Imagine (Ariana Grande song)

"Imagine"
A close-up shot of a woman's face, showing her right cheek and glossy lips. The image is greyscale and contains visible noise. Displayed between the woman's lips, which are slightly open, are two Chinese characters that translate to the song title "Imagine".
Promotional single by Ariana Grande
from the album Thank U, Next
ReleasedDecember 14, 2018 (2018-12-14)
StudioJungle City (New York City)
Genre
Length3:31
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Pop Wansel
  • Happy Perez
Ariana Grande promotional singles chronology
"The Light Is Coming"
(2018) 		"Imagine"
(2018) 		"Just Look Up"
(2021)
Lyric video
"Imagine" on YouTube

"Imagine" is a song recorded by American singer Ariana Grande. The song was written by Grande, Jameel Roberts and Priscilla Renea alongside its producers Andrew "Pop" Wansel and Happy Perez. It was released on December 14, 2018, as the only promotional single from her fifth studio album Thank U, Next (2019).[1]

Commercially, the song reached the top 10 in Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, Slovakia and the United Kingdom, as well as the top 20 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Scotland. The track also peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Background and release

On December 11, 2018, Grande teased the song with a post on her Instagram story, with a countdown of its official release.[2] The song was previewed a day later,[3] with Grande tweeting the title using Chinese characters.[4][5] The song and its official lyric video were released simultaneously on December 14, 2018, with the lyrics set to a glitching background of a collapsing glacier made by glitch artist Thomas Collet.[6][7]

Composition

"Imagine" is an R&B/pop ballad with a trap-inspired rhythm.[8][9] It is written in the key of F minor, and has a tempo of 125 BPM. The song features multiple whistle registers,[10] and Grande's vocals span from F3 to C7.[11] Lyrically, the song speaks about Grande's denial of failed relationships, specifically her relationship with Mac Miller.[3][12] Grande described the song as being about "a simple, beautiful love that is now (and forever) unattainable."[13]

Critical reception

"Imagine" has been widely regarded as one of Grande's best songs. In 2021, The Guardian ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Ariana Grande songs,[14] and in 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the song number eight on their list of the 50 greatest Ariana Grande songs.[15]

Commercial performance

"Imagine" proved to be Grande's most successful promotional single. On the issue dated December 29, 2018, "Imagine" debuted at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100 as the highest new entry of the week, while starting on the Streaming Songs at number 21 and the Digital Songs at number two.[16] "Imagine" fell to number 71 in its second week on the Hot 100, however rebounded and surged to number 63 in its third week. It spent an additional week there and departed the region after four consecutive weeks. Following the release of Grande's own "7 Rings", "Imagine" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 99 due to strong digital downloads, spending a fifth week there. After the release of the parent album Thank U, Next, "Imagine" re-entered the US charts for a third time at a new peak of number 21, consequently becoming the sixth highest-charting track from the album and third highest-charting non-single behind "Needy" and "NASA" which debuted at numbers 14 and 17 the same week, respectively. The track ultimately charted for a total of eight weeks on the Hot 100.

Internationally, "Imagine" reached the top ten in Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Singapore, Slovakia and the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. The track also peaked at number 15 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, number 16 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and number 17 on the Canadian Hot 100. Its lowest position was in France, where it reached number 110.

Live performances

Grande performed "Imagine" for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on December 18, 2018.[17] The song was excluded from the set list of the Sweetener World Tour because it was "too heavy" to perform, according to Grande.[18] On January 26, 2020, Grande performed the song in a medley with "7 Rings", "My Favorite Things", and "Thank U, Next" at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[19]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[20]

  • Ariana Grande – lead vocals, songwriting, vocal production
  • Andrew "Pop" Wansel – production, songwriting, keyboard, programming
  • Nathan Perez – production, songwriting, guitar, keyboard, programming
  • Priscilla Renea – songwriting
  • Jameel Roberts – songwriting
  • John Hanes – mixing engineer
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Brendan Morawski – recording engineer
  • Joe Gallagher – recording engineer
  • Sean Klein – assistant recording engineer
  • Andrew Luftman – production coordinator
  • Sarah Shelton – production coordinator
  • Zvi Edelman – production coordinator

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Imagine"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[48] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[49] 2× Platinum 80,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[50] Gold 30,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[51] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[53] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates for "Imagine"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various December 14, 2018
Republic [20][54]

References

  1. ^ Bloom, Madison (December 14, 2018). "Ariana Grande Shares New Song "imagine": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  2. ^ "Ariana Grande is teasing a new song". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Lukarcanin, Emina (December 12, 2018). "Ariana Grande Shares First Taste of Her New Song 'Imagine': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  4. ^ Barbour, Shannon (December 12, 2018). "Ariana Grande Just Teased Another Song". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  5. ^ Maine, Samantha (December 12, 2018). "Ariana Grande teases new single 'Imagine', describes new album as "mourning failed yet important, beautiful relationships"". NME. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  6. ^ Cantor, Brian (December 14, 2018). "Ariana Grande Releases Lyric Video For New Song "imagine" (Watch Now)". Headline Planet. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  7. ^ "Ariana Grande Conceives Instagram-Perfect Romance on "Imagine"". Slant Magazine. December 14, 2018.
  8. ^ "Ariana Grande Releases Romantic New Song 'Imagine' — Here's Why Fans Think It's About Mac Miller". People.com. Retrieved January 14, 2019. The R&B pop ballad — which features Grande showing off her impressive range — touches upon her reflection of what-ifs and if-onlys in regards to her "failed yet important beautiful relationships
  9. ^ "Review: Ariana Grande Nails It Again With "Imagine" – black boy bulletin". Black Boy Bullentin. December 15, 2018. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  10. ^ "Ariana Grande Brings Back The Whistle Note For Her New Song Imagine". Hit. December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  11. ^ "Ariana Grande "imagine" Sheet Music in F Minor – Download & Print – SKU: MN0192057". Musicnotes.com. December 20, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  12. ^ "Ariana Grande Teases New Song About 'Failed Relationships'". Us Weekly. December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  13. ^ Kim, Michelle (February 8, 2019). "5 Takeaways from Ariana Grande's New Album, thank u, next". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  14. ^ Cragg, Michael (August 5, 2021). "Ariana Grande's greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  15. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (May 11, 2022). "The 50 Best Ariana Grande Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  16. ^ "The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  17. ^ "Ariana Grande Got Into the Christmas Spirit for Her TV Debut Performance of "Imagine": Watch". Billboard. December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  18. ^ Savage, Mark (March 19, 2019). "Ariana Grande kicks off Sweetener world tour in New York". BBC News. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
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