Eternal Sunshine (album)

Eternal Sunshine is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande. It was released on March 8, 2024, by Republic Records. Written and produced by Grande, Max Martin, Ilya Salmanzadeh, and Oscar Görres amongst others, Eternal Sunshine is a pop and R&B record with dance, synth-pop and house influences, characterized by mid-tempo synthesizers, subtle guitar and string elements.
Grande derived the album's title from the 2004 American film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. She conceived the album as a record of both vulnerability and entertainment, inspired by her personal life experiences. Upon release, the album received acclaim from critics for its restrained vocals and music, and the emotional vulnerability of the subject matter, while some critiqued the songwriting as unrefined. Eternal Sunshine and its singles were nominated for three Grammy Awards, including for Best Pop Vocal Album.
In the United States, the album opened at number one on the Billboard 200, marking her sixth number-one on the chart, while charting all of its tracks on the Billboard Hot 100. Three singles were released from the album; the first two, "Yes, And?" and "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)", debuted atop the Hot 100, making Grande the woman with the most number-one debuts and the first woman with two albums to produce multiple number-one debuts in the US. Eternal Sunshine topped the charts across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. Grande promoted and discussed the album on programs hosted by Zach Sang, Zane Lowe, Penn Badgley, and Sean Evans, and was the musical guest of Saturday Night Live on March 9, 2024. She performed music from the album at the 2024 Met Gala and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The standard edition of Eternal Sunshine does not contain guest musical acts, but features spoken words from Grande's maternal grandmother Marjorie Grande on "Ordinary Things" and astrologer Diana Garland on "Saturn Returns Interlude". Two extended editions of the album, including remixes and live versions of several tracks from the standard album, were released on March 10 and October 1, 2024. The additional tracks feature Australian singer Troye Sivan and American singers Mariah Carey, Brandy, and Monica. A reissue, titled Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead, was released on March 28, 2025, accompanied by the short film Brighter Days Ahead.
On May 12, 2022, 19 months after the release of her sixth studio album, Positions (2020), Ariana Grande clarified that she would not be recording another album until she is done filming Wicked (2024), the film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, in which she portrays the character Glinda. In October 2023, she first jokingly hinted at a forthcoming album by posting "ag7: goat mother" as an Instagram caption. A set of pictures included a photo of her with Swedish producer and long-time collaborator Max Martin at Jungle City Studios in New York City.
On December 7 and December 17, 2023, Grande shared a series of pictures and video clips working in recording studios and her editing audio files. As opposed to previous eras, she specifically stated that there would be no song snippets for the upcoming record. On December 27, 2023, the singer confirmed a 2024 album release via her social media. She posted a carousel of videos on her Instagram that show her crying in a recording studio and her mother Joan dancing to a new song of hers, amongst others. She captioned the post "See you next year" and tagged several accounts, including Swedish musician Ilya Salmanzadeh, music video director Christian Breslauer, and Republic Records. She referred to the picture of her crying and another one which depicts her dancing as the "two moods of the album". Packages with R.E.M. Beauty's On Your Collar lipstick in the shade "Attention" including a defocused close-up shot of Grande's red lips and the caption of an Instagram post she would make a few days after delivery, were sent to fans. On January 17, 2024, Grande announced the album, its title Eternal Sunshine, and release date via her social media.
Grande described Eternal Sunshine as "kind of a concept album" comprising "different heightened pieces of the same story, of the same experience". She explained that the record spans from "really vulnerable" songs to playful tracks which see her emulating "what people kind of expect me to be sometimes and having fun with it". Wendy Goldstein, co-president of Republic Records, described the record as an "elevated version" of Grande's previous albums, calling it an embodiment of "Sweetener meets [...] Thank U, Next".
In a video shared to her social media of her previewing some songs of the album to Republic Records personnel, Grande revealed that after the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike forced the filming of Wicked to be paused temporarily, she "came [to the studio]" and begun work on the record that September. She further revealed that she worked with Max Martin for a few weeks, and handled production on her own as well. "Proper" vocal recordings and orchestrations were arranged in November. Work on the album concluded in late December 2023. Referring to the period of making Eternal Sunshine, Grande stated that "things [were] kind of just pouring out and happening very quickly".
