This Friday, Ariana Grande released the much anticipated deluxe edition of her latest album, titled eternal sunshine: brighter days ahead. In this article, we’ll discuss what makes a deluxe album memorable, by first analysing this recent release. We will then explore five additional albums that stuck with us.
What makes a deluxe album great?
The first sign of appreciation for me starts when there is an additional title, instead of just being called deluxe. Although it’s not common practice, the detail shows the artist sees the new release as a project in itself. The deluxe edition is supposed to enhance the standard edition of the album, while remaining cohesive in sound and narrative. If the songs feel uninspired, as in they’re just there to fill commercial purposes, it is very noticeable. A quality deluxe leans on the established project, but the songs need to be able to stand on their own too. Without further ado, let’s dive into the projects that stand out the most.
Ariana Grande, eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead
Brighter days ahead is right, with Ariana taking us back to the beginning and telling her story in chronological order. The sound is magical and elevates the standard edition to an even more vulnerable place of heartbreak and finding love again. Starting with an extended version of intro (end of the world), it sets the tone for the deluxe edition.
Ariana confesses much more in the lyrics of the extended version, including her wish for her partner to see her through her perspective (“Please pay me no mind while I jump into your skin and change your eyes, so you can see things through mine”). She tries to tell him there were problems in the relationship for a long time. Simply because he couldn’t see them doesn’t mean they weren’t there. She takes hold of the narrative that has been pushed on her in the past months by saying she’s the “bad guy”. The vulnerability is refreshing and adds a lot more nuance to the intro that seemed dreamy, while concealing more below the surface.
Moving onto twilight zone, Ariana questions if what she’s been through was even real. The twilight zone is a state between reality and dreaming. It takes a step back from the title track eternal sunshine (“I’ve never seen someone lie like you, so much that you even think it’s true / Ooh, get me out of this loop”). She cannot reconcile the person she knew with the person they turned out to be. The whole ordeal seems imagined (“Sometimes I just can’t believe you happened”). She also addresses her ex’s new girlfriend, warning her that he’s not who he pretends to be. Through the sentiment she expresses, Ariana shows she still has unresolved issues despite moving on. Besides eternal sunshine, the song draws ties to don’t wanna break up again in the conflicting feelings. Her vocals are quiet, drawing us in this dreamlike state she’s experienced.
The next track, warm, is an upbeat independent woman anthem. It also admits what a lot of us can’t, which is we still wish someone would hold us. “I’m cool on my own but it’s warm in your arms,” says Ariana has no problem being alone. She insists on not lowering herself to someone else’s level. Instead, she recognises the comfort they provide her, and asks if they’ll meet her where she’s at (“Can you hold the space I require or will you turn the page?”). It’s a heartwarming tune of knowing she deserves better but won’t settle for less. It feels like a preview of imperfect for you, where she views herself as “too much”. The person she addresses helps her, and she does the same for them. There’s a reciprocation in this relationship that wasn’t present in her previous one.
Going into dandelion takes us back to the jazz sound followed by the R’nB music production we’ve gotten used to with Ariana. It is very reminiscent of positions, the album preceding eternal sunshine. The production is accompanied by lyrics that could be taken for face value, or recognised for the innuendos. Ariana tells her new partner that she will grant all his wishes, as long as he’s there to stay. Although there aren’t many similar sounding songs on the original record, there’s an obvious similarity with the boy is mine. Both in sound and lyrics, she’s walking the rope between love and lust. In the boy is mine, she reveals “Promise I’m not usually like this, shit, it’s like news to me”, followed by dandelion with “And yes, I promise, if I’m being honest, you can get anything you like”.
The next track, past life, starts with static-sounding bits. It reminds of a television such as the one in we can’t be friends (wait for your love) music video. Ariana is going through her memories, and contrary to the latter, she is no longer romanticizing what happened between them. She finds her comfort in music (“Let the music confiscate my soul”) where she can reveal more. With remnants of anger, Ariana takes the power in her hands with “I’m fine to leave you in the past life”. The track is the older, more mature sister of we can’t be friends (wait for your love). It also shows patterns of don’t wanna break up again (“Won’t abandon me for you and I again”). Between the controlled vocals, Ariana lets her emotions seep through her high notes.
