After months of teasing on social media, the long-awaited Ariana Grande album Positions was finally released on Oct. 30 to her fans’ absolute excitement, including myself. With fourteen remarkable songs, this album made its way to the Number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart in less than a week. However, fans are divided on what they think of the overall body of work.

The album opens up with a song called “shut up.” I really enjoyed Ariana’s choice to go with a very Disney-like sound and yet sing about something so unexpected. However, this song was more of a hit or miss with fans, a lot of them saying that they’d prefer if Ariana had chosen a different musical route other than the Disney-like sound.

A big hit on the album is “motive,” which was a collaboration with Doja Cat. It is one of my top favorites, as is for many other fans as well. The catchy beat and thrilling chorus, along with Doja’s amazing verse, makes you want to dance and sing along non-stop. And once it is over, you can not help but tap that replay button again.

Another standout in the album is “just like magic.” In this song, Ariana talks about how she will spend her day being positive and getting things done, and that it will be “just like magic.” It is a beautiful and catchy song, as well as a popular one among most fans, including myself. Many especially love it because of the tribute Ariana pays to her deceased ex-boyfriend Mac Miller with the lyric, “Take my pen and write some love letters to Heaven.”

One particularly meaningful song is “off the table,” a collaboration with The Weeknd. Ariana opens up to her fans about how she feels like she will not find love again after Mac Miller. The Weeknd, who in this song, represents her current boyfriend Dalton Gomez, tells her that if she is willing to give him a chance, love may not be completely “off the table.” It is quite beautiful. However, some fans feel as though this song sounds very similar to others Ariana has made in the past, especially those from her previous album thank u, next. 

The song “my hair” has a very different sound that Ariana seemed to be experimenting with, and most of the fans enjoyed it. It starts with a series of pleasant guitar strings but then transitions into a jazz-esque beat accompanied by a trumpet. I was surprised, but I loved it. Many fans were especially in awe of Ariana’s talent when she started to sing her chorus in whistle notes.

“love language” is a controversial song. Some fans love the 70s disco vibes, while others find it a bit weird and stylistically similar to one of Ariana’s other albums, sweetener. I personally love the song’s overall beat, but I didn’t care for the way it pauses and then starts up again as if it were a completely different song.

Last but not least, “pov” is a song that shares how Ariana has fallen in love with her current boyfriend. She feels like with him in her life, she is slowly healing and leaving her baggage behind. She appreciates Dalton Gomez for loving her greatly despite the troubles she may have. The song’s tranquil sound and beautiful lyrics rank it as a high favorite for many fans. 

Ariana Grande has delivered pop music for years; however, with Positions, she chooses a new path by going with R&B. This is where many fans disagree with the album, as they prefer pop Ariana to R&B Ariana. Others have a different view on the issue, saying songs like “love language” or “off the table” sound like something off of Ariana’s past albums (sweetener and thank u, next). They wish Ariana would expand her music and do something completely different. Overall, however, most fans agree that Positions grows on you, and that once you listen to it several times, you realize that it is pretty amazing and one of Ariana’s especially vocally talented albums.