Eternal Sunshine is a pop and R&B album that features elements of dance music, especially synth-pop and house music. Helen Brown of The Independent described it as a "slow-fizz pop" album, consisting of mid-tempo synths, strings and muted guitar. Jem Aswad of Variety felt that Martin and Salmanzadeh imbued the album with a "very Swedish vibe and structure to the tracks" inspired by classic pop, a style atypical of Anglo-American musicians. Lyrically, the album is a combination of both "ultra-confident and entirely self-deprecating" themes, inspired by Grande's personal relationships. Billboard described it as an introspective record—one in which Grande reflects on herself as she enters her thirties.
Eternal Sunshine begins with the opening track, "Intro (End of the World)", which primarily includes strings and a morose guitar. The song begins with Grande posing the question, "How can I tell if I'm in the right relationship?", describing her anxieties with her partner, and the possibility of its end. The second song, "Bye", was described by Grande as the hardest song on the album for her to write, saying "It was hard for the reason that I desperately didn't want it to sound like a 'fuck you.' I wanted it to sound like, 'I need to leave, so bye'". Grande wanted the song to have a sense of self-awareness and accountability, rather than being completely dismissive. It is an uptempo dance-pop number with influences of disco and Philadelphia soul. The third track, "Don't Wanna Break Up Again", is a gloomy, '90s influenced pop and R&B song that discusses conflicting feelings Grande has towards the end of her relationship with her partner. While referring to her relationship as a "situationship" that she's aware needs to end, the song shows a reluctancy to go through with ending the marriage and describes the steps she went through to try to save it, i.e. therapy. Rolling Stone described the first three tracks of the album as "seventies pop".
The album's interlude, "Saturn Returns", prominently samples a YouTube video of astrologer Diana Garland, as she discusses the importance of the age of 29 in a person's life. She urges the listener to "wake up" and "sort out who you really are" before the album's fifth and title track. The interlude fades directly into "Eternal Sunshine", during which Ariana seems to come to terms with the faults of her partner and their relationship. In the track, she hints that her ex-husband, Dalton Gomez may have cheated during their relationship and displays an uncertainty towards her future over an "R&B-pop" beat. "Supernatural", the sixth track on the album, has a low-tempo beat. The lyrics are about how Grande is in love with someone and is inseparable. Grande lets this love take over her entire state of mind. The lyrics also show that Grande is healing from heartbreak and is ready to love again. Billboard ranked "Supernatural" number 8 out of Eternal Sunshine, and compared it to "Breathin'" from Sweetener, as both songs are "undeniable home runs and surefire pure-pop smashes."
The seventh track, "True Story", and eighth track, "The Boy Is Mine", were intentionally placed together in the track list and are both described as R&B songs echoing music from the '90s and 2000s. The former is described by Grande as "an untrue story based on all untrue events" and sees her address the press who create rumors and "pray for her demise" for fun. It is a mid-tempo R&B track with a "slinky bounce" and elements of G-funk in its production. The latter song is a "bass-heavy" R&B song with lyrics about being infatuated with a man Grande believes she is destined to be with. It was inspired by the positive reactions received from the leaked track, "Fantasize", by her fans. The song is an "elevated version of the leak" and also a "reimagining" of the 1998 song of the same name. The ninth track and lead single of the album, "Yes, And?" is an uptempo and "effervescent" pop-house song with elements of ballroom in its production. Following "Yes, And?" is the tenth track, "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)", which served as the album's second single. The synth-wave influenced synth-pop song has been described as having a double meaning, with Grande speaking about a past lover, as well as her relationship with the press. "I Wish I Hated You", the eleventh track, is a vulnerable and honest ballad that sees Grande confessing that she wishes her partner was worse to her in order for her to find closure and move on. It features a minimalistic electro-pop production. The penultimate track "Imperfect for You" describes two people who are in love, despite their imperfections. The album closes with "Ordinary Things", a track about how when one is in love nothing feels ordinary. It features a spoken-word outro by Grande's grandmother, Marjorie Grande.
