Photo: Ariana Grande via YouTube
Ariana Grande is a master of the backhanded takedown. Her signature song, “Thank U Next,” is a kiss-off to all her ex-boyfriends by politely thanking them for their time before dismissing them. On that song, she was literally naming names, but she’s taking a more subtle approach on the lead single off her upcoming album, Petal (out July 31), “Hate That I Made You Love Me.” The song could be aimed at overengaged listeners who think they own her life. “I hate that I made you love me / Sorry if I made me your type,” she sings on the chorus. “Yeah, I hate that I made you love me / ’Cause I barely tried.” Like many of her best lyrics — “Break up with your girlfriend, ’cause I’m bored” and “You’ll believe God is a woman” come to mind — that chorus makes Grande the most powerful person in the world, and everyone is cowering beneath her.
The most direct language comes on the bridge. “I’ve held your projections when you’ve felt so insecure / Tell me, why is it this way?” she asks. “Why you so hate to see women endure? / Is it really my fault you all gave me your hearts of your own accord? / I don’t really think so.” Clearly, that line, with the notable pronoun “you all,” could not be addressed to a singular person like an ex-boyfriend or friend. At one point she adds that “You studied my crown and borrowed my body.” Grande has recently expressed annoyance at onlookers who comment on her body, and this track feels like an extension of that conversation.
The song was written and produced by Grande with her longtime collaborators ILYA and Max Martin. On social media, she called the track “one of my favorite songs I’ll ever give to you … the greatest fans in the entire world.” Sonically, the song is laced with barely concealed disdain for the people she’s speaking to, with Grande keeping her vocals contained and precise. Rather than bang, like her previous lead single “Yes, And?,” “Hate That I Made You Love Me” just lopes along. Seemingly by design, it’s not the most exciting track Grande’s ever released. It’s down-tempo and, more than anything, a little over it. She’s picking petals off flowers and landing on “They love me.” Does she love them? Probably.
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