In case you missed it, Ariana Grande dropped another brand new album on Friday—Thank U, Next. The album comes only less than a year after she dropped her award-winning, record-breaking album Sweetener. Obviously, knowing how hard Ariana stans go, people were counting down the days, hours, and minutes until the album came out. On Friday, when it dropped, everyone was bumping it loud and proud, looking for some subtle clues about what songs may mean.
Grande has been extremely open about this album being a personal favorite, as it’s an album with no features from other artists and very vulnerable tracks. She admitted that she wrote all of the songs after her very public split with Pete Davidson and losing her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, to an overdose. Therefore, fans knew there was going to be some tea spilled about both famous men.
One particular song on the album—Ghostin—peaked a lot of fan’s interests after Grande did a Q&A on Twitter about some of the new tracks. She told fans that the song was about “feeling badly for the person you’re with because you love somebody else. feeling badly because he can’t compare, and how I should be ghosting him.”
feeling badly for the person you're with bc you love somebody else. feeling badly bc he can tell he can't compare…. and how i should be ghosting him.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) January 23, 2019
Once fans heard this, they thought right away that Grande was speaking about her relationship with Pete Davidson. The two split pretty soon after the death of Mac Miller, and many fans inferred that the toll this took on Grande was too much to deal with—realizing she loved Mac more than she let on. Looking closer at the lyrics, it’s easy to see why.
The first verse talks about Grande sleeping next to someone and crying. It’s safe to assume Grande’s talking about sleeping next to Davidson and crying about Miller.
The chorus, also, discusses crying over “him.” Him, of course, can only lead to Mac Miller, as well.
The second verse even talks about wishing that “he” was here instead. And, that someone comes to visit her when she’s dreaming. Obviously, since Mac’s passing, this could be the only way she sees him.
One fan even showed the similarities between Ghostin and Mac Miller’s Cinderella, which, was written about Grande herself.
ghostin by ariana grande // cinderella by mac miller pic.twitter.com/PKdnij5v45
— gheeda (@kehlanimila) February 8, 2019
Another pointed out that Grande wrote a song, reMeMber, that she cut from the album because it was “too personal.”
As if #ghostin wasn’t personal enough. I love Ariana Grande SO much. reMeMber pic.twitter.com/G0KQJxJouq
— alfwdo? (@JohnCl__) February 8, 2019
Another said that Grande sampled Mac Millers song, 2009, on the track, too.
Ariana Grande seems to have sampled Mac Miller’s song “2009” on “ghostin”. pic.twitter.com/5pkOKmbFur
— Sarah Moonlight (@SarahMoonlight6) February 8, 2019
Fans on Twitter could not stop posting photos of Mac Miller and hinting towards the fact that the song was about Mac v. Pete.
i know it breaks your heart when i cry again, over him.
i know it breaks your heart when i cry again, stead of ghostin him. pic.twitter.com/eHNBkCbJlx— ɥɐuuɐɥ ? (@goddessarigb) February 8, 2019
this whole time i really thought ghostin was going to be about ghosting people but it's really about mac miller pic.twitter.com/ZCusw6N6c4
— April. (@SmallestSkipper) February 8, 2019
when u thought ghostin was gonna be about ghostin a man and it turns out to be a song about mac pic.twitter.com/GR2rmoffLK
— kayci bonilla (@kaycibonilla) February 8, 2019
Obviously, losing someone you love can be a hard road to travel. We’re glad Grande found a way to try and cope with it.