Republic Records released Eternal Sunshine on March 8, 2024. It was issued via streaming, download, five CD variants, and six vinyl LP variants. Pre-orders began on January 17, the day the album was announced. On March 10, a digital extended edition of the album, titled Slightly Deluxe, was surprise-released via Grande's webstore; it features four bonus tracks including a remix of "Supernatural" with Troye Sivan, and the pre-released Mariah Carey remix of "Yes, And?". The Slightly Deluxe edition was released to streaming services the day after. On October 1, 2024, Grande surprise-released another digital extended edition of the album, labelled Slightly Deluxe and Also Live. It comprises the standard thirteen tracks, the Slightly Deluxe remixes, the pre-released Brandy and Monica remix of "The Boy Is Mine", and live versions of seven songs.
The tracklist of the album was not unveiled entirely at once. Grande revealed song titles and their track order on separate days, starting on January 27, 2024, with tracks 1, 5, and "Yes, And?" as track 9. Tracks 2, 6, and 10 were revealed on February 7, followed by tracks 3, 7, and 11 on February 17, and tracks 4, 8, 12, and 13 on February 27. Additionally, Grande revealed some lyrics from the album via her social media on February 27. A teaser for the album, featuring the singer at a photo shoot for one of the cover artworks, was released on March 6, 2024.
Grande appeared on the Zach Sang Show on Amazon Music for a double-episode interview to discuss the album. The first episode was released on February 27, 2024, and was centered around the creative process. The second episode was released on March 8, wherein she details each song. Grande was then interviewed about the album by Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, which was broadcast on March 7. She appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 6, 2024, to discuss Wicked (2024) and the third single "The Boy Is Mine"; it marked her first late-night TV interview since 2021 and eleventh appearance on the show. Grande was the guest for a two-part episode of Penn Badgley's podcast Podcrushed; the first part was released on June 12, followed by the second on June 17. She appeared on an episode of the Shut Up Evan podcast on July 9, and the season 24 finale of web talk show Hot Ones, hosted by Sean Evans, on August 8, 2024.
The title of the album is a reference to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). It stars Jim Carrey, who Grande has expressed she's a fan of and whose show, Kidding, she had guest-starred on. The title Eternal Sunshine was teased via two Easter eggs. The first was in the opening scene of the music video of the lead single, "Yes, And?". It depicts a red card that has the acronym "AG7" on the frontside, with the geographical coordinates 41.0359° N, 71.9545° W mentioned below it—which locate Montauk, New York, a key location of the film. The second was when Grande shared a few lines of Alexander Pope's poem Eloisa to Abelard on her Instagram, including: "Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!".
Seven cover variants of Eternal Sunshine were issued: a standard vinyl cover, four DTC variations via Grande's website, a retail-exclusive CD cover (which also serves as the "Yes, And? single artwork), and a Target-exclusive in the United States. The digital cover depicts the back of Grande's head, with her dressed in a white outfit and her blonde hair styled in a ponytail, resting on the shoulder of a similarly dressed woman that is "a clone of herself". Three covers, and the "Yes, And?" cover, were unveiled with the album's announcement. The remaining three alternate covers were revealed throughout January and February. Through the promotional material of the album, Grande sports a Maison Margiela outfit—a white bodysuit and a pair of red tulle gloves. She stated that the different artworks "capture the emotional ups and downs of the album".