Hampstead is the last track on the brighter days edition, which is also the only one with a capital title. Hampstead is an area in London, the one where she lived when filming Wicked. As the scandal around her separation from her husband and new love unfurled, she sings “Threw away my reputation, but saved us more heartache”. She talks directly to the public on several occasions (“But quite frankly you’re still wrong about everything / You think you’ve read the book I’m still writing, I can’t imagine wanting so badly to be right”). It is also addressing her ex-husband, with whom she lived in Hampstead. With the repetition of “I do, I do, I do, I do” she reminds us of the marriage — and how much she tried to convince herself she wanted to stay with him.
The best part is the reference to the closing track of her previous album positions. In pov, she expressed “I’d love to see me from your point of view”. In Hampstead, she takes it back with “I’d rather be seen and alive than dying from your point of view”. She saw what the relationship amounted to, and she refused to stay in a marriage that was destroying her self image and her happiness. It also goes back to the public’s perception of her, telling them she would rather live her life than comply with their demands of living hidden (or staying in an unhappy arrangement). It’s not the first time Ariana has addressed the audience on this record, with the lead single yes, and? showing a much more composed response to the criticism she received. Ariana lets the crowd see her vulnerability. It is an immaculate ending to the project.
Sabrina Carpenter, Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe)
With an addition of five songs, Sabrina Carpenter’s already successful album gained in popularity with the release of the deluxe. 15 Minutes expresses her intense rise to fame and refers to the ‘15 minutes of fame’. Sabrina’s previous album, emails i can’t send, dealt with a lot of diffucult situations including her villification by the public. 15 Minutes calls out the changing behaviour with “When did all you bitches get so nice?”, while also reminding them she’s not stupid and didn’t forget how they treated her (“Runnin’ out of the woodwork and hoping there’s no brain in between my eyes”). While the lyrics sound like a fun retaliation towards all the people who dissed or dismissed her, she also pokes fun at herself such as in “Hard to hold on, like every guy”. The lyrics hold a double meaning, the tongue in cheek songwriting becoming a formula for Sabrina.
I can do a lot with 15 minutes
Only gonna take two to make you finish
Piss some people off, show ‘em what they’re missing
You, you, you know I can
15 Minutes, Sabrina Carpenter
Please Please Please sees itself get a feature with Dolly Parton. Although a lot of people complain about the mismatch of the singers’ voices, the song works in the context of the project. The single leans into a country production, which Sabrina has shown appreciation for in songs such as Coincidence and Slim Pickins, but also Already Over and Bad for Business on emails i can’t send. Who better to bring on board than the country legend Dolly Parton?
Couldn’t Make It Any Harder was a surprise, and probably the most different in terms of atmosphere from the album. While Short n’ Sweet had a few sad songs (Sharpest Tool, Lie to Girls, Dumb & Poetic), it was still echoing the happy and carefree nature of the project. Couldn’t Make It Any Harder is misleading in the title, since almost everyone thought it was an innuendo. It also takes us back with the production. It is reminiscent of emails i can’t send, yet it doesn’t feel out of place here. Throughout the entire album, it feels as if she’s dancing around the truth of these people who broke her heart and making it playful. This shows the heartache and consequences of trust being broken without making it seem less serious than it is.
Fuckboys you’ll never meet
Well, you can thank them for why
I’m so goddamn reactionary
And for the graveyard in my stomach
Filled with pivotal formative comments
Meanwhile, you’re just trying to tell me I look nice
Couldn’t Make It Any Harder, Sabrina Carpenter
Busy Woman brings us the confident Sabrina we know. With this track, she shows she knows her worth and won’t run around for someone. The catchy melody along with the funny lyrics is why it became a lot of people’s favorite. The energy is on the same wavelength as Good Graces, Bed Chem and Juno. In this one, Sabrina admits to her sensitivity of rejection (“I’m so mature, collected and sensible / Except when I get hit with rejection / To turn me down, well that’s just unethical”). She reminds the other person what they’re losing by not being with her.
