Imperfect for You

"Imperfect for You"
Song by Ariana Grande
from the album Eternal Sunshine
ReleasedMarch 8, 2024 (2024-03-08)
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length3:02
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Ariana Grande
  • Max Martin
  • Ilya
Lyric visualizer
"Imperfect for You" on YouTube

"Imperfect for You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande, taken from her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine (2024). It was released with the album on March 8, 2024, through Republic Records. The song with written and produced by Grande, Max Martin, and Ilya Salmanzadeh, with Peter Kahm receiving writing credits. An acoustic version was released on March 10, 2024, as part of the "Slightly Deluxe" edition of Eternal Sunshine.

Background and composition

'Imperfect for You' [was the last song finished for the album] which is my favorite. I love it so much, I love it so much. I don't know why it's my favorite, I think sonically it is my favorite, it's very different for me, it's very trippy, Rubber Soul vibes, and that is my favorite music to listen to and I don't think I ever explored it for myself, but it just felt really fun to lean in to it and make something super trippy, 60s, organic feeling, just capturing that kind of thing.

— Ariana Grande on "Imperfect for You"[2]

"Imperfect for You" runs for a total duration of three minutes and two seconds.[3] As the twelfth track on the album, Grande told Zane Lowe in an interview that "Imperfect for You" was an ode to friends, family, and loved ones who are "accepting and real", and that it was an important song which "demands room for nuance and humanness".[4] The song has been described as an alternative rock[1] ballad.[5] In an interview with Zach Sang, Grande mentioned how the song was the last to be finished, deeming it one of her own favorites from the album.[2]

Grande sings about accepting the imperfections of a relationship,[6] which is described as a love story eventually becoming a "happy disaster" by Billboard.[7]

Live performance

"Imperfect for You" was performed live for the first time on March 9, 2024, during an episode of Saturday Night Live with her mother Joan introducing the performance, alongside Eternal Sunshine's second single, "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)".[8][9]

Credits and personnel

Recording

  • Mixed at Mixstar Studios (Virginia Beach)
  • Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

  • Ariana Grande – vocals, lyrics, composition, production
  • Max Martin – lyrics, production, composition, guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, programming, background vocals
  • Ilya Salmanzadeh – production, composition, guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, programming, background vocals
  • Peter Kahm – composition
  • Sam Holland – engineering
  • Lou Carrao – engineering
  • Eric Eylands – engineering assistance
  • Rob Sellens – engineering assistance
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance

Charts

Chart performance for "Imperfect for You"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 80
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 35
France (SNEP)[12] 131
Global 200 (Billboard)[13] 25
Greece International (IFPI)[14] 41
Portugal (AFP)[15] 57
UK Streaming (OCC)[16] 32
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 37

References

  1. ^ a b Tafoya, Harry (March 11, 2024). "eternal sunshine". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Ariana Grande – "eternal sunshine" Track By Track Breakdown [Part 2]". Zach Sang Show. March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Grande, Ariana. "eternal sunshine". Apple Music. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande's 'Eternal Sunshine' isn't her best album, but it's a solid collection of bops". Business Insider. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Rigotti, Alex (March 10, 2024). "Watch Ariana Grande perform two new 'Eternal Sunshine' songs on 'SNL'". NME. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  6. ^ Allaire, Christian (March 8, 2024). "29 Thoughts I Had Listening to Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine". Vogue. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Denis, Kyle (March 8, 2024). "Ariana Grande's 'Eternal Sunshine': All 13 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Peters, Mitchell (March 10, 2024). "Ariana Grande Powerfully Delivers Two New Eternal Sunshine Songs on SNL: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "Ariana Grande Performs "Imperfect for You" and "We Can't Be Friends" on Saturday Night Live – Watch". NBC. 2024-03-10. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  10. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 18 March 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1776. Australian Recording Industry Association. March 18, 2024. p. 4.
  11. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  12. ^ "Top Singles (Week 11, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  14. ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) (Week: 11/2024)". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  15. ^ "Ariana Grande – Imperfect for You". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  16. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2024.