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"True Story" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande from her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine (2024).

Background

In 2023, many unreleased songs by Ariana Grande were leaked, including "True Story" and "Fantasize", the latter being positively received by fans. Grande wrote the song for a comedy sketch about a girl group, later confirming that it was made for a Seth MacFarlane show.[1][2][3]

Composition

"True Story" is two minutes and 43 seconds long.[4] The song is described by Grande to be "an untrue story based on all untrue events" and features writing and production from Max Martin.[5] Sonically, it's a slinky, "solid R&B bounce"[6] featuring a catchy, "candy floss" chorus,[7] metal bass lines,[8] and some elements of G-funk in its instrumentation.[9] Lyrically, the song has Grande being self-referential to the image the media and tabloids put upon her regarding stories about her personal and dating life.[9] In the album's track list, the song is intended by Grande to set up and precede "The Boy Is Mine", letting her play the "bad girl".[10][11]

Critical reception

Upon release, the song received positive reviews from music critics. Kyle Denis of Billboard ranked the song at number one, in a ranking of the album. In the ranking, Denis called the song "the smartest song Grande has ever made", noting the self-awareness in its lyrics and its similarities of "the 90s pop & R&B bounce" of "Fantasize".[6] Nick Levine, a writer at NME deemed the song an album highlight, calling it "cleverly self-referential" and applauding Grande's vocal performance over the "G-funk" inspired beat.[9] In a review of the parent album, Rolling Stone likened the song to something created by Timbaland for American singer Aaliyah.[12]

Credits

Recording

  • Mixed at Mixstar Studios (Virginia Beach)
  • Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

  • Ariana Grande – vocals, lyrics, composition, production
  • Max Martin – lyrics, production, composition, guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, programming, background vocals
  • Ilya Salmanzadeh – production, composition, guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, programming, background vocals
  • Shellback – drums
  • Sam Holland – engineering
  • Lou Carrao – engineering
  • Eric Eylands – engineering assistance
  • Rob Sellens – engineering assistance
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance

Charts

Chart performance for "True Story"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 39
Brazil (Brasil Hot 100)[14] 73
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 30
France (SNEP)[16] 62
Global 200 (Billboard)[17] 18
Lithuania (AGATA)[18] 100
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 35
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[20] 85
Portugal (AFP)[21] 32
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 14
UAE (IFPI)[23] 20
UK Streaming (OCC)[24] 30
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 30

References

  1. ^ Carter, Ashleigh (September 17, 2023). "Ariana Grande Calls Music Leaks 'Disheartening,' Urges Fans to 'Please Stop'". Teen Vogue. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  2. ^ "Ariana Grande - true story". Genius.
  3. ^ "Ariana Grande - "eternal sunshine" Track By Track Breakdown [Part 2]". Zach Sang Show. March 12, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024 – via YouTube. I actually had that hook from the batch of songs Max [Martin] was working on for the Seth MacFarlane TV show that never happened, so that was like a sister song to 'Fantasize', a couple of these little seedlings existed before this album and I was actually, in the moment, like, 'We might have to save some of these for when we do an album.'
  4. ^ Grande, Ariana (March 8, 2024). "eternal sunshine". Apple Music (US). Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  5. ^ "Ariana Grande's 'True Story' Is Actually 'Based on All Untrue Events'". ELLE. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Denis, Kyle (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande's 'Eternal Sunshine': All 13 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  7. ^ Brown, Helen (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande, Eternal Sunshine review: Clues and confessions bubble up from the slow-fizz pop". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024. The solid R&B; bounce of "True Story" sees her apparently addressing Jay's version of events: "I'll play the villain if you want me to… I'll play the bad girl if it makes you feel better." But its candyfloss chorus, which makes breezy use of Grande's effortless whistle register, finds her hitting back and sighing that's not what she wants.
  8. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande Spins Heartbreak Into Gold on 'Eternal Sunshine'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Levine, Nick (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande – 'Eternal Sunshine' review: a compelling mood piece". NME. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  10. ^ Turner-Williams, Jaelani. "Ariana Grande Reworking Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine" Into 'Elevated' Version of a 'Bad Girl Anthem'". Complex. Retrieved March 9, 2024. Around the 24-minute mark of the interview above, Lowe asked Grande about "True Story," which Grande said "sets up 'The Boy Is Mine.'" —"It's kind of like, 'I'll play the bad girl; now here's your bad girl anthem,'" Grande told Lowe about the song.
  11. ^ "Ariana Grande's 'True Story' Is Actually 'Based on All Untrue Events'". Elle. March 8, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  12. ^ Spanos, Brittany (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande is Gorgeously Exposed on 'Eternal Sunshine'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  13. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  14. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Brasil Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  15. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Top Singles (Week 11, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  17. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  18. ^ "2024 11-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  19. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  20. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 08.03.2024–14.03.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  21. ^ "Ariana Grande – True Story". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  22. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 11". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  23. ^ "This Week's Official UAE Chart Top 20: from 08/03/2024 to 14/03/2024". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. March 8, 2024. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  24. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  25. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Story_(Ariana_Grande_song)