Ariana Grande Reveals the NSFW Meaning Behind Side to Side

Publish date: 2024-05-17

Talk about TMI! Ariana Grande revealed the NSFW — and very literal — meaning behind her track “Side to Side,” which features Nicki Minaj. According to the singer, the Top 40 hit is about having so much intercourse that walking in a straight line becomes a problem.

Chatting with MTV News on Sunday, August 28, the powerhouse vocalist, 23, said that despite her bicycle-themed performance with Minaj, 33, at the 2016 Video Music Awards, the sexually charged tune is actually about riding something else. (Yep, you guessed it.)

“That whole song is about riding leading to soreness,” the pop star explained. “’Ride d–k bicycle’ is the lyric, indeed.”

For those of Us who have not yet memorized Her Minajesty’s euphemism-filled verse, here is a sampling: “This the new style with the fresh type of flow / Wrist icicle, ride d–k bicycle / Come true yo, get you this type of blow / If you wanna Minaj, I got a tricycle.”

When Grande’s fan Lena Dunham caught wind of what the song was actually about, she immediately took to Twitter to share both her shock and delight. “[My boyfriend] Jack [Antonoff] just explained that the song Side to Side is about getting railed so hard you can’t walk,” the Girls actress and creator, 30, wrote. “SO MANY EMOTIONZ.”

Jack just explained that the song Side to Side is about getting railed so hard you can’t walk. SO MANY EMOTIONZ.

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 30, 2016

The Nickelodeon alum replied to Dunham by posting an inexplicably curated series of emojis, which included a magnifying glass and a cup of coffee.

??☕️? https://t.co/TArrIJFfGJ

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) August 30, 2016

Though the erotic innuendo of “Side to Side” may come as a surprise to many, Grande said back in March that she made a concerted effort to adopt a more adult sound with the release of Dangerous Woman, her third studio album.

“The album is definitely the next step for me,” she shared during a radio interview with Ryan Seacrest at the time. “It still sounds like me, but it feels like a more mature, evolved version. There’s a nice blend of the R&B vibes and a nice blend of pop vibes. The whole body of work is a little darker and sexier and more mature.”

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