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Intro (End of the World)

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"Intro (End of the World)"
Song by Ariana Grande
from the album Eternal Sunshine
ReleasedMarch 8, 2024 (2024-03-08)
Length1:32
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
  • Ariana Grande
  • Shintaro Yasuda
  • Nick Lee
  • Aaron Cheung
Producer(s)
  • Ariana Grande
  • Shintaro Yasuda
  • Nick Lee
  • Aaron Paris
Lyric visualizer
"Intro (End of the World)" on YouTube

"Intro (End of the World)" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande from her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine. It was released by Republic Records as the album's opening track on March 8, 2024. Grande wrote and produced it with Shintaro Yasuda, Nick Lee, and Aaron Paris. The song's production puts emphasis on Grande's vocals over guitar strums, strings, and harmonies. The lyrics are about the doubts and anxieties of an uncertain relationship.

"Intro (End of the World)" was met with mostly positive reviews from critics, who commented on its significance as the album's opening track and praised the production. Commercially, the song peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 24 on the Billboard Global 200. It reached the top five in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, and charted in Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, and Portugal. On October 1, 2024, a live version of the song was surprise-released as part of a deluxe edition of Eternal Sunshine with an accompanying live performance video, which was part of a live series of the album.

Background and release

[edit]

After the release of her sixth studio album, Positions (2020), Ariana Grande went on hiatus to pursue goals beyond music, such as portraying Glinda in the film Wicked (2024).[1] In September 2023, she started working on her next studio album, Eternal Sunshine, and conceived it as a collection of songs consisting of "different heightened pieces of the same story, of the same experience".[2][3] The album's lead single, "Yes, And?" was released on January 12, 2024, and the album itself was announced on January 17.[1][4] The single debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it became Grande's eighth number-one song.[5]

Grande wrote the song "Intro (End of the World)" with Shintaro Yasuda, Nick Lee, and Aaron Paris.[6] According to Lee, it was conceived as a companion to Eternal Sunshine's closing track, "Ordinary Things".[7] On January 27, 2024, she revealed the first three songs in the album's tracklist, which includes "Intro (End of the World)" as the opening track.[5] Republic Records released it alongside Eternal Sunshine on March 8, 2024.[8][9] On October 1, a live version of the song became available without promotion as part of a deluxe edition of the album. A live performance video of it was also released concurrently, which was the first installment in a seven-part live series of Eternal Sunshine. The video is set in a faintly lit studio and features Grande wearing a cream-colored dress and eye decals and a 10-piece band consisting of a guitarist, a drummer, and a group of string players. They performed an orchestral rendition of the song with Grande including new vocal runs—Billboard's Hannah Dailey said that she adds "fresh emotion".[10][11]

Music and lyrics

[edit]

"Intro (End of the World)" is 1 minute and 32 seconds long.[8] Grande produced the song with Yasuda, Lee, and Paris, the three of whom handled programming. Yasuda played keyboards, Lee played keyboards and trombone, and Paris played bass, guitar, synthesizer, and violin. Lou Carrao and Sam Holland engineered the track with assistance from Eric Eyland. It was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach with assistance from Bryce Bordone and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in Edgewater.[6]

The production of "Intro (End of the World)" emphasizes on Grande's vocals.[12] The song begins with static sounds from a vinyl[13] and incorporates understated guitar strums,[14] soft strings,[15] and harmonies.[16] It also includes a trombone filtered through an effect that makes the horns create a "washy, vibey, wavy sound", according to Lee.[7] Grande's vocals are subtle and sensual throughout and escalate as they lead into the chorus, which features a violin.[12] Josiah Antonio from ABS-CBN News likened the production to Disney's theme songs.[17] Rolling Stone's writer Rob Sheffield believed the track contained influences from the Beatles' album Rubber Soul (1965) due to its "psychedelic murk".[18]

