Motive (song)

"Motive" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer Ariana Grande and American singer and rapper Doja Cat. The two wrote the song with Victoria Monét, Nija Charles, Jeremy McIntyre, Steven Franks and its producers Murda Beatz and Tommy Brown. It was released by Republic Records on October 30, 2020, as the third track on Grande's sixth studio album Positions.

Not to be confused with The Motive (song) or Motiv8 (song).
"Motive"
Song by Ariana Grande and Doja Cat
from the album Positions
ReleasedOctober 30, 2020 (2020-10-30)
StudioGrande's house (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length2:47
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

Background

Grande first teased the collaboration with Doja Cat in an interview dated May 13, 2020. She said that they started to work on the song, which was titled "Motivate" at the time,[1] towards the end of 2019. Grande recalled: "I remember when I first wrote it and sent it to her, she was in the shower and she was like, 'Bitch, I love this. I'm in the shower.' And I was like, 'Shower. Okay, there's no rush. I'm not putting out a project anytime soon, whatever. You can call me back.' She was like, 'I'm doing it right now.'" Doja Cat video called her the next morning.[2]

She had a whole verse done, everything was done. [...] She was like, "How many bars can I take? Because this is mad inspiring and I want to just go." And I was like, "Take as many bars as you want. Do it. If you're inspired to say stuff, let's go." And so she just goes off on it, and it's so much fun, and I love it. It's my favorite so far.

— Grande, during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1.[3]

Grande praised Doja Cat's personality, calling her "a breath of fresh air". She also expressed her appreciation for her talent and "what she brings to the table musically". She said: "I was able to work with her earlier this year on this song that I want to save for whenever it's time again, to drop."[4]

"Motive" was revealed on October 24, 2020, when Grande posted the track list of Positions on social media.[5] It marks the first collaboration between Grande and Doja Cat, and the first time either artists had worked with Canadian hip hop producer Murda Beatz.[4]

Composition

"Motive" is an upbeat dance-pop,[6] electro house,[7][8] and microhouse song.[9] Its dance-pop sound has been compared to Grande's 2015 single "One Last Time".[6] It samples a muffled disco bounce, while Doja Cat's verse is layered over Southern California hip hop beats.[10] Lyrically, the song is about figuring out and examining the motive of a possible romantic interest when being approached by them.[11] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that the song contains "house rhythms and soupy electronics".[12]

Critical reception

"Motive" was positioned at number four on Billboard's Jason Lipshutz's ranking of all 14 songs on Positions. He wrote that the song helped the album to "pick up the tempo", and that "the thump of the production guides the song forward". He called Doja Cat's feature on the song "radio-ready", and expected it to be "a top 40 staple in the near future".[13] Brenton Blanchet of Clash found the "yuh" at the start of Doja Cat's verse "tasteful".[14] Hannah Mylrea of NME wrote that "the bouncing electro-house of 'Motive' is a sweet treat".[7] Kate Solomon of The Daily Telegraph identified the song as "one of the album's highlights", regarding it as "a made-for-radio hit" and calling it "one of the few tracks on the album to raise the tempo from a sleepy post-coital snuggle".[15] David Smyth of the Evening Standard praised Grande's voice, and pointed out "how lightly [her] vocals float" when contrasted against Doja Cat's rap verse.[16] Erica Gonzales of Harper's Bazaar described the song as "catchy as hell", writing: "The track is also perfectly upbeat and apropos for our virtual dance floors (a.k.a. our kitchens and bedrooms)."[17] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine considered the song "a welcome change of pace", given the scarcity of uptempo tracks on Grande's previous album, Thank U, Next.[9]

Shaad D'Souza of The Fader deemed the track "the album's most dynamic moment", which he believed boasts the most significant tempo change and the strongest hook besides lead single "Positions". However, he felt "Grande jumping on a house-inflected beat" was "cheap", writing that it seemed "out-of-character" for Grande to hop on pop music trends.[18]

Dani Blum of Pitchfork opined that the song might have been "an internet-breaking banger" if it was written in any other year, describing it as "twinkling and hushed".[19] Bobby Olivier of Spin felt the song was a "well-sung throwaway that contribute nothing to [Grande's] catalog",[20] while Adam White of The Independent called it a disappointment.[8] Writing for Consequence of Sound, Mary Siroky classified "Motive" into "the bad" of the album, writing that "the pulsing duet ultimately falls flat".[21]

Year-end lists

Alim Kheraj of The Guardian placed "Motive" at number 19 on his list of favorite tracks of 2020.[22]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal and the liner notes of Positions.[23][24]

Personnel

  • Ariana Grande – vocals, background vocals, songwriting, vocal production, vocal arrangement, audio engineering
  • Doja Cat – songwriting
  • Victoria Monét – songwriting
  • Nija Charles – songwriting
  • Murda Beatz – songwriting, production
  • Tommy Brown – songwriting, production
  • Mr. Franks – songwriting, co-production
  • Jeremy McIntyre – songwriting
  • Joseph L'Étranger – co-production
  • Billy Hickey – audio engineering, mix engineering
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing

Recording and management

Notes

  • Physical releases of Positions credit Doja Cat as a featured artist.
  • Physical releases of Positions credit Grande, Doja Cat, Monét and Charles for "lyrics and melodies".

