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Ariana Grande’s ‘Thank U, Next’ Lyric Changes Underscore Eternal Sunshine Tour’s Celebration of Real-Time Healing: Show Review
Ariana Grande used the closing night of her five-show run at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on 19 July, part of the Eternal Sunshine Tour, to make another tweak to the lyrics of "Thank U, Next", her 2018 chart-topping breakup anthem. The change softened a reference to former boyfriend Ricky Alvarez from dismissive to affectionate, reflecting reports that the pair have recently rekindled their relationship. The moment reinforced the tour's broader theme of embracing past relationships and personal growth rather than erasing them.
Grande altered the line "Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh" to "Wrote some songs about Ricky, we always find our way back", continuing a pattern of increasingly warm rewrites first noticed at a Texas show in June. She and Alvarez, who met while working together in 2014 and briefly dated in 2015, were reported by TMZ on 14 July to be back together. The show itself was staged in five acts alongside a short film co-directed by Grande, framing the lyric change as part of the tour's wider message about healing and reflecting on one's past rather than dismissing it.
In short
- Ariana Grande reworked "Thank U, Next" lyrics at her Brooklyn Barclays Center show.
- The edit softened a line about ex Ricky Alvarez, reportedly her current boyfriend.
- Change reflects the Eternal Sunshine Tour's theme of healing and self-reflection.
Explained simply
Ariana Grande is one of the world's biggest pop singers. "Thank U, Next" is a chart-topping song she released in 2018 that became famous as a breakup anthem, referencing several of her past relationships in a dismissive, joking way.
During her current Eternal Sunshine Tour, Grande performed a modified version of the song at Brooklyn's Barclays Center in July. She changed one of the lines about Ricky Alvarez, a former boyfriend from 2015, from a dismissive reference to a warmer, more affectionate one. This change came shortly after reports that Grande and Alvarez have recently rekindled their relationship.
The updated lyric reflects a broader shift in how Grande is presenting herself and her past. Rather than the song's original message of moving past relationships, the tour now emphasises acceptance and understanding that comes from reflecting on one's romantic history, rather than dismissing it.
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