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"Side To Side" is the 3rd single and 5th track from Ariana Grande's third studio album, Dangerous Woman. It features rapper Nicki Minaj. The song was released on August 30, 2016, through Republic Records. A live version of the song is featured on K Bye For Now (SWT Live), which was released on December 23, 2019.

Background[]

Grande shared the first snippet of the song through her Snapchat on April 7, 2016.[1]

On April 10, 2016, the Dangerous Woman track-list was updated on iTunes and showed five explicit songs on the album. [2]One week later on April 16, 2016, Grande had revealed the track-list for her upcoming third studio album, and "Side To Side" was revealed to be one of the explicit tracks.[3]

The song was first officially released through Apple Music/Beats 1 on iTunes on May 14, 2016.[4]Grande first performed the song live at her private concert "Side To Side: (VEVO Presents)" on May 20, 2016, hours before the release of her third studio album.[5]

Three months later on August 28, 2016, Grande performed the song with Nicki Minaj on the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.[6][7] The music video for this song was released as the third single of the album, Dangerous Woman on August 30, 2016.

Critical reception[]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that its sound is comparable to works from Barbadian singer Rihanna. Maeva McDermott from USA Today noted the same, specifically saying that "Grande borrows the tropical flavors and ska upstrumming that Rihanna ushered into pop music’s consciousness." McDermontt's review ended by praising Minaj's participation, saying: "who better to invite on an album about female fierceness than Nicki Minaj, whose understated verse steals the show and lends Grande some real danger." Rolling Stone's writer Rob Sheffield ranked "Side to Side" at number 22 on his list of "50 Best Songs of 2016", describing it as "an ode to having so much s** you can't walk straight the next day."

Commercial performance[]

In the United States, "Side to Side" made its debut at number 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100 dated September 17, 2016. The song leaped to number 18 the next week. It has since reached a peak of number 4, making it Grande's eighth top-ten on the chart and Minaj's thirteenth; it also doubles as the second top-10 hit from Dangerous Woman and its highest-charting single.] The song also spent five weeks atop the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart, becoming Grande's second number-one on that chart, and Minaj's first.

In Australia, "Side to Side" debuted at number 36 on the ARIA Charts and has since peaked at number 3, becoming her fourth top-ten single there. 

In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 10, becoming her fifth top-ten single there. It rose to number 5 the following week and peaked at 2.

In the United Kingdom, "Side to Side" initially debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 66 in the week dated June 2, 2016 after its album's release, but fell off the chart in its second week. The song re-entered at number 24 in the week dated September 9, 2016 following its official release as a single, and has since peaked at number 4, making it Grande's fourth top-ten single there, and Minaj's tenth.

Live performances[]

Grande performed "Side to Side" for the first time in "Vevo Presents" show in May 2016. Later, she performed at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards with Minaj. Stationary bicycles and a pommel horse were featured as props in the performance. Grande also performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on September 8, 2016. Additionally, she performed the single in an acoustic medley with "Into You" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 14, 2016. On September 24, 2016, she performed the song at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival on The CW. On November 20, 2016, Grande and Minaj performed "Side to Side" at the 2016 American Music Awards. It was named the best performance of the night by editor Andrew Unterberger from Billboard. On June 4, 2017, the song was part of Grande's set list for One Love Manchester, a benefit concert for the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. Grande performed the song multiple times in 2018 at multiple shows such as YouTube Brandcast 2018, Wango Tango 2018 and Amazon Prime Day 2018. The song was a regular part of the setlist of Grande's Sweetener World Tour, which began on March 18, 2019.

Remix Package[]

An official remix package of the song was released on February 3, 2017. It features the Slushii Remix and Phantoms Remix, each for the song.

Music Video[]

Side to Side Music Video (7)

Grande and Nicki Minaj in the "Side to Side" music video.

On May 14, 2016, Nicki Minaj hinted that the song will be receiving a music video.[8] Three months later on August 8, 2016, Grande posted a picture in a dressing room with a lyric from the song.[9] The video was most likely filmed at that time. Grande got the idea for the music video while running on the treadmill.[10]

On August 24, 2016, Grande posted on various social media sites announcing that the music video will be released on August 28. The music video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis and sponsored by Guess.[11][12][13][14] The video was initially released exclusively on Guess after her performance on the VMAs. It was released on Vevo and YouTube on August 30, 2016.

