Making Wicked drastically changed Ariana Grande’s personal life, leading to the end of her first marriage to Dalton Gomez and later, a new love story with her co-star Ethan Slater. The latter also went through a separation and divorce during Wicked’s making. As such, people had a lot of opinions about Grande’s relationship with Slater when news first broke of their dating in July 2023.
In “Hampstead,” a bonus track on Grande’s eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead, the singer addresses critics of her love life, reminding them that they know very little of what actually happened when she was living in Hampstead, the North London neighborhood she resided in while making Wicked. She spoke in a January BBC interview about her time there: “I loved meandering around, and visiting different shops and places and pubs....It’s so delightful and fun.”
eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead by Ariana Grande
In the song, she addressed commentary about her image head on. In the first verse, she goes right into it, singing: “I left my heart at a pub in Hampstead / And I misplaced my mind in a good way / Threw away my reputation but saved us more heartache / Yes, I know it seems fucked up, and you’re right / But quite frankly you’re still wrong about everything / So far off, your seat’s nowhere near the table / But I find something sweet in your peculiar behavior / ’Cause I think to be so dumb must be nice.”
Grande’s lyrics echo the comments she gave Vanity Fair in September 2024 about the internet’s commentary on her love life.
Navigating her personal life in the public eye “definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids,” she began. “Of course, I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie. A lot of people that were working on it did. We were away for two years. So, of course, I understand why it was a field day for the tabloids to sort of create something that paid their bills.”
Their “popular narrative” about her and Slater’s relationship didn’t reflect the couple’s reality, she added: “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it. That was definitely a tough ride.”
Of Slater, she said, “No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about. There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bullshit tabloid can rewrite in real life.”
The song puts that truth into more focus, as Grande sings about having no regrets over the decision she made to follow her heart in England. Here, take in the full lyrics of “Hampstead”:
I left my heart at a pub in Hampstead
And I misplaced my mind in a good way
Threw away my reputation but saved us more heartache
Yes, I know it seems fucked up and you’re right
But quite frankly you’re still wrong about everything
So far off, your seat’s nowhere near the table
But I find something sweet in your peculiar behavior
’Cause I think to be so dumb must be nice
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
What makes you think you’re even invited?
The doors are closed with lights off inside and
All the while thеre’s no one home
You’rе still outside
I wonder why
What’s wrong with a little bit of poison? Tell me
I would rather feel everything than nothing every time
Fear me, stranger, a little bit of sugar, danger
I’d rather be seen and alive than dying by your point of view
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
I don’t remember too much of the last year
But I knew who I was when I got here
’Cause I’m still the same but only entirely different
And my lover’s just some lines in some songs
Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm
You think you’ve read the book I’m still writing
I can’t imagine wanting so badly to be right
Guess I’m forever on your mind
I wonder why
What’s wrong with a little bit of poison? Tell me
I would rather feel everything than nothing every time
Fear me, stranger, a little bit of sugar, danger
I’d rather be seen and alive than dying by your point of view
Rather be swimming with you than drowning in a crowded room
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
