Positions (album)

Positions
Main album cover, limited edition DTC copies of the album were shipped with one of two alternative artworks
Studio album by Ariana Grande
Released	October 30, 2020 (2020-10-30)
Studio	Grande's house Champagne Therapy (Los Angeles) Windmark (Los Angeles) Capitol (Los Angeles) Jungle City (New York City)
Genre	R&B pop trap
Length	41:14
Label	Republic
Producer	Murda Beatz Tommy Brown Oliver Frid Peter Lee Johnson London on da Track Mr. Franks Nami Tommy Parker Travis Sayles Scott Storch Shea Taylor The Rascals Xavi Shintaro Yasuda
Ariana Grande chronology
K Bye for Now (SWT Live) (2019) Positions (2020)
Singles from Positions
"Positions" Released: October 23, 2020 "34+35" Released: October 30, 2020

Positions is the sixth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on October 30, 2020, by Republic Records. The singer worked with a variety of producers on the album, including Tommy Brown, Anthony M. Jones, London on da Track, Murda Beatz, The Rascals, Scott Storch, Shea Taylor and Charles Anderson.

The album expands on the R&B and trap-pop sound of its predecessors, Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019), while incorporating elements of hip hop, neo soul and funk. Lyrically, Positions finds Grande discussing themes of sex and romantic love. Doja Cat, the Weeknd and Ty Dolla Sign make guest appearances in the album. Upon release, the album garnered generally favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented Grande's vocals but criticized its production and lyrics.

Two singles were released to support the album, the title track and "34+35", with the former debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, giving Grande her fifth number one single in the United States. The album debuted at number one of the US Billboard 200 chart with 174,000 album-equivalent units, which includes 42,000 pure sales, marking Grande's fifth number-one album in the US. Elsewhere, it reached the top spot in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

Background

On April 19, 2020, it was first reported that Ariana Grande was working on new music. She also declared in May 2020 that she had recorded a song with Doja Cat earlier that year. In the same interview, however, Grande stated that she would not release an album during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. On October 14, 2020, Grande announced on social media that her upcoming sixth studio album would be released the same month. Three days later, she posted a slow-motion video in which she types out the word "positions" on a keyboard. That same day, Grande's official website launched two countdowns counting down to October 23, 2020 and October 30, 2020. On October 23, 2020, she confirmed via her Twitter account that the album was coming on October 30 and posted the cover art. The tracklist was revealed the following day. Grande released three slightly different Positions album covers on her social media. Each of them are beauty shots of the singer in black and white with varied posing. The covers were shot by Dave Meyers (who also directed the title track’s music video), with creative direction by Stefan Kohli.

Composition

Musically, Positions is primarily a R&B and trap-pop album that features elements of hip hop, neo soul, disco, funk, microhouse, electro house, and chamber pop with Grande's vocals being described as evoking mumble rap. The opening track, "Shut Up", has been described as "a jewel box of an orchestral-pop number in which the singer tells off people too concerned with how she spends her time". The second track, "34+35", has been described to have sexually suggestive lyrics. The third track, "Motive", is a collaboration with Doja Cat. Grande had declared the two worked on a track together in May 2020. "Off the Table" is a collaboration with the Weeknd, and "tackles the idea of loving after loss head-on and with grace". "Six Thirty" sees Grande "[shatter] established language norms and creates a new metaphor paradigm, comparing a person to a very specific hour of the day as represented on a clock". Vulture's Rachel Handler described "My Hair" as "a witty, clever little ditty about reassuring an uneasy lover that it is, indeed, okay to touch Ariana Grande's almost frighteningly giant ponytail. It's also a classic horny bait and switch, kicking off like a sexy, swingy, '70s-esque doo-wop about fuckin'." The eleventh track, "Love Language", is described as "disco-meets-new jack swing".

Release and singles

On October 27, 2020, Grande announced that limited-edition CDs of Positions with two alternate cover artworks are to be released in conjunction with the album, and were made available for preorder on Grande's website. On October 30, 2020, limited quantity of Positions standard edition CDs, autographed by Grande, were issued DTC on the website.

The title track "Positions" along with its music video was released on October 23, 2020, as the album's lead single. It has debuted atop the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Grande's fifth US number-one single and extending her record of being the first artist to have five number-one debut singles on the chart. "34+35" was released on October 30, 2020, serving as the second single from album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.7/10
Metacritic	72/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Clash	8/10
Consequence of Sound	B+
The Daily Telegraph
The Guardian
The Independent
NME
Pitchfork	7.4/10
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine

Positions received generally favorable reviews from music critics, most of whom agreed that Grande "does not break any new ground" with it. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 72 based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Louise Bruton of The Irish Times labeled Positions a "big orgy of breathless R&B songs" that solidify Grande as one of pop music's leading voices, despite the scarcity of "bangers". Mary Siroky of Consequence of Sound detailed the album as "showy", "wildly theatrical", filled with romance and flirtation, establishing a blend of Dangerous Woman (2016), Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019), while dismissing the guest appearances as its weakest songs. Pitchfork's Dani Blum wrote that Grande is "both in love and scared of it" in Positions, as she tries to heal herself in "new giddy romance"; Blum further noticed that the album does not broaden her sound "the way her past few albums have". Brenton Blanchet of Clash called it refreshing, giving plaudits for "beautifully layered" orchestrations and sweet harmonies, but asserted that Grande stays in a comfortable genre "she's all too familiar with". Vulture's Craig Jenkins appreciated the "effortless" vocals, and pinpointed how the album is "risqué and unsubtle" in nature, but underlined its safe formula and presence of filler tracks. Hannah Mylrea of NME affirmed that Positions is "jaw-droppingly good fun", however, observed that the washy melodies result in indistinct songs, deficit of Grande's "trademark sparkle".

Chris DeVille of Stereogum lauded the "impeccable" vocals, but downplayed the "least stimulating" production. He dubbed Positions as a solid Grande album, but deemed it a premature "disappointment" in comparison to Sweetener and Thank U, Next. The Telegraph's Kate Solomon described it as "sultry sexjams and thinly veiled euphemisms" with X-rated lyrics, softened by Disneyfied strings, but despite the singer shining new confidence, Positions "doesn't quite hit the spot". Carl Wilson of Slate classified the album as Grande's "most shamelessly sexed-up set" and "back-to-basics-plus album" with relaxed and familiar music, that turns "bedroom calisthenics" and "mundane" romance into "bubbly pop fodder", yet avowed that it feels trivial amidst her other projects. The Independent writer Adam White highlighted the album's push-and-pull dynamic, but felt the singer sticks to her comfort zone, and noted that Positions has "Spotify syndrome"—short songs to aid playlisting.

David Smyth of Evening Standard praised Grande's voice as "a thing of great beauty", but remarked that she "isn't firing as hard as she was when she released her last two albums". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian concluded that the album proceeds at a tiring pace, causing the individual tracks blur into "one long slow-motion shot", without a climax. Naming Positions a misstep in Grande's career, The Fader's Shaad D'Souza denounced its conversational style of vocals, "low-effort" lyrics and trend-chasing production. He thought the songs lacked distinction and punch, dissolving into a "swamp of icy drum hits and aimless melisma". Calling it a product of pandemic fatigue, Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine wrote that Positions leans on "the same midtempo trap-pop" that were on Grande's previous albums, and criticized the lyricism for its "empty" pillow talk and repetitive hooks. Bobby Olivier of Spin found the album "sultry yet forgettable", with several "uninspired" or "unmemorable" tracks.

Commercial performance

In the United States, Positions debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with 174,000 album-equivalent units (including 42,000 pure sales) in its opening week. It became the fourth album by a female artist to reach number one in 2020. The album's tracks accumulated a total 173.54 million on-demand streams in the week ending November 14, marking the second-largest streaming week for a non-R&B/hip-hop or Latin album in 2020, only behind Taylor Swift's Folklore. Positions made Grande the fastest female artist to collect three number one studio albums in the country. It also had the highest one-week total for an album since bundles stopped factoring into chart and sales rankings, in terms of overall equivalent album units earned. All 14 tracks of "Positions" charted simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated November. 14, 2020). The LP's lead single "Positions" was at number two on the Hot 100, after debuting at number one a week ago, followed by second single "34+35," which debuted at number eight. The latter gave Grande her 18th career top ten hit, tying her with Beyoncé for the eighth-most top ten hits among women in the chart's 62-year history. "Positions" was Grande's second consecutive album to chart all of its tracks simultaneously on the Hot 100, following "Thank U, Next". Charting fourteen songs on the Hot 100 simultaneously marks a new personal best for Grande. She previously logged as many as twelve when her last LP, "Thank U, Next", opened atop the Billboard 200 (dated February. 23, 2019). Grande's career Hot 100 count now jumps to 66 entries, the fourth-most among women, after Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj (113 each) and Aretha Franklin (73).

Track listing

Positions track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Shut Up"	Ariana Grande Tommy Brown Steven Franks Peter Lee Johnson Tayla Parx Travis Sayles Michael Foster	Brown Franks[b] Sayles[b] Johnson[c]	2:37
2.	"34+35"	Grande Brown Franks Johnson Parx Victoria Monét Scott Nicholson Xavier "Xavi" Herrera Albert Stanaj[c]	Brown Franks[a] Xavi[a] Johnson[c]	2:53
3.	"Motive" (with Doja Cat)	Grande Brown Franks Monét Amala Zandile Dlamini Nija Charles James McIntyre Shane Lindstrom	Brown Murda Beatz Franks[a] Joseph L'Étranger[a]	2:47
4.	"Just like Magic"	Grande Brown Franks Shea Taylor Priscilla Renea	Brown Franks Taylor	2:29
5.	"Off the Table" (with the Weeknd)	Grande Brown Franks Sayles Abel Tesfaye Shintaro Yasuda	Brown Shintaro Franks[a] Sayles[a]	3:59
6.	"Six Thirty"	Grande Brown Franks Taylor Renea Dylan "Nami" Teixeira	Brown Franks Taylor[a] Nami[a]	3:04
7.	"Safety Net" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign)	Grande Brown Tyrone Griffin Jr Khristopher Riddick-Tynes Leon Thomas III Silas Doss	Brown The Rascals Keys Open Doors[b]	3:28
8.	"My Hair"	Grande Brown Monét Parx Scott Storch Anthony M. Jones Charles "Scootie" Anderson	Brown Storch Jones[a] Scootie[a]	2:38
9.	"Nasty"	Grande Brown Monét Sayles Riddick-Tynes Thomas Teixeira	Brown The Rascals Sayles Nami	3:20
10.	"West Side"	Grande Brown Monét Herrera Ammar Junedi	Brown Xavi Junedi[b]	2:12
11.	"Love Language"	Grande Brown Monét Sayles Parx Kam Parker Tommy Parker	Brown Sayles T. Parker	2:59
12.	"Positions"	Grande Brown Franks Charles Angelina Barrett James Jarvis London Tyler Holmes Brian Vincent Bates[c]	Brown Franks London on da Track	2:52
13.	"Obvious"	Grande Brown Franks Charles Sayles Johnson Ryan Tedder Josh Conerly[c]	Brown Franks Sayles Conerly[c]	2:28
14.	"POV"	Grande Brown Franks Parx Oliver Frid	Brown Franks Frid	3:21
Total length:				41:07

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[c]} these contributors are only credited on digital releases of the album
• All track titles are stylized in all lowercase
• Physical releases of Positions credit Doja Cat and the Weeknd as featured artists instead of co-lead artists on "Motive" and "Off the Table", respectively.
• "West Side" contains a sample of "One in a Million" by Aaliyah, written by Melissa Elliott and Tim Mosley.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

Musicians

• Ariana Grande – lead and background vocals (all tracks), vocal arrangement (tracks 1–11, 13, 14)
• Peter Lee Johnson – strings (tracks 1, 2, 6, 8, 14)
• Madison Calle – harp (track 1)
• Paula Hochhalter – cello (tracks 5, 6, 11)
• Ross Gadsworth – cello (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Gerry Hilera – concertmaster (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• David Walther – viola (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Rodney Wirtz – viola (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Ana Landauer – violin (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Ashoka Thiaragarajan – violin (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Ellen Jung – violin (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Gerry Hilera – violin (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Lorand Lokuszta – violin (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Mario De Leon – violin (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Michele Richards – violin (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Neil Samples – violin (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Phillip Levy – violin (tracks 5, 6, 11, 14)
• Dammo Farmer – bass (track 8)
• Tarron Crayton – bass (track 11)
• James Jarvis – guitar (track 12)

Technical

• Serban Ghenea – mixer
• Randy Merrill – mastering engineer
• Ariana Grande – engineer (tracks 1–8, 10–14), vocal producer (all tracks)
• Billy Hickey – engineer (tracks 1–8, 10–14)
• Brendan Morawski – engineer (track 8)
• Sam Ricci – engineer (track 9)
• Tayla Parx – vocal producer (track 14)
• Brandon Wood – assistant recording engineer (tracks 4, 6)
• Andrew Keller – assistant recording engineer (track 8)
• Sean Klein – assistant recording engineer (track 8)

Charts

Chart performance for Positions

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	14
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	1
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)	5
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	2
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)	4
French Albums (SNEP)	8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	7
Irish Albums (OCC)	1
Italian Albums (FIMI)	8
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)	20
Japanese Albums (Oricon)	47
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	1
Scottish Albums (OCC)	6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	4
UK Albums (OCC)	1
US Billboard 200	1

Release history

Release history for Positions

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Various	October 30, 2020 (2020-10-30)	Cassette CD digital download streaming	Republic

See also

• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2020
• List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2020s
• List of number-one albums of 2020 (Canada)
• List of number-one albums of 2020 (Ireland)
• List of number-one albums from the 2020s (New Zealand)
• List of number-one albums in Norway