Charts
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[25] 19
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[26] 62
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[27] 25
France (SNEP)[28] 128
Global 200 (Billboard)[29] 16
Greece (IFPI)[30] 37
Ireland (IRMA)[31] 13
Lithuania (AGATA)[32] 21
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[33] 29
Portugal (AFP)[34] 28
Singapore (RIAS)[35] 22
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[36] 84
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] 63
UK Singles (OCC)[38] 16
US Billboard Hot 100[39] 32
US Rolling Stone Top 100[40] 9

References
  1. Apple Music (May 13, 2020). "Ariana Grande: Justin Bieber Collaboration 'Stuck With U' and Unreleased Doja Cat Song". Retrieved November 12, 2020 – via YouTube. ... as well as her unreleased song, 'motivate' with Doja Cat.
  2. Kaufman, Gil (May 13, 2020). "Ariana Grande Reveals She and Doja Cat Have a Collab, Why She's Not Putting Out an Album Now & More". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  3. Curto, Justin (May 13, 2020). "Ariana Grande Wants a New Rihanna Album As Badly As the Rest of Us". Vulture. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  4. Mamo, Heran (November 9, 2020). "Here Are the Lyrics to Ariana Grande's 'Motive,' Feat. Doja Cat". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  5. Iasimone, Ashley (October 24, 2020). "Ariana Grande unveils 'Positions' track list". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  6. Jenkins, Craig (October 30, 2020). "Positions Flirts With Greatness But Isn't Ready to Commit". Vulture. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  7. Mylrea, Hannah (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande – 'Positions' review: lots of banging, but not so many bangers". NME. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  8. White, Adam (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande's Positions is woozy and flirtatious but lacking in surprise". The Independent. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  9. Camp, Alexa (October 30, 2020). "Review: Ariana Grande's Positions Too Often Defaults to a Familiar Pose". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  10. Bruton, Louise (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande: Positions review – Big orgy of breathless R&B songs". The Irish Times. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  11. Rossignol, Derrick (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande And Doja Cat Ask The Important Questions On 'Motive'". Uproxx. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  12. Petridis, Alexis (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande: Positions review – all-night romps but no climax". The Guardian. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  13. Lipshutz, Jason (October 30, 2020). "Every Song Ranked on Ariana Grande's 'Positions': Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  14. Blanchet, Brendon (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande - Positions". Clash. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  15. Solomon, Kate (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande, Positions, review: plenty of lust, but where are the hits". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  16. Smyth, David (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande's Positions is a loved-up ode in the simplest terms". Evening Standard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  17. Gonzales, Erica (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande and Doja Cat's New Song, 'Motive,' Is Catchy as Hell". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  18. D'Souza, Shaad (October 30, 2020). "Positions is the first real miss of Ariana Grande's career". The Fader. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  19. Blum, Dani (November 2, 2020). "Ariana Grande: Positions Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  20. Olivier, Bobby (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande Delivers Sultry Yet Forgettable R&B on Positions". Spin. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  21. Siroky, Mary (October 30, 2020). "Ariana Grande's Positions Is a 2020 Pop Fairytale: Review". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  22. Guardian music (December 18, 2020). "Guardian albums and tracks of 2020: how our writers voted". The Guardian. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  23. Grande, Ariana (October 30, 2020). "Credits / Positions / Ariana Grande". Retrieved November 12, 2020 – via Tidal.
  24. Positions (booklet). Ariana Grande. New York: Republic Records. 2020. p. 3. UPC 602435350967.CS1 maint: others (link)
  25. "Australian-charts.com – Ariana Grande feat. Doja Cat – Motive". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  26. "Austriancharts.at – Ariana Grande feat. Doja Cat – Motive" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  27. "Ariana Grande Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  28. "Lescharts.com – Ariana Grande feat. Doja Cat – Motive" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  29. "Ariana Grande Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  30. "IFPI Charts". IFPI Greece. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  31. "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  32. "2020 45-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" [2020 45th week's most listened (TOP 100)] (in Lithuanian). AGATA. November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  33. "Charts.nz – Ariana Grande feat. Doja Cat – Motive". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  34. "Portuguesecharts.com – Ariana Grande feat. Doja Cat – Motive". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  35. "RIAS International Top Charts Week 45". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  36. "Swedishcharts.com – Ariana Grande feat. Doja Cat – Motive". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  37. "Swisscharts.com – Ariana Grande feat. Doja Cat – Motive". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  38. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  39. "Ariana Grande Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  40. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
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