After dropping hints all over social media, fans were more than anxious to see Ariana Grande’s new music video “Thank you, Next,” released Friday Nov. 30.
The long anticipated video was a trip down memory lane making trib-ute to several iconic movies such as Mean Girls, Bring It On, Legally Blonde and Thirteen going on Thirty.
Several artists including Kris Jen-ner, Elizabeth Gillies, Matt Bennet, among others, made special appear-ances throughout the video, placing the video as one of YouTube’s hottest trends and Number 1 in the Billboard charts.
This song is empowering to listen to after any break-up; “Thank you, Next” has become the anthem for anyone who has suffered from a heartbreak. Grande shines a light on her experience with her past three exes, Big Sean, Pete Davidson and Mac Miller. “One taught me love, one taught me patience, and one taught me pain” are the song lyrics that are blasting on today’s radio stations.
Besides the lyrics being totally re-latable, Grande takes it a step further by incorporating some of the most popular cinematic films during the early 2000s. Throughout the video, some of the most memorable scenes were re-enacted placing Grande as the protagonist.
The video opens up with the “Who is Regina George?” scene from Mean Girls with Ariana Grande portraying Regina. Grande had previously posted little snips of this scene which had fans all riled up for the rest of the video, as well as a sneak peek of the infamous burn book filled with her exes’ pictures.
However, the most recognizable scene showcasing Mean Girls would be the Jingle Bells failing performance. In the scene Kris Jenner is featured as she takes on the role of Regina George’s mother. Jenner was a perfect match for this role as she is known to support her daughter’s insane and ridiculous ideas.
Bring It On was also referenced throughout the music video with cheerleaders sporting TUN on their uniform to symbolize the “Thank you, Next” squad. Several of Grande’s co-stars such as Daniella Monnet , among others, are part of the cheerleading squad. Grande chose Matt Bennet to represent Torrence and Cliff’s love interest in the video and re-enacted the tooth brushing scene and the moment Torrence listens to a recording of songs Cliff did for her.
Legally Blonde and Thirteen going on Thirty are movies where the protagonist embarks on a change in their life. Scenes were accurately recreated to convey that idea – Ariana walking into Harvard with her extra pink outfit, and carrying the big dollhouse onto the porch while crying a single tear.
Entwined between the lyrics, Ar-iana Grande is encouraging the idea of change leading to the chorus of “Thank you, Next.”
Although many are watching this video on replay, many are questioning the fact why Ariana Grande did not invite former costar Victoria Justice to be part of the music video, yet several actors of former T.V. show Victorious were able to get a spotlight with Ariana Grande.
Having the entire cast together would have had a greater impact as it was one of Grande’s biggest breaks into the world of fame.
It was extremely clever to bring back past movies as it is our past that molds our future.
Our past experiences, whether it be with our exes or failures in a class, we have the option to learn and grow from it. Grande is a talented individual, and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.
