“Just Look Up” by Kid Cudi & Ariana Grande

The lyrics to “Just Look Up” deal, to some extent, with astronomical imagery, as inspired by the movie this track is a part of. And said the plot of said film, Don’t Look Up, really comes into play in the third verse, if the listener is in fact aware that this song is part of the movie’s soundtrack, as the flick is based on a comet being headed towards the Earth. 

But if a listener does not have that foreknowledge, then the related wording can also be interpreted metaphorically as alluding to what appears to be the main subject matter of the song itself. 

And that is first of all the vocalists portraying the role of lovers. Moreover, it can be gleaned that there are issues in their relationship. So when Ariana is telling Cudi to “just look up”, that is her way of saying that their love is true, and therefore edifying their romance a goal they should work towards, or something like that. 

And in response, the Moon Man does assure Grande that he will change his ways and make things right with her. His words insinuate that his actions are the source of the discontent that exists between them.

But then there’s the fact that, as stated earlier, this song ties into the plot of a movie. The main characters in that film are convinced that the human race may be on the verge of being annihilated by the aforementioned astronomical event. And that would be why in the final chorus, Ariana is like ‘everybody will die soon’.

In Conclusion

Maybe at the end of the day, it would have been better if Ariana and Cudi had just stuck to creating a love song or one that is true to the plot of the movie. 

Yes, they do in fact play lovers in a tumultuous relationship in the film also. But if the goal was to make “Just Look Up” applicable even outside of the context of the Don’t Look Up, then the featured narrative becomes a bit confusing.

Facts about “Just Look Up”

This song is the lead single from the official soundtrack of a Netflix movie, itself being entitled Don’t Look Up. The movie features Hollywood A+ listers Leonardo DiCaprio alongside Jennifer Lawrence.  

“Just Look Up” was released as such on 3 December 2021 via Republic Records. And to note Ariana Grande, who does possess notable professional acting experience, has a role in said film, alongside Kid Cudi, though Ariana’s is apparently of a higher billing. 

Ariana, a mainstream pop music star, has teamed up with hip-hop artists in the past. Perhaps her most notable hip-hop collaboration would be with Nicki Minaj on the 2016 mega hit “Side to Side“. But this is the Floridian vocalist’s first collaboration with Kid Cudi, a rapper who was raised in Cleveland.

The writing of this post is occurring too early after the dropping of the track to report on its chart showing. But Billboard has noted that upon its release, “music fans voted” “Just Look Up” the top new song of the week. 

Moreover, the track has already been nominated for a prestigious award which reportedly puts it on the path to potentially being nominated for an Oscar.

Both of the vocalists are credited as the song’s authors. Other credited writers include:

• Taura Stinson
• Nicholas Britell (who also produced it)