Ariana Grande Posted A Subtle Tribute To Mac Miller On The 6th Anniversary Of "The Way"
It’s been a little more than six months since Mac Miller passed away, but he’s still top of mind for a lot people, including Ariana Grande. Grande recently took to Instagram to share that today, March 25, marks six years since the release of “The Way.” That song was her first collaboration with Miller way back in 2013. Ariana Grande's Instagram on "The Way"s sixth anniversary is a really subtle but sweet way to pay tribute to Miller.
“The Way” was the first of two songs that Grande and Miller collaborated on. What makes it so special, though, is that it seems to be the song that started it all — their friendship, their eventual romance, and everything else that happened between them. When the two recorded the track, Grande was dating someone else, but that didn’t stop fans from speculating. Miller was even asked about the kiss he shares with Grande in the music video for “The Way.”
"That's the homey. She's got a boyfriend and everything. Obviously, that [kiss] made everyone talk,” Miller told MTV News back in April 2013. “I didn't even know that was going to happen and then we were shooting and the director was like 'This should happen' and I'm like 'Alright.' When I went back to my old school, elementary, middle school, the other day when I was in Pittsburgh, and everyone was freaking out like 'You kissed Ariana Grande.' I was like 'Yeah, you know how I do.'"
While Grande and Miller didn’t officially start dating until 2016, Grande clearly considers “The Way” a turning point in her life and career. Here’s what she shared on her Instagram Stories on the anniversary of its release:
When you take a deeper look at the song and the video, it’s easy to see why Grande considers it something special. Not only was it the beginning of her and Miller’s time together, but the lyrics to the song really speak to what was to come for them:
Say, I’m thinking ’bout her every second, every hour / Do my singing in the shower / Picking petals off the flowers like / Do she love me, do she love me not? (love me not) / I ain’t a player, I just crush a lot (crush a lot)
You give me that kind of something / Want it all the time, need it everyday / On a scale of one to ten I’m at 100 / Never get enough, I can’t stay away
Given that they fell madly in love with each other later on, it’s difficult to look at these lyrics and not believe they were destined to be together at some point. And the video only emphasizes that further. They look totally smitten with each other. Watch:
Obviously, this was a really special time in Grande’s life, and that she felt the need to recognize it in the way she did is really sweet. Even though her relationship with Miller didn’t last and she eventually moved on with Pete Davidson, it seems that Grande’s love for Miller never wavered. I think her Instagram Story only proves how much she still loves and thinks about him.