Three singles were released from Eternal Sunshine, along with accompanying music videos, two of which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Christian Breslauer directed the visuals for the album's singles. "Yes, And?", the lead single of Eternal Sunshine, was released on January 12, 2024, via streaming services. It was also issued in 7-inch, CD single and cassette formats. The song's accompanying music video was released on the same day via Grande's Vevo channel on YouTube. The title of the song was teased by Grande days before release when she was photographed wearing a sweatshirt with the title printed on the front. "Yes, And?" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, marking Grande's eighth number-one single in the US. It also topped the Global 200, Global Excl. US, and Canadian Hot 100; and reached the top five in numerous countries including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Multiple versions and mixes of the song were released, including a remix featuring Mariah Carey in February. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
On February 5, Grande announced via her social media that no more pre-release singles would follow "Yes, And?". Explaining her reason, Grande said that she wanted fans to "experience [Eternal Sunshine] in full this time", but did confirm that singles will be released after the album.
"We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" followed as the second single on March 8, 2024. The song was also released via CD, cassette, and 7-inch vinyl. Its music video—which co-starred actor Evan Peters—was described by Grande as her "own short version of [Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind]". The song debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, marking Grande's ninth chart-topper and seventh number-one debut. With this, Grande surpassed Taylor Swift as the woman with the most number-one debuts on the chart. "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" also topped the Global 200, and the charts in six other countries, including New Zealand, Malaysia, and United Arab Emirates. The song became Grande's tenth number-one on the Billboard Pop Airplay chart, where it spent two weeks at the summit. As of September 2024, it is certified double platinum by the RIAA.
The eighth track on Eternal Sunshine, titled "The Boy Is Mine", went viral on TikTok due to a dance trend associated with the song, and received multiple celebrity cosigns online. On May 7, Grande confirmed fans' theories via her Instagram that it would be released as the next single. The music video for the song—co-starring actor Penn Badgley and featuring cameos from Brandy and Monica—was released on June 7, four days before it impacted US contemporary hit radio as the album's third single. Variety called the music video "theatrical". A remix of the track featuring Brandy and Monica—whose 1998 duet inspired Grande's song—was released on June 21, 2024. Physical editions of the solo and remix versions were released in late July. "The Boy Is Mine" peaked within the top 15 on the Global 200 and Canadian Hot 100, and the top 20 in the US. It was certified platinum in the US, by the RIAA, in September 2024.
Grande appeared as the musical guest on the March 9, 2024, episode of Saturday Night Live. It marked her third appearance on the show and her first since 2016. She performed "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" and "Imperfect for You". Grande attended and was the surprise performer at the 2024 Met Gala in New York City on May 6, 2024. She performed the album's first three singles alongside "Into You", "7 Rings", Sleeping Beauty (1959)'s "Once Upon A Dream", and a cover duet of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey's 1998 single, "When You Believe", with Cynthia Erivo. Grande served as the musical guest for the June 6, 2024, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she performed "The Boy Is Mine". Performances of the seven songs that had live renditions on the Slightly Deluxe and Also Live version of the album, with Grande backed by a ten-piece band, were released to her Vevo channel via YouTube from October 1 to 7.
In July 2024, Grande revealed her plans for a "mini sampling of shows" on the Shut Up Evan podcast; she added that it would be "a really lovely idea to be able to trickle in some shows in between the two Wicked films". Following speculation in December 2024 of an impending announcement of a concert cycle set for 2025, Republic Records denied rumors and stated that there were "no plans" to tour. Later that month, Grande told Variety that although "music and being on stage will always be a part of [her] life", she would not be touring "anytime soon", prioritising acting for "the next few years".
On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from professional publications, Eternal Sunshine received a weighted mean score of 84, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". In a rave review, Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone commended Eternal Sunshine for having "some of the most honest and inventive music of her career" and dubbed the album as an "instant classic". Various other critics, such as NME's Nick Levine, AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung, Clash's Emma Harrison, The Guardian's Laura Snapes, and The New York Times' Lindsay Zoladz, dubbed it one of Grande's stronger, most sophisticated albums yet, highlighting the perceived maturity of its subject matter.
The album's musical tonality was often complimented. Harry Tafoya of Pitchfork, Moses Jeanfrancois of Beats Per Minute, Jem Aswad of Variety, and Mary Siroky of Consequence emphasized Grande's "raw", subtle and restrained vocals, which they thought focused on texture instead of showcasing her vocal range. Zoladz regarded Eternal Sunshine one of Grande's "texturally consistent" releases. In contrast, Helen Brown of The Independent found this tone rather conversational, lacking "strong melodic snags".
