Ariana Grande Made 3 Versions of “Thank U, Next” in Case She Married Pete Davidson

Most of us have over-listened to Ariana Grande’s chart-topping song “Thank U, Next,” which means we know all there is to know about the rather detailed lyrics. Obviously, not the case.

During an interview on the Zach Sang Show, Grande admitted that she recorded several versions of the title track given the tumultuous nature of her relationship with comedian Pete Davidson and uncertainty regarding whether to list off the names of her exes. 

“In my relationship [with Pete] at the time, things were like up and down and on and off, and so I didn’t know what was going to happen and then we got back together,” Grande explained. “So I had to make a different version of it, and then we broke up again, so we ended up going with that verse.”

Grande then detailed that one of the scenarios included her marrying Pete. “There’s a version where I was getting married, there’s a version where I’m not getting married, there’s a version with nothing—we’re not talking about anything. …But we all knew that the first version was gonna be the version we ultimately went with.”

She noted that during the pitching process, she and her friend/collaborator Tayla discussed whether explicitly naming Ari’s exes in the song would be too over-the-top. After reflecting on it, Grande recorded a version in which she doesn’t specifically identify her exes. “It was still embracing my mistakes and what I’ve done, and how everything has contributed to how I am, but it was just less direct,” the singer noted. Grande also shared the opening lines of the alternate rendition: “They say I’m too young, had too many boyfriends.”

When asking Big Sean and Ricky Alvarez whether they enjoyed the final version, the singer noted that she received their approval. However, pressed about what Pete’s response was, Ariana alluded to her and her ex-fiancé’s lack of communication, saying. “The people I’m in touch with liked it.”