Single Review: ‘One Last Time’ by Ariana Grande

Singer Ariana Grande   AP

Ariana Grande is one of the few foreign mainstream artists now who has an impressive array of vocal styles in her arsenal.

She can be sultry-sounding in her R&B inspired tunes; she can belt out without sounding like she is shrieking; and she even has exhibited a bit of technicality in her vocal approach in some of her songs.

While she certainly has praiseworthy attributes as a recording artist and performer, I don’t necessarily agree as yet that she is already the “Top Diva” or the “Premier Diva” of her generation. It is a bit premature to make that ruling—there may be a few others coming from her age group waiting for their own opportunity to also make their presence felt.

But definitely, Ariana Grande is beginning to find her wings thus enabling her to find her niche in an overcrowded scene wherein it has become harder and harder for music aficionados and listeners to look for an artist that they can truly rally behind.

Ariana Grande has that going for her and her management takes cognizance of this and under their careful tutelage, she will continue to stand out among the rest of the competition.

Now to the single review. “One Last Time” is the fourth single from her second studio-release ‘My Everything’. With her latest hit, Ariana Grande continues on her winning streak of releasing back-to-back singles that have registered well with listeners and music aficionados.

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What is the overall production value of “One Last Time”?

It is pretty formulaic standard stuff that makes the whole production aspect of “One Last Time” work to a “T”. Firstly, this single revolves entirely on a piano-based progression that just loops itself over and over again throughout the duration of the entire song.

Secondly, some minor nuances were mixed in though during the chorus section with the addition of some Electronic elements just to break the monotony of things. But what can you expect, right? After all, David Guetta is one of the composers behind “One Last Time”.

Lastly—and this aspect is often overlooked but ultimately vital for any single to be a lasting and memorable hit—it is the tempo in how the song incorporates itself into the running time of the track. For instance, sometimes even though you have singles that run at the standard rate of 3:30 to the 4:00 minute mark, for some reason it feels much longer than that.

It is because the pace of the song does not mesh well with the given time of the track, and with the shortening attention span of listeners, singles have to be snappy and quick in reaching the “high points” (the chorus section and bridge of the track) of the song.

This single “One Last Time” does not feel that way. And, as it also runs at a normal pace fitting for the time allotted to it, these two reasons cited above prevent “One Last Time” from being categorized as a slow and droning track to listen to.

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What is the meaning of “One Last Time”?

It is about dealing with the rigors of love. What else could it be? Kidding aside, in “One Last Time”, Ariana Grande is asking for one last night with an ex-boyfriend even though the guy has already moved on and has found her replacement. While she does not expect the guy to go back to her, she seeks some kind of redemption of sorts to perhaps heal the wounds from her rocky relationship that ended.

Thumbs Up!