Happy anniversary to Ariana Grande‘s Dangerous Woman album, which was released on this day (May 20) in 2016!
While Grande certainly sounded in command of her life on previous LPs, the pop star brought a whole new level of realness to her third album.
As the stylistically eclectic affair veered between R&B, pop, reggae and dance, Grande gave us some of the most honest and memorable lyrics of her career to date. Some of them (like the lines on “Moonlight”) put you right there in the moment with Ariana and her boo. Others, like the lyrics on “Knew Better/Forever Boy,” show her getting very real about her love life — good, bad, and everything messy in between.
In honor of the album’s fourth birthday, we’re looking back at the 10 realest lyrics on Dangerous Woman.
“Knew Better/Forever Boy”
“Never been with a boy more than six months / I couldn’t do it, got too used to it / Ain’t nobody ever kept my attention.”
“Moonlight”
“He’s so bossy / He makes me dance / Tryna sit in the back of his whip / And just cancel my plans.”
“Greedy”
“I don’t need a phone call / Got nothing to say / Ima tell you when it’s over / Got no games to play.”
“Thinking About You”
“I tried to make it through the night / But I can’t control my mind.”
“Into You”
“A little less conversation / And a little more touch my body.”
“Bad Decisions”
“Don’t you know I ain’t f–king with them good boys / Know you love me like ain’t nobody here boy / If you want it, boy, you got it / Ain’t you ever seen a princess be a bad b—h?”
“Touch It”
“Remind me why we’re taking a break / It’s obviously insane / ‘Cause we both know what we want.”
“Dangerous Woman”
“Taking control of this kind of moment / I’m locked and loaded / Completely focused, my mind is open.”
“Knew Better/Forever Boy”
“Say you could turn me on / Boy, that’s about it.”
“Side to Side”
“Tonight I’m making deals with the devil / And I know it’s gonna get me in trouble / Just as long as you know you got me.”
This article has been updated.
