So yeah, I think this is gonna become a thing now. Whenever a new cool-looking song tops the Billboard Hot 100, I will give a lengthy review of it just so I don't get asked a whole lot of questions about it. There's another new Ariana Grande song that has been on top of the Hot 100 for four weeks now, so I guess I need to review it before it's too late. Let's get to it!
INTRODUCTION
"7 Rings" (stylized as "7 rings") is a song by American singer Ariana Grande released on January 18, 2019, three weeks before the release of her fifth studio album and her second album in less than half a year, Thank U, Next. The song was written by numerous people, including Grande and some of the song's producers, and interpolates "My Favorite Things" by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Partially fueled by the music video that was released along with it, it has stayed on top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks at the time of me writing this, and has also topped the charts in 19 other countries. It has been described as a "friendship" anthem by Grande and has also been said to have evolved from the previous single, "thank u, next". Sounds like a pretty interesting song to be this popular, right? Well, I will listen to this track in full for the first time today and see if it is worthy of being this popular, and if it is a step up or step down from her previous work, especially the album's lead single. I heard a trap-pop sounding song when I was at the skating rink a couple weeks ago and used Shazam to see what the name was, and it turns out that it was this song, but that doesn't really count as a listen because I can't remember anything about it. I will go really in-depth today to see if it's good or not. So yeah, time to take a listen!
REVIEW
Well, my first impression of this song isn't a very good one. That ghost-sounding synth at the beginning sounds like one that would be in a boring trap song, but I'm only a few seconds in so I won't start judging yet. Now, her voice is coming in for what sounds like the first verse. I don't mind this part. It sounds really chill and I like what's going on in the background now. The vocals are good as well. That goes on for a few measures, and that's good because I like hearing that. But what I don't like hearing is when it sort of drops and goes into the trappy part that sounds like a pre-chorus or chorus. It sounds really disappointing because this sounds like something I'd hear from a less experienced or less talented singer or rap artist that was inspired by all of today's top trap rappers. And I know that Ariana isn't like that and that she has talent. The lyrics and rhythm throughout this part sound sort of cringy because I would have expected way more from Ariana. So it's about half and half so far.
Going back into the verse was kind of a relief for me because I was already getting tired of that trap part. I like how the verse sounds with the background vocals and everything. I have to give the producers some credit for that. But just when I felt good about things again it goes back down into that grating trap part that is just unpleasant for me to hear because I know that Ariana is capable of way more. The bridge isn't the best part of the song, but the first part without the trap sound is way better than the second one. All I want when hearing that second part is just for the trap parts to stop and then everything to go back to when it was good. But the chorus comes right to my doorstep again and puts my hope level down. And just like that, the song is over. Short pop songs these days.
So now that the song is finished, it's lyrics time! I'm looking at Genius to see more of what's behind them. And looking at them, I'm not really sure what she meant when she said this song was a "friendship anthem". The lyrics just look like she's bragging about her luxury items, just like a hip-hop star would, and in the style that a hip-hop star would in the current day and age. I am pretty disappointed that this is what pop music is starting to come to. Ariana Grande has lots of talent, but she hasn't been showing it in this song, probably because she wants to be "cool" like a lot of the modern trap rappers think they are. And I just think she can do better. The story behind and the lyrics in "thank u, next" were very interesting, so I'm not really sure how she went from that to this anyway. Overall nothing interesting in the lyrical field, and that might even bring the song down a bit for me. But let's see.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
To conclude, I don't see myself listening to this song again unless I'm forced to. And for someone who is listening to music pretty much constantly, that isn't good. But this song does have its upsides. The verse was kind of satisfying to listen to, and I think it was great when it transitioned from the annoying chorus back to the verse. But the verses and the non-trap parts are really the only quality things. Everything else just tows it down like a ship heading to the ocean floor to me. This song is a big disappointment for someone who loves Ariana Grande's music and really had faith in this new era considering how good the lead single was. I don't know exactly how to score it out of ten, but if I had to estimate I'd say no lower than a 4 but no higher than a 5 or 5.5. Quite a big step-down from the lead single, and not a song that deserves to be on top of the charts in the U.S. Hopefully something better takes its place soon.
FINAL WORDS
And that brings my time talking about this song to a close. I'm a bit disappointed by how it turned out, but hey, at least it's not a bad criminal on top again. I don't necessarily think I would recommend this song to someone else, but if you think this would sound cool based on what I've said about it, you can listen to it on YouTube here or Spotify here. But I'm just warning you that it will not be a usual Ariana Grande song, so proceed with caution if you want. Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this, because I appreciate that. If you have an idea that you'd like to see in a future post, whether it's a song, album, or chart review, or a battle or a top 10 or something like that, then please let me know because I would love to make those posts. But yeah, thanks again and I'll see y'all soon!
