me from the whole album. From the first note, you can already feel and understand the vulnerability. A reason I'm not a big fan of the other songs is because it doesn't feel like it's Ariana's song, like it could be sung by anyone else. But "Safety Net" is Ari's song, and her song alone. And my man, TY is soooooo perfect. The best part of the album were definitely The Weeknd and Ty Dolla Sign. The song is so real and something everyone could relate to. There is NOTHING I would change about this song.

1. POV

We've come to the end :(( and I don't have much words left. This song is everything I wanted 'positions' to be. So incredibly raw, real and beautiful. While everyone wishes they could feel happy on their own, at the end of some days, we just want someone to love us for who we are even when we find it hard to. No matter how you feel about my ranking, I whole-heartedly believe that "POV" is objectively the best song of the album. Lyrics: 10/10 Melody: 10/10 Everything 10/10 This is not only my favorite song of the album but one of my favorite Ariana song of all time.

My thoughts on the album :

Ariana Grande Vevo

Okay, this is what I think. I like this album. It's not a bad album but unfortunately, I do think that it falls towards the bottom of my albums of hers. (FYI, my favorite albums of hers would be either "My Everything" or "Thank U, Next".

Ariana Grande Instagram

Ariana tried something new here with the R&B and I've seen a lot of people describe this as a pure R&B album, which I just don't think it. What I don't like about this album is how too often, the production and lyrics are too similar and not many of the songs has an aspect about them that makes them stand out in the pack. If I could change the album in one way, I would want Ari to go 100% forward with the R&B, instead of making it an album with an R&B touch, but still pop-driven. If she went full r&b on this, I truly believe this album would have been classic. However, despite saying all that, I do cherish this album. Safety Net and POV are definetley some of her greatest songs and I cannot wait to see what she does next :))

Stefan Kohli

My name is Thea and let me know in the comments what you think of my ranking. :))