"God Is a Woman" received universal acclaim from music critics. The song debuted at number 11 and later reached a peak of number eight, becoming Grande's tenth top-10 single on the US Billboard Hot 100. It became her fourth single to top the US Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart. The song also attained a top-10 peak within the charts of 17 countries, including number one in Greece, Iceland and Israel, number four in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore and Malaysia, number five in Australia, Canada, Hungary and New Zealand, as well as reaching the top-twenty in Austria, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The single is certified Platinum in six countries in addition to Triple Diamond in Brazil. The song was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and release
"God Is a Woman" was initially recorded by Camila Cabello (pictured in 2019).
"God Is a Woman" was first teased in a scene in the music video for lead single "No Tears Left to Cry", which displayed what appears to be a working track listing for the upcoming album.[1] Grande confirmed the title on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 1, 2018.[2] On June 27, Grande revealed that the song would become the official second single from her album.[3] She initially announced on Twitter that the song would be released on July 20, however, she later confirmed the release date as July 13.[4] During an interview with SiriusXM's Radio Andy, Camila Cabello commented that "God Is a Woman" was initially written for her, but eventually stating that "it didn't end up sounding right for me."[5] The original version by Cabello, featuring Rita Ora, eventually leaked online in 2023.
Composition and lyrics
"God Is a Woman" is a midtempo song that runs for three minutes and 17 seconds.[6][7] It was characterized as a pop-hip hop hybrid track that blends "trip hoppy-R&B" and soft rock with influences of reggae over "hypnotic" trap-pop production.[6][8][9][10]Time described the song as "an anthemic, sultry banger", and noted that "Grande's voice is layered so that it sounds like a choir, but really, it's only her, multiplied."[11] The song contains assertive lyrics embracing her femininity and intertwining themes of sexuality and spirituality.[12][13]
The song is performed in the key of E♭ minor with a tempo of 145 beats per minute in common time. The song follows a chord progression of E♭m – D♭/E♭ – E♭m – D♭/E♭ – C♭maj7 – D♭/C♭ –A♭m7 – B♭m7, and Grande's vocals span from E♭3 to E♭6.[14]
Critical reception
The song received widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. Mike Nied of Idolator described it as "a sexually liberated bop", writing: "The beat picks up as [Grande] moves into the chorus. Incorporating a hip-hop edge, her voice gets progressively breathier. Although the single is obviously a sexy banger, it also includes a resilient message. In the face of critics, she defiantly takes a stand."[13] Bryan Rolli of Forbes.com called it "an impressive show of both virtuosity and restraint" and "one of the best pop songs of the summer—if not the year". He also praised Grande's vocal performance "sprinkling her signature falsetto across the sultry chorus and reining in her vocal acrobatics in the verses. She tries on different flows at her whim, singing slow, seductive come-ons ("I can tell that you know I know how I want it") and riffing on Migos' triplet flow in the pre-choruses. The track is full of chilly, hypnotic trap beats, tasteful drops and electronic squawks, atop which Grande harmonizes with herself to suck listeners into the world she's created for three-and-a-half minutes. [Grande] performs with a maturity that her last two singles lacked, taking a fairly simple formula—heroic female pop vocals plus entrancing trap beats—and turning it into a bite-sized masterpiece. The track probably won't put to bed any controversial theological debates, but it sure made a lot of people believe in something tonight."[15]
Upon release, "God Is a Woman" began receiving early radio support in the United States. The song drew in 172 spins from 52 Mediabase-monitored pop stations across the country on the final tracking period days.[18] On the issue dated July 28, 2018, "God Is a Woman" debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, selling 43,000 digital downloads during its opening week, allowing it to enter the Digital Songs chart at number four while starting on the Streaming Songs chart at number 11 with 25.1 million US streams.[19] In its second week, the song fell 10 positions to number 21 on the Hot 100. The song also entered Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 at number 27, moving up to number 23 the following week. It later reached number one on the chart, becoming Grande's eleventh top-10 single and fourth to reach the summit of the chart.[20][21] In March 2019, "God Is a Woman" was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments exceeding two million units in the United States.[22]
