Ariana Grande Songs That Beautifully Explore Grief And Loss

Ariana Grande hasn't shied away from being open and honest with her fans. Grande has gotten real about her mental health on multiple occasions, particularly when her ups and downs have been influenced by the universal trauma of grief and loss. The "We Can't Be Friends" singer has sadly gone through a lot of tough times, from losing her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller in 2018, to the death of 22 fans who attended her 2017 Manchester, England, gig that was targeted by a suicide bomber.

Grande has put a lot of those emotions into song, not only to get her feelings out, but to help others feel less alone. Speaking to Vogue in 2019, she shared that even some of her most upbeat sounding tracks have deep meanings. "It's hard to sing songs that are about wounds that are so fresh," she said. "It's fun, it's pop music, and I'm not trying to make it sound like anything that it's not. But these songs to me really do represent some heavy s**t." And these songs best demonstrate how she worked through some of her darkest times. 

Ariana Grande seemingly wrote about the loss of Mac Miller on "Remember." The emotional track was intended for her "Thank U, Next" album, but remains officially unreleased, despite leaking online. Grande sings about feeling alone following Miller's passing and shares her hopes they'll be reunited again while remembering their time together. It opens with the heart-breaking lines, "It's a blue world without you/It's a blue world alone." The sample is taken from "It's a Blue World" by the Four Freshmen, the same song Miller sampled on his 2020 single "Blue World." Grande also sings about not getting closure with her ex and contacting him knowing he wouldn't pick up the phone. "Didn't get to say goodbye to you/But I feel like I never needed to/'Cause in my mind, you ain't gone/Still be hittin' your phone/Even though it ain't on." Unconfirmed rumors on TikTok claimed Grande called Miller hundreds of times after he died.

In 2019, a fan asked Grande on X why she took "Remember" off the track list. "Honestly. I just want to feel stable and ok sharing, promoting, performing the songs for u which I wouldn't," she explained (via Elle). "I decided to keep it private for many reasons."

"Breathin'" deals with the lingering side effects of loss and grief. The "Sweetener" song seemingly references Ariana Grande's experience with anxiety following traumatic losses. She reminds herself to take deep breaths when life feels too much and shares how someone close to her helps her cope. "Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'/I know that all this s**t's fabricated/Time goes by and I can't control my mind/Don't know what else to try, but you tell me every time/Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'," she sings. The quick repetition of the word "breathin'" appears to mirror Grande's mind and heart racing and demonstrates how she continually reminds herself to breathe through hard times. In another touching nod to coping with loss, it seemingly features a hidden tribute to her late grandfather. Played backward, it's thought Grande's grandfather can be heard saying, "Tonight's your special night, do something magical." The secret addition may relate to how her close family helped pull her tough such a tough time.

Savan Kotecha, the album's producer, spoke about Grande's inspiring vulnerability co-writing the track to Billboard in 2018. "She was having a day and ... the lyrics speak for itself. When you're having one of those days where things are too much," he said. "She opened up as a writer and wrote this honest lyric about how she was feeling in that moment."

Ariana Grande also sings about the loss of a person through a breakup rather than death. On "Eternal Sunshine"'s "Don't Wanna Break Up Again," she mourns a relationship and the dream she had of their happy life together. "I fall asleep cryin'/You turn up the TV/You don't wanna hear me," she begins, suggesting she felt neglected in her relationship and the spark and affection between them had died. The star also sings of the difficult moment a couple parts ways. She grieves for what could have been as she starts a new life without them, but hopes they'll think of her positively. "We both know it's time/So we say goodbye/Just one kiss goodbye/With tears in our eyes/Hope you won't, won't regret me/Hope you'll still think fondly of our little life," she sings.

The track is widely thought to be about Grande and Dalton Gomez's divorce. She opened up about "Eternal Sunshine"'s (her first album post-split) themes on the "Zach Sang Show" in February 2024. "I wrote some of [the songs] when I was very emotional ... even some of the bops I cried writing," she said. "...So even at the hardest moments of the loss and the grief that you hear on some of the album, there was so much love and transparency." Grande references the end of "a situationship" in the song, which may have been how she viewed their marriage in the end. She also sings, "Won't abandon me again for you and I" as a vow to not lose herself in another relationship, which is just one of the important love lessons Grande has taught us.

On the heart-breaking "Thank U, Next" track "Ghostin'," Ariana Grande seemingly sings about grieving Mac Miller while dating Pete Davidson. The rapper passed away during the height of Grande and Davidson's whirlwind romance and the former couple split two months later. The song appears to feature candid lyrics about Grande's complicated grief and how it felt for Davidson. "I know that it breaks your heart when I cry again/Over him/I know that it breaks your heart when I cry again/Instead of ghostin' him," she sings, as Grande didn't appear to set time aside to deal with her grief at first. Grande also seemed to confirm she had dreams about Miller while still with Davidson. "Though I wish he were here instead/Don't want that living in your head/He just comes to visit me/When I'm dreaming every now and then," she sings.

A source told People in 2018 Grande struggled a lot with her ex's death. "It was devastating and shocking to her. It's had a huge, negative impact on her life. It made her rethink many things in her life," they said. Davidson shared in 2020 that he knew his relationship with Grande was over following Miller's passing. "That was really horrible, and I can't imagine what that s**t is like. All I do know is that she really loved the s**t out of him," he said during a  Charlamagne Tha God YouTube interview.

Grande was asked by a fan on X what "Ghostin'" was about in 2019. She responded in a since deleted tweet (via On Air with Ryan Seacrest), "Feeling badly for the person you're with [because] you love somebody else. Feeling badly [because] he can tell he can't compare."

Ariana Grande has confirmed a few times that the "Sweetener" track "Get Well Soon" was inspired by serious loss. The heartfelt song features touching lyrics about reaching out and checking in with people, especially those struggling. "When you need someone to pull you out the bubble/I'll be right there just to hug you/I'll be there/Where are you? Are you home?/Call me right on the phone," she croons. Grande also makes her on troubles clear and wonders if anyone else truly understands what she's going through. "They say my system is overloaded (Girl, what's wrong with you? Come back down)/I'm too much in my head, did you notice?"

She shared in a 2018 tweet that the song happened because of her anxiety following the Manchester bombing. "I felt like I was floating for like three months last year and not in a nice way. Like I as outside my body? [It] was very scary and I couldn't breathe well," she explained. Grande also spoke about the track's meaning during an emotional appearance on Apple Music that year. "It's just about being there for each other and helping each other through scary times and anxiety. There's just some dark s**t out there, man. We just have to be there for each other as much as we can," she said, adding, "It's also about personal demons and anxiety and more intimate tragedies." "Get Well Soon" finishes the album and is five minutes and 22 seconds long on streaming services, with the final 40 seconds totally silent. We think the ending serves as a moment of silence for the victims and the song ending on 22 seconds represents each person who lost their life.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.