A number of critics offered criticism on the album's songwriting. Poppie Platt of The Daily Telegraph and David Cobbald of The Line of Best Fit regarded the album a "slickly" produced pop record, albeit with some underwhelming tracks and simple lyrics. According to Tafoya, Grande often settles for "stock phrases or scrambles for syllables", while Siroky observed a lack of conceptual focus in the lyrics, and Green claimed some tracks to be insubstantial. In an unfavorable review, Robert Sona of Sputnikmusic blamed the songwriting for making the album an "unambitious" output.
Several reviews praised Martin's production, emphasizing his stylistic influence on Eternal Sunshine. Sona credited Grande's "concise" team of producers—Martin, Salmanzadeh and Davidior—for helping the album feel like "a singular and shapely work of art" unlike Positions. Jeanfrancois considered the sound a return to 1990s' R&B, "something that has been avidly requested" by fans and critics. However, Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani agreed with Platt in critiquing the album for not venturing outside Grande's familiar music styles.
Eternal Sunshine's perceived status as a "divorce album" sparked a critical debate. Snapes described the album as a perceptive, "post-divorce" record. Tafoya opined Eternal Sunshine is not "as cohesive of a divorce record" as Adele's 30 (2021), whereas Jeanfrancois said it is "by no means a divorce album".
On its release day, Eternal Sunshine received 58.1 million streams on Spotify globally, setting the record for the most-streamed album in a single day in 2024, at the time. All 12 chart-eligible tracks from the album simultaneously appeared on both the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts. On the former, ten tracks appeared within the top-25 region, led by "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)," which debuted at number-one on both charts, the album's second chart-topper after "Yes, And?".
Eternal Sunshine debuted at number-one on the US Billboard 200 chart with 227,000 album-equivalent units, including 194.92 million on-demand streams and 77,000 album sales in its first week. It became Grande's sixth number-one album and her third-largest opening week sales, trailing behind Thank U, Next (360,000) and Sweetener (231,000). It was the most consumed album of the week, debuting at number-one on both Billboard Top Streaming Albums and Top Album Sales charts, marking Grande's sixth chart-topper on the latter. Furthermore, it became her second number-one album on the Billboard Vinyl Albums chart. With 33,000 vinyl sales, Grande had her best vinyl sales week yet, exceeding Positions (32,000). At the time of its release, Eternal Sunshine achieved the largest US sales debut of 2024, surpassing Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's Vultures 1 (148,000 units). In its second week, the album remained at number one on the chart, with a furthered 100,500 album-equivalent units, including 115.05 million on-demand streams and 13,000 album sales. It was Grande's third consecutive album to spend its first two weeks at number one, following Thank U, Next and Positions. In its fourth week, the album slipped to number three on the chart, moving 72,000 units. Eternal Sunshine spent six consecutive weeks in the top ten of the chart. Following the restocking of a signed CD on Grande's webstore, the album ascended to the eighth spot of the chart on the issue dated July 6, 2024, spending a seventh non-consecutive week in the top ten region. On September 9, 2024, Eternal Sunshine was certified Platinum by the RIAA, for moving a million units in the US.
