Is Ariana Grande's New Song About Mac Miller?
After several days of teases, Ariana Grande has released her new single "Imagine." The dreamy song features lyrics that fantasize about a sweet, conflict-free romance that never ends. Some fans believe that relationship in the track could be inspired by Grande's with her late ex Mac Miller, although the song did not name drop anyone nor did Grande explicitly say it was about any one of her exes. Fans pointed out that Miller has an "imagine" tattoo as one hint:
And that there are other nods in the lyrics and orchestration that allude to him:
Ahead of the song's release, Grande herself described the single as being about "a simple, beautiful love that is now (and forever) unattainable" on Twitter. Then she went into greater detail on its relationship to the other tracks on her next album.
"A lot of this album mourns failed yet important, beautiful relationships in my life (as well as celebrates growth/exploring new independence)," she wrote in a screenshot she shared on her Instagram Story. "But for those of you asking about ‘Imagine’: I would say if ‘Thank U, Next’ = acceptance… ‘Imagine’ = denial. Hope that makes sense."
She clarified her interpretation of the song further to a fan on Twitter. "Kind of like... pretending it never ended. Denial. But I look forward to you hearing it and having your own experience with it. You may take away something totally different and specific to your life! Love u."
Here, the lyrics via Genius for you to interpret. Listen to the track below or here on Spotify.
Verse 1:
Step out the tour bus, nobody knows us
Get in the car like, "Skrrt"
Staying up all night, order me pad thai
Then we gon' sleep 'til noon
Me with no makeup, you in the bathtub
Bubble and bubbly, ooh
This is a pleasure, feel like we never
Act this regular
Pre-Chorus:
Click-click-click and post
Drip-drip-dripped in gold
Quick-quick-quick, let's go
Kiss me and take off your clothes
Chorus:
Imagine a world like that
Imagine a world like that
We could light up 'til I'm 'sleep on your chest
Love how my face fits so good in your neck
Boy, can you imagine a world like that?
Imagine a world
Verse 2:
Knew you were perfect, after the first kiss
Took a deep breath like, "Oooh"
Feels like forever, baby, I never
Thought that it would be you
Tell me your secrets, all of the creep shit
That's how I know it's true
Baby, direct it, name in the credits
Like the movies, ooh
Pre-Chorus:
Click-click-click and post
Drip-drip-dripped in gold
Quick-quick-quick, let's go
Kiss me and take off your clothes
Chorus:
Imagine a world like that
Imagine a world like that
We could light up 'til I'm 'sleep on your chest
Love how my face fits so good in your neck
Boy, can you imagine a world like that?
Imagine a world
Outro:
Can you imagine?
Can you imagine?
Can you imagine?
Can you imagine?
Can you imagine that?
Can you imagine that?
Can you imagine that, ooh?
Imagine that, imagine, imagine, imagine, imagine, imagine
Imagine, imagine, imagine, imagine, imagine
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