Music Review: Ariana Grande & Big Sean "Right There"

Ariana Grande & Big Sean

Right There

Album: Yours Truly

Year: 2013

       Ariana Grande cherishes her boyfriend in the economical  “Right There.”

      Rinky-dink synths opens the single, setting a flashy  tone.  A gruff male vocal tries to get everyone into the song and singles out her crush in the crowd. (“If you wanna party, if you, if you wanna party/Then put your hands up /Then put your hands up (hands up)/ You got it, you got it babe/ You got it, you got it babe/ You got it, you got it babe/ You got it, you got it babe.”)

            Big Sean says he’s crazy about his girlfriend. It usually takes a while to put on her makeup and fix her hair. He doesn’t let himself get impatient. Once she enters the room, she could rival any supermodel working the runway. He gets a silly grin on his face and can only stare at her. She’s the most beautiful girl. (“Sean Don/Okay, this, this, this for/For my number one girl/Who got the top spot title/Spent a hour in the bathroom/Walked out looking like a model,/God! Doing what you do/Got me right there with Apollo/On the moon/Who needs genies in a bottle girl/If they already got you.”)

        The scent of the rose tickles her nose. She studies the petals, thinking no guy has ever gave her a dozen roses before. She reads the note he wrote her over again. He was thinking of her and wanted to let her know how much she means to him. He drew a tiny heart and ended it with “love, me.” She fell for him right away. Three weeks into the relationship, she moved into his locker. (“Boy you make me feel so lucky/Finally the stars align/Never has it been so easy/To be in  love and to give you/This heart of mine.”)

        In the pre-chorus, they know each other pretty well. He knows before an exam, she needs assurance she’ll do well. She has gone to every single one of his basketball games. She thinks they are a compatible couple. Their parents have been telling them to take it slow. She realizes they are in high school. However, she has fallen for him and can’t see herself breaking up with him. (“You know what I need/I know what you like/Put it all together baby/We could be alright/How could this be wrong/When it feels so right/Yeah I really love you/I  really love you/And I'll never let you go.”)

          In the chorus, she tells him she will always be his best friend and will be around at a moment’s notice if he needs her. He has taken the time to get to know her and be involved in her life. He’s not like the rest of the guys at school. She hopes he doesn’t change his mind about her or start wanting different things.  (“You should know/I'm never gonna change/I'm always gonna stay/You call for me /I’m right there (right there)/Right there (right there)/Cause you listen and you care/You're so different /No one compares/And if you never change/I'm gonna stay right there/I'll always be right there.”)

        She says “you got, you got it babe” twice.

       She’s always smiling and bursting with energy now. She can’t wait to see him after school and hang out. When she’s with him, she’ll stare at him, wondering what her future will be like with him. He usually snaps her out of it with a “what?” and then makes a joke. She completely forgets her train of thought and the subject of her assignment. (“And I get butterflies, just thinking/About you boy, you're on my mind/Sometimes I catch myself daydreaming/Lost in your eyes and I lose all track of time.”)

         The pre-chorus and chorus are sung again.

        Big Sean wonders if she would still date if he were poor and unable to pay his bills. He’s comfortable and can afford a luxury car. However, something could happen and it could be gone. It’s a situation where he would need her to calm him down and tell her everything’s going to be ok. Before he met her, he slept with plenty of girls and used to rate them in his little black book. It’s something he has since thrown away.  He really does adore her. She always says they can get fast food for dinner However, he always makes sure they eat at fancy restraurants. He doesn’t want to be cheap and feed her junk. (“(What okay what)/Now if all fell through/Would you catch me/Before the pavement (what)/If my Benz turned/Back to public transportation/Would you still be at home/For me with the candles waiting (what)/And get my mind back/Adjacent the place of young visionary/A player to/You know I have some girls missionary (oh)/My black book/And numbers thicker/Than the dictionary/And Bible/ I got to recycle/I love and like you/Five course meals even though you don't mind a drive-thru/That's why I got you.”)

       Grande adds “And I’ll never let you go (I got you)” at the end of his rap.

         The chorus is sung again.

          She repeats “If you wanna party” section to end the single.          

         Grande’s guttural  vocals are still very young and trying to be grown-up. She’s idealistic and in love for the first time. Full of naivete, she’s simply not there yet even though she may think otherwise.       

          Big Sean’s collected rap keeps with the narrative of the song and even provides a counterpoint to it. Its gets a little wordy, making the ends of some sentences stick out. However, his questioning her loyalty does balance out her blind loyalty to him.

        The bargain-counter “Right There” cuts corners it should’ve saved, needing some extra work before it had finished production.