On the Billboard Hot 100 chart issue dated March 23, 2024, all 12 chart-eligible tracks appeared simultaneously, becoming Grande's third consecutive album to do so, following Thank U, Next (12 songs) and Positions (14 songs). 11 of them were new entries; 10 of those songs appeared in the top 40. Grande's career Hot 100 count expanded to 85 entries, tying her with Beyoncé for the third-most among women. The number-one debut of the second single "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" marked Grande's first instance of simultaneously debuting atop both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts. It also made her the first woman to have two albums with multiple number-one debuts in the US, after Thank U, Next (2019). Additionally, Grande's grandmother, Marjorie Grande, made her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 with the album track "Ordinary Things," credited as Nonna; this made Marjorie the oldest act ever to have appeared on the Hot 100, at the age of 98. Thanks to the album's three RIAA certifications in September 2024, Grande became the first artist in 2024 to have three songs released in the same year that were certified Platinum or higher status. Its strong chart-performance made Grande ascend to the number-one position on the Billboard Artist 100 chart for the sixteenth non-consecutive week, the sixth-most for any artist since the chart's inception. Furthermore, it also marked Grande's first instance of reaching the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts. This made her the fourth artist and second woman ever to top the Artist 100, Hot 100, Billboard 200, Hot 100 Songwriters, and Hot 100 Producers charts simultaneously. She remained at number-one on the Hot 100 Songwriters chart for two consecutive weeks.
In the United Kingdom, Eternal Sunshine debuted at number-one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Grande's fifth consecutive number-one album. It also debuted at number-one on the UK's Official Vinyl Albums Chart. With five number-one albums each, Grande joined Celine Dion and Lady Gaga as the female artists with the sixth-most number-one albums in the United Kingdom. It remained at number-one for two consecutive weeks. Furthermore, the album's singles "Yes, And?" and "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" both peaked at number-two on the UK Singles Chart. Following the Brighter Days Ahead reissue, Eternal Sunshine rose to number three on the chart. Additionally, "Twilight Zone" debuted at number-five on UK Singles Chart, marking the album's third top ten single in the country. The same week, "Intro (End of the World)" and "Dandelion" entered at numbers 19 and 26. With a total of seven chart entries, Eternal Sunshine became Grande's album with the most entries on the UK Singles Chart. In Ireland, the album also debuted atop the Irish Albums Chart, marking Grande's fifth consecutive number-one album in Ireland. Following the Brighter Days Ahead reissue, Eternal Sunshine returned to number one in Ireland for a second non-consecutive week.
In Canada, Eternal Sunshine debuted atop the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart, earning Grande her fifth number-one album there. It remained at number-one for two consecutive weeks. Upon release, all 12 chart-eligible tracks from the album appeared simultaneously on the Canadian Hot 100. "Yes, And?" debuted at number-one, becoming Grande's seventh chart-topper, and "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" debuted at number-three, marking her 23rd top ten hit in the country. On Luminate's 2024 midyear music report, Eternal Sunshine ranked as the tenth best-selling album of the year as of July with 91,000 total album-equivalent units, which consisted of 6,000 album sales, 8,000 song sales, 110.3 million on-demand audio streams, and 4.4 million on-demand video streams.
In Australia, Eternal Sunshine debuted at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart, marking Grande's fifth chart-topping album in the country. It remained at number-one for three consecutive weeks. Furthermore, seven tracks from the album appeared simultaneously on the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart, with "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" debuting at number-two, becoming Grande's 20th top-ten hit in the country and the highest-charting song from the album, alongside "Yes, And?" which formerly peaked at number-two. Following the Brighter Days Ahead reissue, Eternal Sunshine ascended 78 chart positions to retain the number one spot for a fourth non-consecutive week in the country. Its 78-spot jump marked the biggest jump to the pole position from within the top 100 since September 2020, when Music From The Home Front (2020) soared from number 83 to the top.
In New Zealand, Eternal Sunshine debuted atop the NZ Top 40 Albums Chart, becoming Grande's fifth chart-topping album there. It remained at number-one for two consecutive weeks. Furthermore, nine tracks from the album simultaneously appeared on the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, with "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" becoming Grande's seventh number-one single and the highest-charting single from the album, surpassing "Yes, And?" which formerly peaked at number-three. Following the Brighter Days Ahead reissue, Eternal Sunshine returned to number one on the chart for a third non-consecutive week.
Eternal Sunshine and its second single "We Can't Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)" were expected by several publications and critics to receive nominations in the Big Four categories at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. However, both releases received no nominations in the Big Four categories, with the album being nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and singles "The Boy Is Mine" (remix) and "Yes, And?" scoring one nod each, for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Dance Pop Recording. Grande was named among the biggest snubs of the ceremony by several publications.
