Ariana Grande’s latest album is al about relationships. The pop star released her fifth studio album ‘thank u, next’ on February 8, 2019, a mere 5 months after her fourth studio album ‘Sweetener’ was released. The rush of break ups and make ups in 2018 made this album a super-fast write up and it is evident in many songs such as “NASA” on the tracklist.
Ariana’s new album ‘thank u, next’ brought us some interesting and heartbreaking songs such as “thank u, next” speaking about lessons learned from her past lovers–most notably Mac Miller and Pete Davidson. Another song “ghostin” speaks about being in the wrong relationship and her urge to leave him. The second single of the album “7 Rings” took a different spin on the theme of the album, talking about one drunken night where Ariana bought 6 of her friends and herself diamond engagement rings.
“NASA” is a special song. Yes, it does stand for “National Aeronautics and Space Administration,” the US government agency responsible for space exploration. But, no, the song is not about space! Well, it is. It is about space in a relationship–a clever double entendre by Grande. The song also features a voice cut by the popular drag queen Shangela Laquifa. She is a friend and a fan of Ari.
The quote by Shangela as the intro to the song is also relevant to the NASA Institute. The quote is a spin on the famous first words by Neil Armstrong-the first man to step on the Moon in 1969, a project by NASA institute. Neil’s famous first words are “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Ariana Grande’s songs are known to be empowering women.
Stream “NASA” by Ariana Grande
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Ariana Grande goes into more details about needing space in a relationship in this song. She says once in a while everybody needs to stay away from their loved ones. It’s okay to not go out daily, or even meet daily. Such days are trying too. And that little space is bound to bring them closer.
In the pre-chorus, Ariana lays down some legit points why she says ‘space’ is good. Ari says she would not miss him if she is with him. And if she does not miss him, she would not kiss him with the same passion as when she does miss him. She points out that some time apart could be beneficial for the relationship. The NASA reference comes in when she equates herself to the universe and the guy to NASA. Even though NASA has been spending billions of dollars per year for the past 60 years of its existence, it has only been able to explore a tiny miniscule part of the universe, given that technology is too primitive to explore beyond several billion miles away from Earth. Much like the unexplored universe wows us and NASA, an unexplored Ariana Grande could be more divine in the relationship.
In the second verse, Ariana does let him know that this temporary space requirement is not going to affect their relationship in the long run. She tells him that he will be her “rise and shine” as soon as the “stars align” meaning that she will marry him when the time is right. So this guy has to just buckle up and give her the space she needs. Not to worry, she is staying home tonight!
What do you think about this new song “NASA” by Ariana Grande? Do you feel the need for space in a relationship? Drop a comment below.