Friday, March 28, 2025, was an exhilarating day for Arianators, as the beloved Ariana Grande released her long-awaited album, eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead, the deluxe version of eternal sunshine and with six new tracks from her year-old self-described “really vulnerable concept” album, eternal sunshine (slightly deluxe and also live). Grande released her first version of this album to examine the pain she felt during and after her very public divorce with luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez. 

According to Variety, “‘Brighter Days Ahead,’ doesn’t so much step out of the boundaries of eternal Sunshine as it does enhance what’s already there, Grande doesn’t offer anything strikingly different or out of step thematically and sonically; rather, it feels like a capstone on a conflicting chapter in her life, an opportunity to say things that were left unsaid and address how challenging — and restorative — it can be to face what you’ve endured.” 

This statement holds entirely true as the album’s additional six tracks on this deluxe provide a sentimental and optimistic conclusion to the eternal sunshine era. By releasing a short video that features five songs from the album, Grande continues to deliver a cinematic experience with this project. 

“intro (end of the world) – extended”

This song, the extended version of “intro (end of the world)” from Grande’s latest album, eternal sunshine (slightly deluxe and also live), starts the new tracks of the album with a sentimental tone. The lyrics in verse 2 (the extended verse) explore a time in Grande’s past relationship with her ex-husband in which she felt unheard and unloved. The lyrics of this extended version, which largely parallels the original album opening, show her ex-husband’s failure to acknowledge the effects of his actions on her until it was too late. “I wish I could un-need ya, so I did,” she says. Overall, this extension of the album’s original version is great, despite being something we’ve heard before. 

“twilight zone”

This track creates a dreamlike atmosphere with a collection of ethereal melodies and hazy synths. “Not that I miss you, I don’t,” is the song’s major chorus. After her romance with Gomez ended, Grande expressed her thoughts, saying, “There are moments when I just can’t believe you happened.” She tells herself in the lyrics that she has no regrets and that everything happens for a purpose. With its pop sound and mainstream vibe, this song may be considered a Grande hit and, in our opinion, is still the strongest track from the deluxe edition. 

“warm”

As the name implies, this song starts off with a warm pace and tone before transitioning into profound, dramatic lyrics. The upbeat beat reflects Grande’s decision to move on from this previous relationship and concentrate on the “brighter days ahead.” According to GENIUS, “The imagery of Grande’s pre-chorus’ lyrics, being ‘higher than the exosphere,’ and the invitation to ‘meet me there’ shows us an emotional and spiritual state (and connection) that’s higher than ground, a space where Ariana feels safe and empowered. At the same time, she invites her love interest, her Wicked co-star, Ethan Slater, whose warmth represents comfort, to meet her up there.” Even if it’s not as popular as “twilight zone,” this song from the album’s deluxe edition has the potential to be another hit and, in our opinion, is still great overall. Due to its catchy choruses and ambiance, this record remains one of our favorites. 

“dandelion”

This track starts off with a unique saxophone solo and then adds on a catchy beat to become the background for the whole song. Grande uses the myth that if you blow the seeds off a dandelion, you can get anything you’d like to show how she could be her partner’s “dandelion” and give him what he wants. Despite being unexpected, this song draws comparisons to earlier periods of Grande’s discography (i.e., Sweetner and thank u, next), and many fans, including ourselves, value these elements of hip-hop like beats and ethereal vocals. 

“past life”

The first lyrics of this song, “woke up with a ghost by my side,” symbolize Grande’s memories of her past relationship with Gomez still taking over her head. In contrast to the intro, the upbeat song’s chorus shows that Grande is ready to get ahold of herself and is “fine to leave you in a past life,” signaling to her ex. Compared to the other tracks on this deluxe album, this one wasn’t our favorite, even though it does have a deeper meaning beyond the lyrics at first appearance. 

“Hampstead”

This beautiful, teary-eyed track, my personal favorite, starts with a slow, sentimental sound, then transforms into a high-vocal, tender chorus: “What’s wrong with a little bit of poison? tell me I would rather feel everything than nothing every time.” These lyrics possess a deep meaning; Grande’s ex-husband caused her to feel “nothing” in their past relationship, meaning they divorced because she felt unloved while being with him. Fans have theorized that the last lyrics of this song’s chorus, “I’d rather be seen and alive than dying by your point of view,” opposes Grande’s track “pov” from her 2020 album Positions lyrics “I’d love to see me from your point of view.” In this song, she speaks to her then-boyfriend, Dalton Gomez, from whom she is now divorced. The lyrics from Hampstead infer that after their divorce, Grande realized Gomez’s point of view was killing her slowly.