The song has lyrics about doubting a relationship.[19] Grande describes her resentment of the relationship and is unsure if she is in the right one: "How can I tell if I'm in the right relationship?"[20][21] The lyrics details a romance that has been slowly fading.[13] Grande expresses her anxieties regarding the interactions with her partner and the possible end of their relationship.[22] She lowers her vocal register when singing the lyric "If it all ended tomorrow, would I be the one on your mind?"[19] A few reviewers commented that "Ordinary Things" was an answer to the song's question whether Grande is with the right person.[a]

Reception

[edit]

Critics received "Intro (End of the World)" with mostly positive reviews. There were comments about the song's significance as the opening track of Eternal Sunshine. Moses Jeanfrancois of Beats Per Minute and Kyle Denis of Billboard deemed it an effective opener for the album.[12][13] Tomás Mier of Rolling Stone said that the song sets much of the lyrical themes of Eternal Sunshine of "healing-from-a-breakup".[22] Brittany Spanos from the same publication believed that it was where Grande "gets the most intense feelings of heartbreak" on the album.[27] In a mixed review, Callie Ahlgrim from Business Insider thought the track "sneakily foreshadows" the themes of Eternal Sunshine but wrote that it would not work as a standalone song.[24]

The song's production was a subject of praise. Mier and Teen Vogue's editors Aiyana Ishmael and Honestine Fraser wrote that it was "dreamy".[22][28] In a ranking of Eternal Sunshine, Denis listed the song as tenth and said that it contained a "sense of imminent doom that warrants" a "flashy" title of "End of the World" and a vocal performance "equal parts cavalier and utterly distraught".[13] Sputnikmusic's staff picked the track as an example of one of the album's "subtle musical flourishes",[29] while Christian Allaire of Vogue said the production "kind of sounds the way a warm hug on a cold winter's day feels".[16]

Commercially, the song peaked within the top five in the countries of the Philippines (4),[30] Malaysia (5),[31] and Singapore (5).[32] In the United States, it debuted and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it made Grande the female artist with the third most chart entries (85), tying with Beyoncé.[33][34] Elsewhere, the song peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Global 200,[35] number 21 in New Zealand,[36] number 37 in Canada,[37] number 55 in Portugal,[38] number 71 in Australia,[39] and number 101 in France.[40] It also reached number 35 on Greece's Top 100 Digital Singles International chart.[41]

Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Eternal Sunshine.[6]

  • Ariana Grande – lead vocals, songwriting, production, background vocals
  • Shintaro Yasuda – songwriting, production, programming, keyboards
  • Nick Lee – songwriting, production, programming, keyboards, trombone
  • Aaron Paris – songwriting, production, programming, bass, guitar, synthesizer, violin
  • Sam Holland – engineering
  • Lou Carrao – engineering
  • Eric Eyland – engineering assistance
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance
  • Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Intro (End of the World)"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[39] 71
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[37] 37
France (SNEP)[40] 101
Global 200 (Billboard)[35] 24
Greece International (IFPI)[41] 35
Malaysia (Billboard)[42] 6
Malaysia International (RIM)[31] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[36] 21
Philippines (Billboard)[30] 4
Portugal (AFP)[38] 55
Singapore (RIAS)[32] 5
UK Streaming (OCC)[43] 42
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 38

