My Hair Explained

My Hair
Caption:Official live performance artwork
Type:song
Cover:File:My Hair live cover.jpg
Artist:Ariana Grande
Album:Positions
Recorded:2018–2020
Studio:
  • Champagne Therapy (Los Angeles)
  • Jungle City (New York City)
Genre:
  • R&B
  • neo soul
Length:2:38
Label:Republic
Lyricist:

"My Hair" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande from her sixth studio album Positions (2020). The song was written by Grande, Victoria Monét, and Tayla Parx, with production by Tommy Brown and Scott Storch, and additional production by Anthony M. Jones and Charles "Scootie" Anderson. It was released by Republic Records on October 30, 2020, as the eighth track on the former's sixth studio album Positions. It is a mid-tempo R&B and neo soul song about Grande becoming intimate with her lover by allowing them to see a different side of her by touching her hair.[1] A live performance music video of "My Hair" was released on July 14, 2021.[2]

Music and lyrics

"My Hair" is two minutes and 38 seconds. Musically, the song is described as a "warm, retro" R&B[1] [3] and neo soul[4] [5] track blending elements of jazz in its instrumentation and chord progression.[6] [7] Throughout the song, there are lyrics referencing the idiom of letting down her hair, in this case, her ponytail, something Grande is known for. Grande is essentially allowing her lover to run their hands through her hair as a way of becoming vulnerable and intimate with them.[8] [9] In its instrumentation, the song utilizes trumpets, steel drums,[10] and guitars. After the song's bridge, the chorus is sung completely in a whistle tone.

Critical reception

Upon release of Positions, the song received positive reviews from music critics. Maura Johnston, a writer for Time, called the song a "standout track", describing it as a "reinvention of old-school soul".[11]

Jason Lipshutz of Billboard ranked the song at number five in their ranking of tracks from Positions. In the ranking, he praised the song's “looser, breezy, tension-releasing” sound that contrasted the rest of the album.[12] In a ranking of songs in Grande's discography by Billboard, the song was placed at number 23. for combining elements of neo soul with jazz music, as well as showcasing Grande's vocal capabilities.[13] Anna Colletto, a writer at The Maneater, called the song a "cute, flirty ballad" and also claiming that her mastery in whistle tones "defines her as an artist". Writers at the Business Insider had mixed reviews, with one writer applauding Grande for leaning into jazzy and theatrical sounds, while another called it "enjoyable, but not memorable."

Credits

Recording

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2020)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Global 200 (Billboard)[14] 44
Greece International (IFPI)[15] 100
US Rolling Stone Top 100[16] 28

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Colletto . Anna . 2020-11-12 . REVIEW: Ariana Grande drops new R&B-influenced album "Positions," showcases new sound . 2024-03-31 . . en-US . Grande starts “my hair” with a guitar riff as it falls into a classic R&B beat with snaps and strings. This song is an approval for a potential lover or partner to touch her trademark giant ponytail. . 16 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230616022635/https://themaneater.com/review-ariana-grande-drops-new-rb-influenced-album-positions-showcases-new-sound/ . live .
  2. Web site: Dailey . Hannah . 2021-07-14 . Ariana Grande Sings Astonishing Whistle Tones In ‘My Hair’ Live Performance Video . 2024-03-31 . . en-US . 31 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240331020043/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/ariana-grande-my-hair-live-performance-video-9600731/ . live .
  3. Web site: Deville . Chris . 2020-10-29 . Review: Ariana Grande's 'Positions' Is A Bit Of A Letdown . 2024-04-02 . . en . “My Hair” stands out both for its warm retro vibe and its oddball specificity. . 25 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240325065243/https://www.stereogum.com/2104172/ariana-grande-positions-review/reviews/premature-evaluation/ . live .
  4. Web site: Camp . Alexa . 2020-10-30 . Ariana Grande ‘Positions’ Review: The Album Strikes a Familiar Pose . 2024-03-31 . . en-US . Similarly, the full-bodied “My Hair” nudges Grande into neo-soul terrain only to quickly fade out. . 30 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201030081531/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review-ariana-grande-positions-too-often-defaults-to-a-familiar-pose/ . live .
  5. Web site: White . Adam . 2020-10-30 . Ariana Grande’s Positions is woozy and flirtatious but lacking in surprise . 2024-04-02 . . en . The trumpet-assisted “My Hair” is a woozy neo-soul triumph, Grande’s voice raspy and orgasmic as if she’s a jazz singer with a bad hangover (the glorious whistle-register outro is, frankly, just showing off). . 31 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201031171201/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/ariana-grande-positions-review-new-album-doja-cat-weeknd-lyrics-b1446712.html . live .
  6. Web site: Blanchet . Brenton . 2020-10-30 . Ariana Grande - Positions . 2024-03-31 . . en-GB . 1 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201101020936/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/ariana-grande-positions/ . live .
  7. Web site: Deville . Chris . 2020-10-29 . Review: Ariana Grande's 'Positions' Is A Bit Of A Letdown . 2024-04-02 . . en . The playfully jazzy “My Hair” may be the most vulnerable moment of all, with Grande inviting her man to run his hands through her signature ponytail. . 25 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240325065243/https://www.stereogum.com/2104172/ariana-grande-positions-review/reviews/premature-evaluation/ . live .
  8. Web site: Ahlgrim . Callie . Larocca . Courteney . October 30, 2020 . Ariana Grande finishes first on her new album 'Positions' . 2024-03-31 . . en-US . 31 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240331020043/https://www.businessinsider.com/ariana-grande-positions-review-tracklist-breakdown-2020-10 . live .
  9. News: Spanos . Brittany . November 2, 2020 . Ariana Grande's Dirty Mind Takes Center Stage on 'Positions' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201102215830/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/ariana-grandes-positions-1082923/ . November 2, 2020 . March 31, 2024 . . on the Scott Storch-assisted “My Hair,” she gives permission for her typically untouchable hair to be stroked..
  10. News: Petridis . Alexis . 2020-10-30 . Ariana Grande: Positions review – all-night romps but no climax . 2024-03-31 . . en-GB . 0261-3077 . My Hair, which swings joyfully, decorated with a lovely sample of muted trumpet and steel drums . 30 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201030164603/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/30/ariana-grande-positions-review . live .
  11. Web site: Johnston . Maura . 2020-10-31 . Review: On Positions, Ariana Grande Is Fully in Her Feelings . 2024-03-31 . . en . 31 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201031164751/https://time.com/5906180/ariana-grande-positions-review/ . live .
  12. Web site: Lipshutz . Jason . 2020-10-30 . Every Song Ranked on Ariana Grande’s ‘Positions’: Critic’s Picks . 2024-03-31 . . en-US . 31 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240331014504/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/ariana-grande-positions-songs-ranked-critics-picks-9475738/ . live .
  13. Web site: Hé . Kristen S. . 2024-03-15 . Every Ariana Grande Song, Ranked: Critic’s Picks . 2024-03-31 . . en-US . 1 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240401054830/https://www.billboard.com/lists/ariana-grande-songs-ranked-best-songs/ . live .
  14. Ariana Grande Chart History (Global 200). Billboard. March 31, 2024. 13 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211213223137/https://www.billboard.com/artist/ariana-grande/chart-history/glo/. live.
  15. Web site: IFPI Charts. IFPI Greece. March 31, 2024. November 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201114195956/https://www.ifpi.gr/digital_iel.html.
  16. Top 100 Songs. Rolling Stone. October 30, 2020. March 31, 2024. November 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201117130416/https://www.rollingstone.com/charts/songs/2020-10-30/. dead.

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