But if you need my love
My clothes are off, I’m coming over to your place
And if you don’t need my love
I didn’t want your little bitch-ass anyway
Busy Woman, Sabrina Carpenter
Bad Reviews is the perfect track to end this edition of the album, as Sabrina directly responds to Please Please Please. She is adding more context to her refusal to accept someone might not be right for her.
Been alone for so long, I’ve got something to prove
If I close an eye it’s almost like your red flags are blue
Bad Reviews, Sabrina Carpenter
With a slower sound production and country melody, she picks up the pace towards the end of the song. It’s almost like she’s trying to convince herself that her reasons are valid and it makes sense that she would “still choose to be in love with you”. From having a reputation to withhold, to loneliness, to proving something to herself, Sabrina takes us through her thought process. Sabrina Carpenter knows how to make a great deluxe album, and this one is further proof.
Gracie Abrams, The Secret of Us (Deluxe)
The Secret of Us (Deluxe) contains four more songs, that each rely on each other to tell a story. Starting with Cool, Gracie admonishes herself for trusting someone. At the same time, she lets out her anger over the mistreatment she went through. She attempts to convince herself that she’s fine and the situation didn’t affect her (“Now I’m so cool, I’ll be cool for hell of it”) but the rest of the lyrics beg to differ. Gracie does what she does best — expressing her emotions not only through songwriting, but also through her vocals.
The production and the energy are reminiscent of Blowing Smoke, and the lyrics echo the latter (“Are your conversations cool, like are you even interested?”). The track also answers the questions asked during Normal Thing (“Are you special or was this all scripted in his head?”) with “Fool, I’m a fool if the shoe fits, you probably met up with Cass and said the same shit” in Cool. This isn’t where the similarities end. The premise of Normal Thing is “It’s a normal thing to fall in love with movie stars”, implying the ‘too good to be true’ mindset. In the deluxe, she calls this person a “phony superstar”.
Next is That’s So True, the track that exploded in popularity. The anger that was present in Cool is on full display here, as she calls out the person who hurt her. At the same time, she works on her conflicting feelings about her ex’s new love interest. “Bet you thinking she’s so cool” is only the first parallel between Cool, followed by “Kicking back on your couch with a glass of wine” and That’s So True where she thinks out loud “Kicking back on your couch, making eyes from across the room, wait I think I’ve been there too”.
The lyrics undermine the experience. Gracie refers to him as “just another dude”, which goes back to Tough Love where she referred to him as “just one of the boys that I’ll date for a summer then leave when I’m bored”. The bridge is intriguing because it propels us into the next song, which is a sadder recount of the events.
Made it out alive, but I think I lost it
Said that I was fine, said it from my coffin
Remember how I died when you started walking?
That’s my life, that’s my life
That’s So True, Gracie Abrams
I Told You Things is much more introspective, resolving into admittance of how hurt Gracie was by the events that unfurled. Where anger was the currency in That’s So True (“You should spend the night, catch me on your ceiling, that’s your prize, that’s your prize”) it is only a memory in this one (“You were in my hands now you’re on my ceiling”). In the previous track, she takes pleasure in the thought that she’s haunting him, which she also references in Blowing Smoke with “And I bet you think about me now, when you should be sleeping”.
I Told You Things admits that he is the one haunting her. She goes back once again to Normal Thing when she met this guy (“When the lights are low and red at their favorite bars”) and juxtaposes the thought of him now (“You get recognised at the local bar”). Remembering the bridge before this track, Gracie continues to develop her state of mind at the time.
Lost color in my face
You’re fair and I’m insane
Hallucination, shame
Guilt, pain, more pain
I Told You Things, Gracie Abrams
The bridge draws it in as she reveals she underplayed her heartbreak so people wouldn’t know just how much it affected her. By repeating the phrase “Don’t let them know we’re in pain”, she gives us her internal monologue. It confirms what is said in Let It Happen about how she’s “a walking contradiction and it shows”. In the last chorus of I Told You Things, Gracie says “But I’ll pack it up and practice leaving”, getting us to the last song of the deluxe edition, Packing It Up.