Trivia[]

  • Minaj apparently scrapped the lines: "The D so good, got me screaming oh sh*t! The D so good, got me doing hoe sh*t!"[15] Grande had stated to have liked the lines.
  • In August 19, 2016, two guys had made a Musically with Ariana, with all of them lip-syncing the song.[1]
  • Sometime around fall of 2016, Ariana was posting on Musically (now known as TikTok) promoting the song, and telling her fans she wanted to see them make videos to the the song, and for share them with her on Musically, also telling them to use the hashtag #SideToSide for a chance to win tickets to the Dangerous Woman Tour. Ariana continued to post on Musically with friends using the sound.[2][3][4]
  • On June 27, 2017, the music video reached 1 billion views, making Grande's second video to do so. The first video being "Problem".
  • It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Grande's eighth top ten and fourth top five hit.
  • Grande released the Side To Side (Remixes) EP on February 3, 2017. The songs were remixes by Slushii and Phantoms.
  • The song is featured in a T-Mobile commercial which also features Grande.
  • "Side To Side" is featured on Ubisoft's dance game, Just Dance 2018.
  • There is an alternate unreleased version of the song according to the snippet on Instagram that Grande shared days before release.[16]
  • At the mid-end of the snippet, you can hear that Nicki's verse has an altered back track/instrumental. Grande also holds a note longer.
  • Side to Side surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify. It is the first female collaboration to reach this milestone.
  • In 2022, Side To Side became Ariana's most viewed video on YouTube, making her one of the 5 female artists to pass this landmark

Videos[]

Gallery[]

Lyrics[]

[Intro: Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj]
I been here all night (Ariana)
I been here all day (Nicki Minaj)
And boy, got me walkin' side to side (Let them hoes know, uh)

[Verse 1: Ariana Grande]
I'm talkin' to ya
See you standin' over there with your body
Feelin' like I wanna rock with your body
And we don't gotta think bout nothin' (Bout nothin')
I'm comin' at ya
Cause I know you got a bad reputation
Doesn't matter, cause you give me temptation
And we don't gotta think bout nothin' (Bout nothin')

[Pre-Chorus 1: Ariana Grande]
These friends keep talkin' way too much
Say I should give you up
Can't hear them, no, cause I…

[Chorus: Ariana Grande]
I been here all night
I been here all day
And boy, got me walkin' side to side
I been here all night
I been here all day
And boy, got me walkin' side to side (Side to side)

[Verse 2: Ariana Grande]
Been tryna hide it
Baby, what's it gonna hurt if they don't know?
Makin' everybody think that we solo
Just as long as you know you got me (You got me)
And boy I got ya
Cause tonight I'm makin' deals with the devil
And I know it's gonna get me in trouble
Just as long as you know you got me

[Pre-Chorus 1: Ariana Grande]
These friends keep talkin' way too much
Say I should give you up
Can't hear them, no, cause I…

[Chorus: Ariana Grande]
I been here all night
I been here all day
And boy, got me walkin' side to side (Side to side)
I been here all night (Been here all night, baby)
I been here all day (Been here all day, baby)
And boy (Aaaaah), got me walkin' side to side (Got me walkin' side to side, boy) (Side to side)

[Post-Chorus: Nicki Minaj]
Uh, this the new style with the fresh type of flow
Wrist icicle, ride dick bicycle
Come through yo, get you this type of blow
If you wanna Minaj, I got a tricycle

[Bridge: Nicki Minaj]
All these bitches' flows is my mini-me
Body smoking, so they call me Young Nicki Chimney
Rappers in they feelings cause they feelin' me
Uh, I-I-I give zero fucks and I got zero chill in me
Kissing me, copped the blue box that say Tiffany
Curry with the shot, just tell 'em to call me Stephanie
Gun pop and I make my gum pop
I'm the queen of rap, young Ariana run pop, uh

[Pre-Chorus 2: Ariana Grande]
These friends keep talkin' way too much
Say I should give him up
Can't hear them, no, cause I…

[Chorus: Ariana Grande]
I been here all night (I been here all night) (Been here all night, baby)
I been here all day (I been here all day) (Been here all day, baby)
And boy (Aaaaah) (Boy), got me walkin' side to side (Side to side)
I been here all night (Been here all night, baby) (Been here all night, babe)
I been here all day (Been here all day, baby) (Ooh, baby)
And boy (Aaaaah) (No), got me walkin' side to side (Side to side) (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

[Post-Chorus: Nicki Minaj & Ariana Grande]
Uh, this the new style with the fresh type of flow (Been here all night, baby) (Baby)
Wrist icicle, ride dick bicycle (Been here all day, baby) (Oh, yeah)
Come through yo (Aaaaah), get you this type of blow (Aaaaah)
If you wanna Minaj (Side to side), I got a tricycle (Ah, yeah)

References[]

Dangerous Woman
May 20, 2016 • 39:31 • Republic Records
Songs
Released Bad DecisionsBe AlrightDangerous WomanEverydayFocusGreedyI Don't CareInto YouJason's Song (Gave It Away)Knew Better / Forever BoyLeave Me LonelyLet Me Love YouMoonlightSide To SideSometimesStep On UpThinking Bout YouTouch It
Unreleased 1st Unknown Dangerous Woman OuttakeAll ThatAriana BeatBaby LovesControlGot Her OwnHiHourglassHow You FeelKnew Better Part TwoLeave Me Lonely (Reprise)MonsterOh, YeahOn & OnXanadu
Artists
Ariana GrandeFutureJamie FoxxLil WayneMacy GrayNicki MinajQuavoTakeoffTayla ParxVictoria Monét
Tour
Dangerous Woman Tour
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