To see how far the genre of “ex diss tracks” has come, you only need to listen to Ariana Grande’s new single, Thank U, Next, released just after she broke up with her fiance, Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson. In it, Grande thanks all her past loves for the part they played in the creation of the “so amazing” Ariana 2.0: “One taught me love / One taught me patience / And one taught me pain … I’ve loved and I’ve lost / But that’s not what I see / Look what I got / Look what you taught me.”

The music press applauded the single as a welcome new spin on the scorned lovers’ songs of old (Eamon and Frankee, we’re looking at you), with Pitchfork calling it an “eloquent display of inner strength”. On Twitter, its message of self-discovery and forgiveness was quickly embraced as a meme, linking noteworthy exes in popular culture with lessons learned.

Thank U, Next tells us to be cheerful in the face of heartbreak, because love teaches us many things – such as, in my experience, who not to go out with in future. My lessons came from the bad guys, such as the ex who gave me a crash course in how to spot a psychopath. Another taught me that you will never be able to fix someone who breaks your possessions.

More than that, my worst relationships taught me about tolerance. I now know that anyone, no matter how new and improved, can fall for a wrongun – and take them back a number of times. Even that has an upside. I spent my teenage years thinking that no one would ever love me after they found out about my imperfections – I now realise lovers make these concessions every day.

That’s why I keep the love letters I’ve been sent. It’s not just that I can’t believe someone other than the Student Loans Company has ever written to me; they are a reminder of who I once was.

Grande ends her song by moving on to a new, better love: herself. I’m not sure I’m there yet, but I’m a very good student and I am willing to keep learning.

Source: The Guardian

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