Yours Truly (Ariana Grande album)
Yours Truly is the debut studio album by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on August 30, 2013, by Republic Records. The album's songs were recorded over nearly a three-year period, with Harmony Samuels, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Patrick "J. Que" Smith and Grande's Victorious co-star Leon Thomas III, as well as others, handling the album's music production. Featured collaborators include Big Sean, Mika, Mac Miller, and The Wanted's Nathan Sykes.
Yours Truly
August 30, 2013
August 2011 – June 2013
- Rocket Carousel Studios
(Culver City, California) - Brandon's Way Recording Studios
- The Lair
(Los Angeles, California) - The Power House Studios
(Yonkers, New York) - Sound Emporium Studios
(Nashville, Tennessee) - London Bridge Studio
(Seattle, Washington) - Armoury Studios
(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) - The Powerhouse Studios
(London, England) - Studio de la Reine
(Paris, France)
- 46:23
- Harmony Samuels
- Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
- Antonio Dixon
- The Rascals
- Tommy Brown
- Matt Squire
- Rickey "SlikkMuzik" Offord
- Mika
- Greg Wells
- Jason Nevins
Yours Truly draws stylistic influences off the music of Grande's artistic inspirations, including singers Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey. Musically, Yours Truly is a pop and R&B record, while incorporating 1990s hip hop, 1950s piano pop, and doo-wop music within its production. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that, with the help of Babyface, Grande was able to "re-create the vibe and feel of the '90s" with the album.[3] It was acclaimed by critics upon release, with praise for Grande's vocals.
Yours Truly debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart, with over 138,000 units sold in its first week. It made Grande the fifteenth female artist to ever debut at number-one in the United States with her debut album. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also garnered top ten peaks in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Yours Truly was featured in the Billboard 200 year-end charts of both 2013 and 2014.
The album was preceded by the release of the lead single, "The Way", on March 25, 2013. It became a top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number nine. The second single, "Baby I", was released on August 5, 2013, and peaked at number 21 on the Hot 100. The third single, "Popular Song", was released on August 13, 2013, and peaked at number 87 on the Hot 100. The fourth and final single, "Right There", was released on August 6, 2013, and reached number 84 in the US. Yours Truly was further promoted with live renditions of the album's songs during The Listening Sessions tour in 2013.
Composition[edit]
Music and lyrics[edit]
The musical style of Yours Truly explores a "retro style" sound mixing 1990s pop and R&B, with certain songs incorporating influences from mid-'90s hip hop, '50s piano pop, and doo-wop.[19][20][21][22] Scott Interrante from PopMatters complimented the music presented in the album and noted that compositionally and production wise, "tropes of both styles are blended together effortlessly."[23] As he perceived, "erratic programmed drums support the rich harmonies and piano chords of the more doo-wop songs and the R&B tracks are infused with a wide-eyed optimism more associated with the ‘60s pop style."[23] Pitchfork's Andrew Ryce felt that Grande opted "for a 90s hip-hop soul vibe that awkwardly sits with the more doo-wop-indebted songwriting."[20]
Songs[edit]
The album opens with an orchestral intro that introduces the first track "Honeymoon Avenue",[24] a downtempo song composed in the key of F-sharp major and set in a 4
4 time signature at a moderate tempo of 63 beats per minute.[25] The song explores the 1950s musical style mixing doo-wop with an urban-inspired sound.[20] Lyrically, "Honeymoon Avenue" uses several metaphors to speak about someone in a car being driven by her (romantic) partner. The driver is stuck to the same old route and driving mode that may make them crash.[26] In interview with MTV, Grande explained its lyrics saying that "Honeymoon Avenue" "is about knowing you are at the end of a relationship and wishing it could not be the end and go back to the beginning and start over."[27] The second track "Baby I" is drenched in a "retro sound" from 1990s R&B and pop sonority.[28][26] Lyrically, "Baby I" is a confession on Grande's behalf admitting a special love for someone and how she can't formulate her strong feelings into words.[29] The elements of "Baby I" are further illustrated by its use of finger snaps, a syncopated beat, horns and drums.[29][20]
The third track "Right There" features guest appearance by rapper Big Sean. Musically, "Right There" also incorporates the influences frein 1990s R&B and urban music, mixing "stabbing synths",[30] trap-inflected beat and a hip hop groove.[20] Reviewing the song, Jason Lipshutz from Billboard noted that "while Big Sean boasts about his sexual prowess, Grande flaunts her typically impressive melismas before ratcheting up the emotion for the finale."[26] The fourth track "Tattooed Heart" is a doo-wop song written in the key of G major with a tempo of 72 beats per minute in compound quadruple (12
8) time while Grande's vocals spans from D4 to F5.[31] "Piano" is built on a hand-clapped rhythm, pulsating beats and a piano loop.[32][33]