Vanity Fair's Savannah Walsh stated that in the hours after the album's release, viewership of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind had doubled on Vudu, according to Fandango. Similarly, according to Billboard, Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine" was up 18% in US streams due to Grande's song "The Boy Is Mine" that was inspired by the original and appears on Eternal Sunshine.
In a review of Eternal Sunshine, York Vision's Matthew Ennis also stated the "Music Icon Status" that Grande possesses in music industry and emphasized how "Eternal Sunshine is just another example of Grande's visionary skills as an artist who deserves her legacy as one of the most defining musical talents of our time".
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Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead is a reissue of Eternal Sunshine. It was released on March 28, 2025, by Republic Records, more than a year after the original album.
In July 2024, Grande revealed that a deluxe of Eternal Sunshine was in production, but not set for release "any time super soon" due to her promotional commitments to Wicked. She stated at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards that it was created in 2024 and would be released "at some point". On February 27, 2025, Grande's "sweetener" Instagram account was renamed to "brighterdays". A fake "Brighter Days" hotline was made public on March 4, which included a voicemail greeting of Grande advertising a memory erasure procedure—a reference to the plot of the "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" music video and the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind—at the fictitious "Brighter Days Clinic". A teaser trailer, featuring goods inside a box being lit on fire (a scene from the "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" music video), was released along with a pre-save link on March 8. The reissue, titled Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead, was announced on March 10, 2025; pre-orders began on the same day. Grande revealed the bonus tracks' titles and listing on March 17 via her social media. A snippet of deluxe track "Twilight Zone" was previewed via the "Brighter Days" hotline on March 25.
The reissue was released on March 28, 2025, via streaming, download, two CD variants, and two vinyl LP variants. The digital version contains the standard thirteen tracks and six bonus tracks, whilst the physical release comprises the pre-released remixes of "Yes, And?", "Supernatural", and "The Boy Is Mine" featuring other artists, in addition to the standard and bonus tracks. On April 1, 2025, three download-exclusive variants of the album were released via Grande's webstore: an instrumental version, an a capella version, and an alternate cover.
The title Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead is derived from the fictitious "Brighter Days Clinic" in the "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" music video. The standard cover is a "zoomed-out" photograph of Grande in a white dress, levitating in the air, underneath a beam of white light—in the center of a black background. Los 40 called the cover a "metaphor for the album's title", while Hypebeast described it as a "fitting visual for an album promising 'brighter days ahead'".
The deluxe edition of Eternal Sunshine begins with an extended version of "Intro (End of the World)". It further expands on the contemplations and questioning of Grande's relationship with her significant other. In the lyrics, she loops back to the ongoing theme of memory erasure from the album.
Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone rated the album with 4 out of 5 stars. He praised the new songs for hitting as hard as the original tracks and described the album as a continuation of her deeply emotional narrative. Writing for Variety, Steven Horowitz praised the album's songwriting and emphasized how Grande is "pop music’s most under-appreciated songwriters, consistently matching concept with execution, and what gave Eternal Sunshine the type of heft that only the best therapy-pop can provide".
The album's musical tonality was often complimented. Reagan Denning of Melodic Magazine and Amelia Knust from Washington Square News complimented the addition of synth-pop style, describing the album's atmosphere as "haunting melodies and eerie synths to create a ethereal listening experience" and "adding a new layer of synth-pop perfection".
Concurrently with the reissue's release on March 28, a short film titled Brighter Days Ahead premiered via Grande's YouTube channel. Written and directed by Breslauer and Grande, the short film is set 70 years after the events of the "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" music video; Grande stars as Peaches, the fictional character introduced in the video. Songs from both the standard version and the reissue of the album are featured in the film. Co-produced by London Alley, the Lucky Bastards, Republic Records, and Grande, fan screenings of Brighter Days Ahead were held on March 30 in Boca Raton, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
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