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Katie Reeves

Professor Leonard

ENG 1201

14 February 2021

The Old and the New: How Ariana Grande Changes the Classic “My Favorite Things”

The song “My Favorite Things” from the 1965 film The Sound of Music gets modernized

in “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande. Grande changes the lyrics and tone to the familiar melody of

“My Favorite Things” in order to create one of the most popular songs of 2019. This twist to the

original song changes the message that appeals to an older, more modern audience. The classic

“My Favorite Things” argues that viewers should focus on the little things in life that make them

happy. In contrast, the recent pop anthem “7 Rings” suggests that buying things is what creates

happiness.

The Sound of Music is about a woman named Maria who becomes the governess for a

family with seven children. It uses musical elements to follow the story of her relationship with

the family. In the scene where Maria sings “My Favorite Things,” she is trying to comfort the

children during a thunderstorm. The scene begins with all the children curled up in Maria’s bed

in fear of the sounds from the thunderstorm. Maria begins to sing to the children about her

favorite things in order to get them to focus on the positive. As the song progresses, the children

begin listing their favorite things which lead to them becoming energetic and smiling. When the

scene ends, the children are seen laughing and it is clear they are no longer afraid of the storm.

The “My Favorite Things” scene has a lighthearted feel which the audience can see by how the

children are giggling and playing together.

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Grande contrast the youthful imagery of “My Favorite Things” in the “7 Rings” music

video by switching between scenes of her singing alone to scenes of her having a party with

friends. Luxury is the main theme throughout the video. As the lyrics describe the expensive

things Grande has, the video depicts her in trendy, expensive outfits as she is at a luxurious

house party. Glitter and sparkles throughout the video add to the expensive, lush feel of the

video. The title of the song originated from Grande buying her and six other friends matching

rings which explains the rich aesthetic the video has. The luxurious, expensive attitude of the

video along with the scenes of Grande having fun helps to convey to the audience the message of

money actually can buy happiness.

The contrast in the initial lyrics of the songs depicts the difference in the purpose of each

song. “My Favorite Things” begins with the lyrics, “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,

bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.” Maria is thinking about the little things in life

that make her happy. This contributes to the message of the song because Maria is illustrating

simple things in order to cheer the children up. She’s teaching them that remembering the little

things can help move their focus away from their fears. In “7 Rings” the song begins with the

same melody, but different lyrics, “Lashes and diamonds, ATM machines, Buy myself all of my

favorite things.” Grande changes the lyrics to match the expensive theme of the song while still

mentioning the original version at the end. Instead of just listing her favorite things though,

Grande boasts that she can buy them. “7 Rings” modernizes the original song’s lighthearted

message by changing the lyrics to match its mature message.

Along with the lyrics, the visual elements of “7 Rings” allow it to target an older

audience. In Grande’s music video, one of the main scenes is of a party where the girls are

drinking and having fun. This aesthetic is targeted towards a young adult audience where
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partying is part of the social culture. Children can’t relate to the party scene in Grande’s video,

but can easily relate to the scene in The Sound of Music. The children are seen being scared of a

thunderstorm which is a relatable situation for many kids watching. Also, the whole movie is

targeted towards children with musical elements, and the main characters being young kids. The

message in “My Favorite Things” isn’t as effective to young adults because it isn’t targeted

towards them. “7 Rings” is able to relate to an older audience through the use of mature visual

elements.

Both versions appeal to pathos but target different emotions to engage their audiences.

“My Favorite Things” visually appeals to the audience by depicting the change in emotions the

children have. In the beginning, when the children are scared, the audience is empathetic towards

the children. Not only because they can relate to the fear the children are feeling, but they can see

how scared they are. Some children have their heads burrowed into the bed covers, while others

are yelping at the sounds of thunder. After the children hear the song though, they are happy and

playful which the audience can feel from the visuals and upbeat tone of the music. The message

of how focusing on the little things makes one happy is more effective because of how the

audience is able to experience the progression in emotions the children feel.

“7 Rings” appeals to pathos with its lyrics rather than with visual appeals. Grande sings,

“Wearing a ring, but ain’t got’ be no ‘Mrs.’” This part of the song is a reference to how she

called off her engagement with comedian Pete Davidson shortly before the song released.

Grande’s mention of how she’s wearing rings without getting married leads to a sense of

empowerment in the audience when she follows it with the line, “Bought matching diamonds for

six of my bitches.” She’s saying she has her own money and doesn’t need a man to buy her

things. This appeals to the audience’s sense of independence and confidence. Grande is able to
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get her message across by empowering the audience with her example of how buying jewelry

can make her happy instead of relationships.

“7 Rings” changes the lyrics from the original version to be focused on material things as

well as independence. Grande also uses party scenes to direct her more mature themes to a young

adult audience. In the original version, the innocent message of focusing on the little things in

life that can bring happiness is targeted towards a younger audience to relate to their emotions.

“7 Rings” modernizes “My Favorite Things” to send the message that money can buy happiness.

Works Cited

ArianaGrandeVevo. “Ariana Grande - 7 Rings (Official Video).” YouTube, uploaded by

Ariana Grande, 18 Jan. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYh6mYIJG2Y.

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Rodgers & Hammerstein. “My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music.” YouTube,

uploaded by Rodgers & Hammerstein, 11 Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=0IagRZBvLtw.