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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thank_u_next___digital_version.jpg]]
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3''thank u, next'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Music/ArianaGrande. It was released by Creator/RepublicRecords on February 8, 2019.
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5Grande began working on ''thank u, next'' two months after releasing her previous album, 2018's ''Music/{{Sweetener}}''. The album was ultimately released a mere six months later, as she was getting tired of the usual release and promotional strategy of pop music. During that time period, rapper Music/MacMiller, Grande's ex-boyfriend and friend, died due to an accidental drug overdose, and her engagement with comedian Creator/PeteDavidson ended. Grande [[CreatorBreakdown channeled her pain and grief into the album's music and lyrics]], resulting in what was described as her most personal work to date. She worked on the album with her usual collaborators such as Music/VictoriaMonet, Max Martin, and Ilya Salmanzadeh.
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7The album's TitleTrack was released as the first single, its lyrics centered around Grande being grateful for the lessons learned from her previous relationships. The song debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as did the album's second single "7 rings"; both became Grande's first number-one singles in America. A third single, "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored", was issued on the day of the album's release.
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9All of the album's 12 tracks would later enter the Hot 100, with the singles occupying the top three spots. This performance made Grande the first artist to hold the top three spots on the chart since Music/TheBeatles in 1964, and the third artist ever to have an album with two #1-debuting songs[[note]]after Music/{{Drake}}'s ''Scorpion'' and Music/MariahCarey's ''Daydream''[[/note]]. The album itself debuted at #1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in America, topping the charts in over a dozen other countries, and received critical acclaim, being placed on the year-end and decade-end lists of several publications.
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11!!Track listing:
12# "imagine" (3:32)
13# "needy" (2:51)
14# "NASA" (3:02)
15# "bloodline" (3:36)
16# "fake smile" (3:28)
17# "bad idea" (4:27)
18# "make up" (2:20)
19# "ghostin" (4:31)
20# "in my head" (3:42)
21# "7 rings" (2:58)
22# "thank u, next" (3:27)
23# "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored" (3:10)
24----
25!! I'm so fucking grateful for my tropes:
26* AllLowercaseLetters: Continuing the trend from ''Sweetener'', the song titles are stylized with lowercase letters.
27* BoastfulRap: "7 rings" sees Ariana rapping about being successful and rich.
28* BreakUpSong: "thank u, next" is about Ariana's break-ups with her previous boyfriends.
29* CentralTheme: Recovery, from trauma and painful experiences.
30* ClingyJealousGirl: "needy" sees Ariana regretting this about herself, and how it's driven by the trauma that she's been through.
31* GriefSong:
32** Ariana is coy on the topic when asked, but "imagine" is about Ariana wistfully reminiscing about Mac Miller.
33** "ghostin" is also grieving over a lover's death while being in a relationship, this song is thought to be about Mac Miller and Pete Davidson.
34* LastNoteNightmare: The outro of "Bad Idea" starts with a brief orchestral interlude after the song part ends, followed by a slowed-down reprise of the chorus.
35* TheLostLenore: Ariana's grief over Mac Miller and their lost love permeates throughout the entire album.
36* LovingAShadow: "in my head" (thought to be about Pete Davidson and their quick engagement/break-up) is about Ariana realizing that she fell in love with the version of Pete she created in her head instead of Pete himself.
37* MoneySong: "7 rings", is a Pop/Hip-Hop mashup of the common "I'm rich!" rap songs.
38* {{Sampling}}:
39** "fake smile" has some elements of "After Laughter (Comes Tears)" by Wendy Rene at the beginning.
40** "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored" re-uses the lyrics and melody from Music/{{NSYNC}}'s "It Makes Me Ill" from their ''Music/{{No Strings Attached|2000}}'' album.
41** "7 rings" contains the melody from "My Favorite Things" straight from ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic''.
42* StepfordSmiler: "fake smile" is about Ariana getting tired of pretending to be alright and plastering on a fake smile when she goes out.
43* WholePlotReference: The music video for "thank u, next" is a recreation of the most memorable scenes of ''Film/MeanGirls'', ''Film/BringItOn'', ''Film/ThirteenGoingOnThirty'', and ''Film/LegallyBlonde''.

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