Does it even matter what Ariana Grande releases for Billboard’s Hot 100 to debut it at No. 1?

Not if it’s a Max Martin song.

Of course, that’s not a bad thing. In fact, when I hear a pop song for the first time and it resonates with me, there’s a good chance that Max Martin wrote/produced or co-wrote/co-produced it. And that’s the case here with Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for your Love),” the second single from her 2024 album, Eternal Sunshine.

I’ve never been much of an Ariana Grande fan. Not a hater, for sure. But rarely have I heard her music and thought, “I want to give this a second listen” (I did like 2016’s searing “Dangerous Woman,” an impressive vocal performance. Also, a shocker: co-written and co-produced by Max Martin). But “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for your Love)” is my favorite Grande song so far.

But why?

It’s simple, really: different strokes for different folks, as the old saying goes. I’m an old-school fan of New Wave and Eurodance music, which is why some of my favorite artists over the last 5-10 years are Dua Lipa, Ava Max, and Weeknd, when he’s doing his more synth-based, upbeat stuff. So I’m a sucker for that ’80s vibe, and those plastic, retro synths are irresistible to me.

“We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for your Love)” begins quietly with the former Nickelodeon teen star high-pitched and breathy, floating over the barely-there synth wash, reminiscent of so many other Grande songs that were one-and-dones for me. But it’s a trick! Before you know it, it shifts into gear, quickly hitting the chorus, colliding with an arpeggiated synth rhythm that really makes the piece move.

The subject of Grande’s affection is told “We can’t be friends. But I’d like to just pretend. You cling to your papers and pens. Wait until you like me again,” setting up serious payoff at the end of the chorus: “Wait for your love. I’ll wait for your love.” It’s a great buildup to the chorus with a satisfying endgame that keeps this listener engaged. It’s pleasing to the ear of retro synth pop fans.

Apparently, it’s speculated that “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for your Love)” may have a dual meaning, with Grande calling out the media/press, tell them they can’t be friends, and that she’ll, once again, wait for their love. Grande doesn’t do much press, far as I know…but she certainly grabs headlines when she’s “in cycle,” which she certainly is at the moment, with “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for your Love)” matching Eternal Sunshine‘s opening single “Yes, And?” by debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Which is even odder, because I really like this track, and that’s usually the kiss of death on the charts – nothing I like ever hits the top spot, and usually peters out in the 20-50 range, if even that high. But for Grande, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for your Love)” marks her seventh No. 1 debut, making her the female songstress with the most No. 1 debuts in history.

So maybe some people don’t like it, but who cares what anyone else thinks?