Following the release of Sweetener and its performance at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards on August 20, 2018, "God Is a Woman" jumped 22 positions on the Hot 100 from number 30 to number 8, becoming Grande's tenth top-ten single there and placing her as the twelfth overall artist and seventh female artist with the most Hot 100 top 10s in the 2010s decade.[23] The song subsequently rose to number 8 on Streaming Songs and climbed to number 39 on BillboardRadio Songs that week. It has since reached number six there, earning Grande her ninth top-10 on the Radio Songs chart and giving her the most top 10s among women since her first, "Problem" in June 2014, surpassing Taylor Swift who has amassed eight since that date.[24] On the BillboardDance Club Songs, "God Is a Woman" debuted at number 42 on the issue dated August 25, 2018, climbing to number 31 the following week. The song later topped the chart, becoming her second consecutive number one and third overall; consequently, Sweetener became her first album to spawn multiple top 10s on that chart. Similarly, the track also peaked at number six on the US Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. In Canada, the song debuted at number five on the Canadian Hot 100.[25]
In the United Kingdom, "God Is a Woman" entered the Official Trending Chart at number one following its release, with the song set to debut in the top 10 of the chart regardless of any added points.[26] On July 20, 2018, the song opened at number four on the UK Singles Chart, where it became her seventh top-ten single in the country.[27]
It also debuted on the UK R&B chart at number two, becoming her highest-charting entry there.[28] Similarly, it entered the Irish Singles Chart at number four, and at number eight on the Scottish Singles Chart. In Australia, the song debuted at its peak of number five on the ARIA Charts, marking her seventh top-10 entry there as well.[29]
Music video
Lyric video
The lyric video for "God Is a Woman" premiered on Grande's YouTube channel alongside the release of the single. The video visualizes a cloud-filled background that transitions to a cosmic scene, ending with a still shot of the singer.
The music video begins with Grande at the center of a Galaxy while she is standing on top of Earth. The next scene shows Grande floating in a pool filled with a mixture of acrylic paint. Then she is shown on a platform on top of a bed with a few dancers writhing around her. Then she is shown again floating on a pool filled with a mixture of acrylic paint. After that, she is shown sitting on a platform on top of a page of an open book while the men are shown on top of another page of that book throwing insults at her. The men appear smaller than her. Then she is shown with a background behind her of multiple versions of her face one behind the other. The scene after that shows three dogs emerging behind her neck. The next scene shows a lot of people facing away from her. Next, she is shown standing on top of a candle with a background of a clear sky and clouds. Then she is shown sitting on top of Earth. Another scene shows beavers emerging with their heads out from their holes and immediately start screeching after that. The next scene shows an illustration of a crowd while she is walking away from the crowd.
Live performances
Grande performing "God Is a Woman" at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. Also seen next to her on either side are her grandmother Marjorie, her cousin Lani and her mother Joan.
Grande performed "God Is a Woman" for the first time on August 20, 2018, at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The performance was themed around the Last Supper and Grande was accompanied onstage with over 50 female dancers. Grande was joined by her mother Joan, grandmother Marjorie and cousin Lani towards the end of the performance and after Grande finished singing, the four of them bowed together before exiting the stage.[35] She also performed an acoustic version of the song the same week on Good Morning America.[36]
"God Is a Woman" was included on the set list for The Sweetener Sessions, a promotional tour in support of her Sweetener album.[37] The song is also included as the set opener of her Sweetener World Tour (2019) with a performance similar to her VMAs performance.[38]
On March 25, 2022, New Zealand pop singer Benee covered "God Is a Woman" for Australian youth broadcaster Triple J's segment Like a Version, in addition to a performance of her song "Never Ending".[117]
^"God Is a Woman" was originally set to be released to rhythmic contemporary radio on July 24, 2018, along with contemporary hit radio, but it was rescheduled to August 7.[115]
^Kornhaber, Spencer (July 18, 2018). "What Is Ariana Grande Doing?". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 12, 2022. As music, "God Is a Woman" conjures an enveloping swirl of trip-hoppy R&B and soft rock...
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201829 into search. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
