Intro (End of the World)

"Intro (End of the World)" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande from her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine (2024). It was released by Republic Records as the album's opening track on March 8, 2024. Grande wrote and produced it with Shintaro Yasuda, Nick Lee, and Aaron Paris. The song puts emphasis on Grande's vocals over a production containing guitar strums, strings, and harmonies. The lyrics are about the doubts and anxieties of an uncertain relationship.

"Intro (End of the World)" was met with mostly positive reviews from critics, who commented on its significance as the album's opening track and praised the production. Commercially, the song peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 24 on the Billboard Global 200. It reached the top five in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, and further charted in Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, and Portugal.

Background and release
After the release of her sixth studio album, Positions (2020), Ariana Grande went on hiatus to pursue goals beyond music, such as portraying Glinda in the film Wicked (2024). In September 2023, she started working on her next studio album, Eternal Sunshine, which she conceived as a collection of songs consisting of "different heightened pieces of the same story, of the same experience". The album's lead single, "Yes, And?" was released on January 12, 2024, and the album itself was announced on January 17. The single debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it became Grande's eighth number-one song.

"Intro (End of the World)" was reported to be the second song Grande wrote for Eternal Sunshine, following the title track. On January 27, 2024, she revealed the first three songs in the album's tracklist, which includes "Intro (End of the World)" as the opening track. Republic Records released it alongside Eternal Sunshine on March 8, 2024.

Music and lyrics
"Intro (End of the World)" is 1 minute and 32 seconds long. Grande wrote and produced the song with Shintaro Yasuda, Nick Lee, and Aaron Paris, the three of whom handled programming. Yasuda played keyboards, Lee played keyboards and trombone, and Paris played bass, guitar, synthesizer, and violin. Lou Carrao and Sam Holland engineered the track with assistance from Eric Eyland. It was mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach with assistance from Bryce Bordone and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in Edgewater.

The production of "Intro (End of the World)" emphasizes on Grande's vocals. The song begins with static sounds from a vinyl and incorporates understated guitar strums, soft strings, and harmonies. It also includes a trombone filtered through an effect that makes the horns create a "washy, vibey, wavy sound", according to Lee. Grande's vocals are subtle and sensual throughout and escalate as they lead into the chorus, which features a violin. Josiah Antonio from ABS-CBN News likened the production to Disney's theme songs. Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield believed the track contained influences from the Beatles' album Rubber Soul (1965) due to its "psychedelic murk".

The song has lyrics about doubting a relationship. Grande describes her resentment of the relationship and is unsure if she is in the right one: "How can I tell if I'm in the right relationship?" The lyrics details a romance that has been slowly fading. Grande expresses her anxieties regarding the interactions with her partner and the possible end of their relationship. She lowers her vocal register when singing the lyric "If it all ended tomorrow, would I be the one on your mind?" According to Tomás Mier of Rolling Stone, the song sets much of the lyrical themes of Eternal Sunshine of "healing-from-a-breakup". A few reviewers commented that the album's closing track "Ordinary Things" was an answer to the song's question whether Grande is with the right person. "Intro (End of the World)" was conceived as a companion to the song both in its sound and lyrics.

Reception
Critics received "Intro (End of the World)" with mostly positive reviews. Some commented on the song's significance as the opening track of Eternal Sunshine. Moses Jeanfrancois of Beats Per Minute and Kyle Denis of Billboard deemed it an effective opener for the album. Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone believed the song was where Grande "gets the most intense feelings of heartbreak" on Eternal Sunshine. In a mixed review, Callie Ahlgrim from Business Insider thought the track "sneakily foreshadows" the album's themes but wrote that it would not work as a standalone song. Other critics praised the production. Mier and Teen Vogue editors Aiyana Ishmael and Honestine Fraser wrote that it was "dreamy". In a ranking of Eternal Sunshine, Denis listed the song as tenth and said that it contained a "sense of imminent doom that warrants" a "flashy" title of "End of the World" and a vocal performance "equal parts cavalier and utterly distraught". Sputnikmusic staff picked the track as an example of one of the album's "subtle musical flourishes", while Christian Allaire of Vogue said the production "kind of sounds the way a warm hug on a cold winter's day feels".

Commercially, the song peaked within the top five in the countries of the Philippines (4), Malaysia (5), and Singapore (5). In the United States, it debuted and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it made Grande the female artist with the third most chart entries (85), tying with Beyoncé. Elsewhere, the song peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Global 200, number 21 in New Zealand, number 37 in Canada, number 55 in Portugal, number 71 in Australia, and number 101 in France. It also reached number 35 on Greece's Top 100 Digital Singles International chart.

Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Eternal Sunshine.


 * Ariana Grande – lead vocals, songwriting, production, background vocals
 * Shintaro Yasuda – songwriting, production, programming, keyboards
 * Nick Lee – songwriting, production, programming, keyboards, trombone
 * Aaron Paris – songwriting, production, programming, bass, guitar, synthesizer, violin
 * Sam Holland – engineering
 * Lou Carrao – engineering
 * Eric Eyland – engineering assistance
 * Serban Ghenea – mixing
 * Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance
 * Randy Merrill – mastering