Note

[edit]
  1. ^ Attributed to Kristen S. Hé of Billboard,[23] Callie Ahlgrim of Business Insider,[24] Hanif Abdurraqib of The New Yorker,[25] and Justin Curto of Vulture[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Dailey, Hannah (January 17, 2024). "Ariana Grande's Fans Are 'Not Okay' After Her New Album Announcement: See the Reactions". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Thomas, Carly (February 2, 2024). "Ariana Grande Gets Emotional Previewing 'Vulnerable' Songs from Eternal Sunshine Album". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  3. ^ Dailey, Hannah (February 1, 2024). "Ariana Grande Reveals Eternal Sunshine 'Is 'A Concept Album' & 'Really Vulnerable'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Pinkus, Odeya; Jeffrey, Joyann (January 12, 2024). "Ariana Grande Defends Her Life Choices in the Lyrics of New Single 'Yes, And?'". Today. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Peters, Mitchell (January 27, 2024). "Ariana Grande Begins Teasing Eternal Sunshine Tracklist, Reveals New Alternate Cover". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Eternal Sunshine (liner notes). Ariana Grande. Republic Records. 2024.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ a b Ahlgrim, Callie (March 13, 2024). "How Producer Nick Lee Helped Ariana Grande Make the Most Personal Song on Her New Album". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Grande, Ariana (March 8, 2024). "Eternal Sunshine". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Sirosky, Mary (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande Drops New LP Eternal Sunshine: Stream". Consequence. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  10. ^ Paul, Larisha (October 1, 2024). "Ariana Grande Launches 'Eternal Sunshine' Live Performance Series with 'Intro (End of the World)'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Dailey, Hannah (October 1, 2024). "Ariana Grande Surprise Drops 'Eternal Sunshine' Deluxe Featuring 7 Live Performances & Videos". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Jeanfrancois, Moses (March 11, 2024). "Album Review: Ariana Grande – Eternal Sunshine". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d Denis, Kyle (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine: All 13 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Tafoya, Harry (March 11, 2024). "Ariana Grande: Eternal Sunshine". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Breihan, Tom (March 8, 2024). "Premature Evaluation: Ariana Grande Eternal Sunshine". Stereogum. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Allaire, Christian (March 8, 2024). "29 Thoughts I Had Listening to Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine". Vogue. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Antonio, Josiah (April 8, 2024). "ALBUM REVIEW: A Month Later, Ariana Grande Captures Heartbreak, Healing in Eternal Sunshine". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  18. ^ Sheffield, Rob (March 13, 2024). "How a Beatles Classic Helped Inspire Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Zoladz, Lindsay (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande Spins Heartbreak into Gold on Eternal Sunshine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Brown, Helen (March 8, 2024). "Clues and Confessions Abound on Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine – Review". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  21. ^ Harrison, Emma (March 11, 2024). "Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine | Reviews". Clash. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Mier, Tomás (March 8, 2024). "Everything We Learned About Ariana Grande's Divorce (and New Love) on Eternal Sunshine". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  23. ^ Hé, Kristen S. (March 15, 2023). "Every Ariana Grande Song, Ranked: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Ahlgrim, Callie (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine Isn't Her Best Album, but It's a Solid Collection of Bops". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  25. ^ Abdurraqib, Hanif (March 13, 2024). "Ariana Grande Takes Romantic Inventory on Eternal Sunshine". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  26. ^ Curto, Justin (March 8, 2024). "All 57 of Ariana Grande's Collaborations, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  27. ^ Spanos, Brittany (March 8, 2023). "Ariana Grande Is Gorgeously Exposed on Eternal Sunshine". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  28. ^ Ishmael, Aiyana; Fraser, Honestine; McNab, Kaitlyn; Dodson, P. Claire (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine, Reviewed by the Teen Vogue Group Chat". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  29. ^ "Review: Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine". Sputnikmusic. March 9, 2024. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Ariana Grande Chart History (Philippines Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "TOP 20 Most Streamed International Singles In Malaysia Week 13 (22/03/2024-28/03/2024)". RIM. April 6, 2024. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via Facebook.
  32. ^ a b "RIAS Top Charts Week 12 (15 - 21 Mar 2024)". RIAS. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Ariana Grande Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  34. ^ Zellner, Xander (March 19, 2024). "Ariana Grande Charts 12 Songs on Hot 100 from New Album Eternal Sunshine". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  35. ^ a b "Ariana Grande Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  36. ^ a b "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 24, 2024. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Ariana Grande Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  38. ^ a b "Ariana Grande – Intro (End of the World)". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  39. ^ a b "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 25 March 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1777. Australian Recording Industry Association. March 25, 2024. p. 4.
  40. ^ a b "Top Singles (Week 11, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) (Week: 11/2024)". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  42. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Malaysia Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  43. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
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