Packing It Up sounds different from the other tracks, in the soft plucking of guitar chords that represent happiness — and above all, hope. Gracie Abrams ends the record by admitting she was ready to give up on love when she met this new person, which made her perceive the world differently. It is a very sweet song to end this journey of falling in love (or infatuation) to falling apart, and then putting yourself back together.
I swear that I wasn’t looking for much
But that’s just when you happened
That’s right when you happened
Got so damn close to packing it up
Packing It Up, Gracie Abrams
Nessa Barrett, AFTERCARE DELUXE
As you may know, we’ve written a whole analysis of Nessa Barrett’s album over here — minus the deluxe tracks. In this edition of the album, Nessa is showing once again how cohesive she is in her narrative. The lyrics and sound add up perfectly to the standard edition.
LOVE LOOKS PRETTY ON YOU is as the title indicates a love song. From the beginning, Nessa expresses how she feels loved instead of used for her body. The production as well as her vocals are slow, leaving a sweet aftertaste. Nessa continues the references to her faith, with lyrics such as “if Heaven’s for lovers, that’s where we’ll be”.
DOES GOD CRY? explores more of Nessa’s questioning. Although she feels loved, she wonders if this love will last. The sound is haunting, reminiscent of her trauma with heartbreak that she explored in the standard edition (Russian Roulette, Babydoll, Edward Scissorhands). By asking questions such as “Does God cry when it rains?” and “Do angels still feel pain?”, followed by “Will you always love me this way?”, she puts her wondering on the same pedestal. These questions are impossible to know for fact, we can only have our own interpretation of the answers. Nessa expresses her need for her lover to stay. She goes back on the abandonment issues and the willingness to change herself to fit the other’s wants and desires.
I love the sugar-coated truth
I’ll be whoever you want me to
I keep my head in the clouds, I do, baby
Don’t go bringing me down so soon
DOES GOD CRY?, Nessa Barrett
BLUE VALENTINE takes it up a notch from the last track. While the haunting melody was creeping on us during DOES GOD CRY?, BLUE VALENTINE is darker. Nessa is outright admitting that she doesn’t trust her significant other’s profession of love (“You say that you love me, baby, that’s a lie”). The music production reaches a level of depression that can’t be ignored, reminiscent of BABYDOLL (“Broken parts broke my heart / You broke me, baby, I fell apart / You can’t walk away after you hurt me / I’m damaged goods, you can’t return me”).
You say that you love me, baby, that’s a lie
I’m so bluе all the time
Do you really love me
Or just love to make me cry?
BLUE VALENTINE, Nessa Barrett
KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME BOY is the follow-up to BLUE VALENTINE, with lyrics directly echoing the previous track (“I carved your name in my skin”). Nessa shows how much she is willing to give up to keep him around. With references to BABYDOLL (“I’m all dolled up” / “Am I your favorite toy?”), this one fits perfectly into the energy of the album. The lyrics show the desperation of avoiding abandonment, even if you know the person isn’t right for you (Russian Roulette, Given Enough).
AMERICAN BEAUTY is a call out of the music industry, and more specifically fame. It has the same kind of revealing nature that GLITTER AND VIOLENCE has. She unveils the romanticisation of industries that are harmful to women. In this track, Nessa gives a clear message that being famous doesn’t give people the right to use her. Whether that’s directed at record labels, magazines, or the audience, everything goes. In some specific lyrics, Nessa calls out the fans that are either unhealthily obsessed with her (“I’m not your girl, you’re fucking crazy” / “You’re sick and obsessed, you’ll love me to death”), or the ones who send her hate yet they still expect her to cater to them (“Want me but you still hate me”).
BREAKFAST IN BED is the conclusion to the unhealthy dynamics expressed throughout the project. Going back to LOVE LOOKS PRETTY ON YOU (“For the first time, this isn’t painful, I look like an angel in white sheets” / “I love how you love me so delicately”) she recognises this was just another failed love (“You said that you loved me, isn’t that lovely? Tangled in sheets, strawberry fields”). Nessa goes back to a promise her lover made of bringing her breakfast in bed, and juxtaposes it with the reality of eating breakfast in bed because of depression.
