Ariana Grande’s latest music video “Thank You, Next” features a bevy of pop culture
December 5, 2018
What teaches love, patience, and pain, with an ironic early 2000s and late 90s movie references and not just a regular mom but a cool mom?
Ariana Grande’s latest music video and single “Thank You, Next.”
Grande is known for creating some amazing music videos, but she may just top them all with her “Thank You, Next” masterpiece and we stan.
Released Nov. 30, the music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, featured a gathering of pop culture references- including “Mean Girls,” “Legally Blonde,” “Bring It On” and “13 Going On 30.” It also featured cameos of some of the stars of those movies, plus members of Grande’s formal Victorious cast members, her inner circle, and the one and only “cool-mom” Kris Jenner.
Grande had essentially lived out every millennial dream who grew up watching those beloved films by having the opportunity to put herself in them. The video recreates famous movie moments so precisely and beautifully no one can’t help but smile and image to lived out that dream too.
An admirable hidden reason why Grande chose these films, instead of movies that fall into the standard rom-com ideal, these movies promotes the theme of self-love, moving on and friendships. Just like what her song is exactly about.
Although the song is a breakup anthem, and she mentions her exes by name, there is no serious dissing of her exes like fans would have expected. It is a mature break-up song. There is no of the petty “he said, she said” mess. She uses her exes references as a point of her own healing as a person and it’s a grow-up lesson her fan and listeners can learn from.
From the “Mean Girls” reference of the infamous Burn Book, instead of writing insulting words in the book liked Regina George and the Plastics did in the movie, Grande wrote what she was grateful about her exes.
The best thing she wrote in the Burn Book was to her ex Big Sean, “could still get it.” I wouldn’t be surprised if Sean hits up Ariana with a “you up?” text after seeing his page.
The 25-year-old singer smashes YouTube records after the release of her video by holding the largest music video debut in YouTube history, by earning 55.4 million views in the first 24 hours after the release date and the fastest video to earned 100 million views, reaching that number just after four days.
The fact that Grande was once hated for licking a donut seems crazy and bizarre. And what Grande has been through the last two years with the tragic death of formal-boyfriend Mac Miller and the loss of her 22 fans from the Manchester bombing, the ending of her engagement with comedian Pete Davidson, she deserves all of the success she has earned from her music.