Although Ariana Grande’s single “7 Rings” has returned to No. 1 position this week on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, making it a total of six weeks on that position, the pop singer is not expected to gain much from the success of that song.
The single has raised many controversies since its release in January because of conflicts rising from its composition. “7 Rings” interpolates the melody of “My Favourite Things”, a song written the famous movie “The Sound of Music” by the duo of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1959.
According to the New York Times, in a deal between Grande’s label Republic and Concord – the owners of the song since 2017 – Grande agreed to sign away 90% of the song’s royalties to the estate of Rodgers and Hammerstein who died in 1959 and 1970 respectively. This deal was cut as far back as January before the single was even released.
Grande transformed the simple pleasures of Julie Andrews into a grandiloquent anthem of wealth. She sings: “Lashes and diamonds, ATM machines / Buy myself all of my favorite things.” In place of “Brown paper packages tied up with strings / These are a few of my favorite things”.
Rodgers and Hammerstein are two of the 10 songwriters who have been credited on “7 Rings”.
Watch “7 Rings” below:
