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Be Alright (Ariana Grande song)

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"Be Alright"
Song

"Be Alright" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande from her third studio album Dangerous Woman (2016). It was written by Grande, Tommy Brown, Victoria McCants, Khaled Rohaim, Nicholas Audino, Lewis Hughes and Willie Tafa, and produced by Twice as Nice and Brown. The song was released as the first promotional single from the album on March 18, 2016. A song inspired by 1990's deep house, the song also takes influences from R&B and Chicago house. Grande provides breathy ad-libs during the track. Lyrically, it is a carefree song about being optimistic. It was performed live for the first time on Saturday Night Live, with choreography inspired by the vogue style of ballroom culture.

Background and release

On June 17, 2015, after finishing recording the song, Ariana Grande released two snippets of the track through her Snapchat account.[1][2][3] In the following months, she mentioned the song in other social media, such as Twitter and Instagram. Later, on January 11, 2016, a fan tweeted to Grande about the release of the track to what the singer replied that i was coming very soon.[4] Then, on January 20, 2016, Grande posted other two snippets of "Be Alright" on her Snapchat, with MTV News noting that they "reveal a grooving house beat over which Ari croons, 'Baby, we’ll be alright' and 'every little thing’s gonna be alright.'"[4] After hearing the snippets, Bianca Gracie of Idolator classified it as "a warmer sound that is within the same vein of previous, more electronic-based collaborations with Cashmere Cat ('Be My Baby' and 'Adore)'," opining that it sounded infinitely more promising than "Focus".[5] On March 11, 2016, she announced on Ryan Seacrest's radio show that she would perform "Be Alright" on the 41th season of Saturday Night Live on March 12, 2016, and that it would be released on March 18, 2016.[6] It served as the album's first promotional single.[7]

Composition and lyrics

"Be Alright" was written by Ariana Grande, Tommy Brown, Victoria McCants, Khaled Rohaim, Nicholas Audino, Lewis Hughes and Willie Tafa. It was produced by Twice as Nice and Brown.[8] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, the song is composed in the key of C♯ minor with a tempo of 114 beats per minute. Grande's vocals range from the note of F#3 to G#5.[9]

"Be Alright" is a song heavily inspired by 1990's deep house,[7][10] also having Chicago house,[11] R&B,[11] and dance-pop[12] influences. Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone went further, calling it a "tropical house swagger-jack."[13] Pitchfork's Corban Goble defined it as "a little more downtempo and assured than the whizzing pinball machine of something like 'Break Free'."[14] During the song, Grande provides breathy ad-libs.[15] Lyrically, "Be Alright" is a carefree song about being optimistic.[7] During the first lines, she sings: "Midnight shadows / When finding love is a battle / But daylight, is so close / So don’t you worry ‘bout a thing."[16] Later, she promises: "The hard times are golden ’cause they all lead to better days."[12]

Critical reception

Digital Spy's Lewis Corner stated the song is "a right little jam" and "deep house with high notes", being one of the most infectious songs Grande has released thus far.[17] In his review of Dangerous Woman, Corner called it "subtly epic, by not feeling pumped to Ibiza proportions, but transporting you to a more mellowed state of euphoria," also highlighting that it was one of his favorite songs.[15] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called it a "minimalistic banger" and noted that "the modern technique is cleverly used to approximate a retro sound, simulating the black male background singers of early-'90s house music."[18] Megan Downing of MTV UK wrote that it "shouldn't work on paper: a deep house track featuring Ari's souring vocals, however, it really does work and is one of the best tracks on the album,"[19] while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it an alluring "bright blasts of disco."[20]

Corban Globe of Pitchfork opined that "'Be Alright' utilizes the deep house lite that's en vogue these days, allowing an assured Grande to soar, though she wisely omits some of the garnish vocal runs. The chorus is compact and clever, highlighting [the song's] understated approach. Here, Grande keeps finding ways to make the hot sound of the moment work for her; it's proof she can change speeds."[14] Anna Gaca of Spin commented that the song "sounds equally ready for a post-club chill session or a dance floor remix,"[11] while for Luis Polanco of Billboard the song "is perfect for those moments of doubt in a relationship."[16] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times called it "buoyant", but observed that she promises the feel-good optimism "in a voice that sounds like it’s never seen worse than a broken fingernail."[12] Christopher R. Weingarten from Rolling Stone found the track "flat, monochromatic."[13]

Live performances

Grande performed "Be Alright" for the first time during the 41st season of Saturday Night Live on March 12, 2016.[21] The performance had Grande with her dancers doing a "Vogue-filled" choreography.[22][23] "Be Alright" was also performed during Grande's set on the 2016 Wango Tango and Vevo Sessions.[24][25]