We find the opposite of PINS AND NEEDLES, where her mind used numbness to protect itself against heartache. It is an ending to a love story that couldn’t have ended well. When we look back to the first track, AFTERCARE, she asks “But will you stay when it ends?” to which she responds on this last track (“I’m eating breakfast in bed ever since you left, I’ll never love again”).
Nina Nesbitt, Mountain Music (The Summit)
Nina Nesbitt’s indie folk album added four songs for The Summit edition. Enough goes back to Nina’s insecurities that were portrayed in the first track of the standard edition, Pages (“I’ve got a man that swears he loves me, but I’m afraid that he won’t stay”). She portrays the same sentiment here when asking “And if I’m enough for him, why am I not enough for me?”. The advice she was giving herself in Mansion (“So open the blinds, let the vines grow, they can watch as they’re passing”) finds a place in this song as she replies “I will stand behind the windows and let them all see inside”. The production is dialed back with only the pluck of a guitar as Nina repeats to herself that she’s enough for everything around her, so she has to be enough for herself.
The Mountain & The Man is a love song dedicated to her partner. It is reminiscent of Parachute, the last track on the standard edition. In both songs, Nina is pointing out the differences between her and her partner. She shows how she can’t quite love herself yet but at least she has someone else’s love. It is soft with the guitar production, and the whispered vocals in between the lyrics.
You are everything that I’m not
You are everything, everything that I want
You are everything that I’ve got
You are everything, everything that I want
The Mountain & The Man, Nina Nesbitt
Crooked Teeth continues the narrative of love Nina built until now. It feels like a response to Hard Times, where she admitted to having issues in a relationship but facing those issues together. Crooked Teeth is reassurance that although her mind might not be there yet when it comes to self love, she won’t leave this relationship (“I’ll come back every time I go”). The sound builds up in the last part, only to come back down slowly.
Good Years explores heartbreak, and most importantly, coming to terms with an ending. Through the previous tracks, we’ve seen Nina express how important this love was to her. In these lyrics, she admits that she loved this person but she will get through the loss (“Give me some time, I will wash out my tears / I will recover, I will revere”). The lyrics are nostalgic and heartbreaking, but still have such a loving approach. Nina reassuring this person that she will remember the best parts of them and the positive influence they had on her (“I will remember you, always remember you for the good years”).
girli, Matriarchy (Queen Edition)
I wanted to include this deluxe edition of the album. Although it only has two additional songs, the record as a whole deserves more attention. First of all, can we talk about the title? This is what was meant in the beginning with the special titles for deluxe editions.
Matriarchy as an album explores queerness, mental health, and self love. 2 Year Itch is a catchy song that admits girli’s tendency to leave when a relationship gets comfortable. She plays on the ‘seven year itch’, a saying for when people in committed relationships desire novelty. She compares the phenomenon to her own experience by saying “I’m five years too early”. The production rises during the part where she thinks of all the exciting parts of a new love interest, and then falls back down as girli gets introspective.
What if by being yours I lose being free?
I’m scared you’ll break down my walls
I’m terrified I’ll be happy
What if by being yours I lose being me?
2 Year Itch, girli
The track ends on a sweet tone, as she solves her issues around commitment.
I think this time I’m gonna stay
‘Cause suddenly I’m not afraid to tell you that I love you, babe
2 Year Itch, girli
Bulldozer takes on another introspective aspect, one which might explain girli’s habit of self sabotage. It is a vulnerable song about her father, and how their relationship is throughout her life. She asks him to let her younger self in, because she doesn’t understand what she did wrong for him to treat her unfairly.
This house is barely standing, now you brought in your bulldozer
The walls will crack and all the pictures will fall over
I’m in the doorway and I watch as you bulldoze her
With a bulldozer
Bulldozer, girli
She explores the notion of having an unstable home, and how the trauma follows her around for the rest of her life. It affects how she thinks and acts, and leaves her desperate for answers (“Don’t you know the damage done is all irreversible? The way you hit and run is making me miserable”). The song ends with the statement “You’re a bulldozer”, realising the fault is his, and not anything she did as a child. It is an uncommon ending to an album but one that makes perfect sense here, given the nature of the other songs exploring who girli is as a person.
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