We Can't Be Friends
Ariana Grande Channels Her Anger Into Her Spiciest Song Yet
On “Like I Do,” the singer is not afraid to get a little steamy with the enemy.
When Ariana Grande described her new album, petal, as “feral,” this is what she meant. In her new song “like i do,” the singer allows herself to get more unfiltered than ever before, resulting in one of her angriest, cockiest, and even spiciest songs to date.
In true Grande fashion, “like i do” appears to be relatively straightforward (albeit very explicit, in this case), but the singer’s actually talking about something much different under the surface.
Over a menacing R&B soundscape with sharp synths and theatrical flourishes, Grande effortlessly seduces what seems to be a lover, even harkening back to her 2014 hit “Break Free” with a catchy grammatical error made out of lust. “Extra, extra, buy one, take me,” she sings. “Sexy how you come to see, it's true, you need me like I you, ‘cause no one f*cks you like I do.”
But even the first line of the chorus feels aimed at something much more sinister, which Grande hints at elsewhere, seemingly teasing the press and her critics about how their backlash actually keeps her in business.
“I’m making cents off of your nonsense,” she brags on the first verse. “All that sh*t talk keeps me well-fed / Through thick and thin, you're so locked in, you hate to love me.” Sometimes the biggest haters are more devoted than even your biggest fans.
Just hours before the release of petal, Grande premiered “like I do” by performing it live for the first time during her July 30 show in Montreal on her Eternal Sunshine Tour. Needless to say, it slapped.
Ariana Grande’s “Like I Do” Lyrics
Read the full lyrics of Grande’s new song below.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah (Mm-mm), ah, ah, ah, ah
I’m making friends with my consequence (Ah, ah, ah, ah)
Way up high like my consciousness (Ah, ah, ah, ah)
Keep my heels tall, my ego small
But I’m still Grande (Ah, ah, ah, ah)
I’m making cents off of your nonsense (Ah, ah, ah, ah)
All that shit talk keeps me well-fed (Ah, ah, ah, ah)
Through thick and thin, you're so locked in (Ah, ah, ah, ah)
You hate to love me (Ah, ah, ah, ah)
Extra, extra, buy one, take me
Sexy how you come to see, it's true
You need me like I you
‘Cause no one fucks you like I do
Extra, extra, buy one, take me
Sexy how you come to see, it’s true
You need me like I you
‘Cause no one fucks you like I do, yeah
I’ve been busy keeping your girl inspired
I know my brain gives you ideas
Stay on your mind like all the time
Yeah, you still watching from the sides
Yeah, you still, still show up first in line
Yeah, you act like all your love is mine
Still, still mine, baby
I guess you really love me, yeah
Extra, extra, buy one, take me
Sexy how you come to see, it’s true
You need me like I you (Mm-mm)
‘Cause no one fucks you like I do (Oh yeah)
Extra, extra, buy one, take me
Sexy how you come to see, it’s true
You need me like I you
‘Cause no one fucks you like I do, yeah
Mm-mm, mm-mm
Ooh, ooh
Mm-mm
Oh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh
Oh, oh (Ah), oh (Ah)
Mm, ah