Credits and personnel

Recording
  • Recorded at Vietom Studios.
  • Mixed at Mixstar Studios, Virginia Beach, California.
  • Mastered at Sterling Sound.
Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dangerous Woman, Republic Records.[8]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[26] 52
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[27] 39
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[28] 86
France (SNEP)[29] 75
Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[30] 9
Ireland (IRMA)[31] 92
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[32] 67
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[33] 89
New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)[34] 8
Portugal (AFP)[35] 63
Scotland (OCC)[36] 42
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[37] 81
South Korea International Chart (Gaon)[38] 25
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[39] 65
US Billboard Hot 100[40] 43

References

  1. ^ "Ariana Grande Teases New Song On Snapchat". Access Hollywood. June 19, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  2. ^ "Ariana Grande You'll Be Alright - YouTube". youtube.com. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  3. ^ Weintraub, Hannah (June 19, 2015). "Listen to a Sneak Peek of Ariana Grande's New Heart-Pounding Dance Track". Teen Vogue. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Roth, Madeline (January 21, 2016). "Ariana Grande Continues Teasing 'Be Alright,' And We're Not All Right". MTV News. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  5. ^ Gracie, Bianca (January 21, 2016). "Ariana Grande Teases "Be Alright" Song: Listen To Her Snapchat Snippets". Idolator. SpinMedia. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  6. ^ "INTERVIEW: Ariana Grande Talks New Songs, 'Mature' Album & 'SNL' | On Air with Ryan Seacrest". On Air with Ryan Seacrest. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Lee, Christina (March 18, 2016). "Ariana Grande Releases "Be Alright": Listen". Idolator. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Dangerous Woman (inlay cover). Ariana Grande. Republic Records. 2016.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "Ariana Grande - "Be Alright" - Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Universal Music Publishing Group. MN0161937. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  10. ^ Zaleski, Annie (May 20, 2016). "Ariana Grande finds her pop star footing on Dangerous Woman". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Gaca, Anna (March 18, 2016). "Ariana Grande Wants All of Us to 'Be Alright' on House-y New Single". Spin. Retrieved March 21, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ a b c Wood, Mikael (May 18, 2016). "Review: Ariana Grande leaves the princess image behind with 'Dangerous Woman'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Weingarten, Christopher R. (May 20, 2016). "Ariana Grande's New Album: Dangerous Woman | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Goble, Corban (March 22, 2016). "Ariana Grande "Be Alright"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  15. ^ a b Corner, Lewis (May 18, 2016). "Ariana Grande's new album Dangerous Woman - our track-by-track first-listen review". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Polanco, Luis (March 18, 2016). "Ariana Grande Releases 'Be Alright' Off 'Dangerous Woman'". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  17. ^ Corner, Lewis (March 18, 2016). "Ariana Grande has released the studio version of 'Be Alright' and it's a right little jam". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  18. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (May 19, 2016). "Airana Grande: Dangerous Woman - Album Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  19. ^ Downing, Megan (May 19, 2016). "mtv review: ariana grande's 'dangerous woman' is her best record yet & here's why". MTV UK. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  20. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  21. ^ Peters, Mitchell (March 13, 2016). "Watch Ariana Grande Debut 'Dangerous Woman' Songs on 'Saturday Night Live'". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  22. ^ Krep, Daniel (March 13, 2016). "Watch Ariana Grande Debut 'Dangerous Woman' Tracks on 'SNL'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  23. ^ Lee, Christina (March 13, 2016). "Ariana Grande Performs "Dangerous Woman" And "Be Alright" On 'SNL': Watch". Idolator. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  24. ^ Brown, August (May 15, 2016). "Wango Tango 2016: Ariana Grande, Zayn Malik and Fifth Harmony kick-start Top-40 pop". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  25. ^ Kelley, Seth (May 19, 2016). "Ariana Grande Previews New 'Dangerous Woman' Album for Vevo Concert". Variety. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  26. ^ "CHART WATCH #361". Auspop. March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  27. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  28. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 14. týden 2016 in the date selector. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  29. ^ "Ariana Grande – Be Alright" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  30. ^ "Greece Digital Songs – Apr 02, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2016.(subscription required)
  31. ^ "Chart Track: Week 12, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  32. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  33. ^ "Ariana Grande – Be Alright" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  34. ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  35. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com - Singles (Week 12)". Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  36. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  37. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201614 into search. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  38. ^ "Gaon Digital Chart – Issue date: 2016.03.20 – 2016.03.26". Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  39. ^ "Official Singles Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  40. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
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