On the 22nd of May 2017, Ariana Grande had ended her show when a bomb went off at the Manchester Arena. To pay tribute, she has added 40 seconds of silence to her final song on her new album.
The United Kingdom and the world at large felt the ripples left in the wake of the tragic Manchester Arena bombing. The bomb went off after Ariana Grande’s final performance. As her fans were exiting the arena, a suicide bomber set off a homemade bomb filled with shrapnel.
The bomb killed 22 people and injured hundreds of people.
It’s no coincidence that the cover photo for Ariana’s fourth album is her first not in black and white. She told Jimmy Fallon that “Sweetener” is about bringing light to a situation or someone’s life, somebody else who brings light to your life, or sweetening the situation.
It’s a powerful statement, coming only a year after the devastating attack.
Ariana confirmed that for months after the bombing, she suffered from anxiety. It was after a particularly bad panic attack, that she picked up a pen and paper and wrote the final song on her album “Get Well Soon”. The song was a dedication to self-care and love. It was her response to the attack.
“When I got home from tour, I had really wild dizzy spells, this feeling like I couldn’t breathe,” she explained. “I would be in a good mood, fine and happy, and they would hit me out of nowhere. I’ve always had anxiety, but it had never been physical before. There were a couple of months straight where I felt so upside down.”
The album is credited as being her most personal one yet. With “Get Well Soon” being the final song on the album, Ariana added in a 40-second moment of silence. Making the song length 5:22, a direct tribute to those affected by the bombing.
Some respond to grief with darkness, Ariana has done the opposite. Her song is packed with powerful words. Words encouraging everyone to take care of themselves.
This is for everybody
Babe, you gotta take care of your body, yuh yuh
Ain’t no time to deny it, that is why we talking about it
Yeah, we talking about it
So deal with it, don’t try to get by it
Ain’t no time to deny it
So we had to sit down and just write it
You can find the full album on iTunes or Apple Music here. If you don’t have either options, you can click on the song for a 1 minute preview.