What has been a mysterious connection between Ariana Grande’s latest music video for her new single, “Yes, and?” and the section of East Hampton, Long Island, NY, known as Montauk, has been solved. The video, which the two-time Grammy Award-winning artist released on Friday, January 12, has been the subject of countless theories due to a cryptic reference to The End.
Those who have seen the video couldn’t help but notice the opening scene, in which a red card is displayed with two precise coordinates. The coordinates read, “41.0359 N71. 95450 W.” The coordinates themselves were not so much a mystery as they point directly to the intersection of Second House Road and South Eldert Lane in Montauk, East Hampton. However, why Grande is referring to the seemingly random location has been debated for the past two weeks.
Taking a look at the intersection provided zero clues as the area boasts the Montauk Fire Department, one residential home, and the Sole’ East Resort Hotel. Nevertheless, while the structures located at the intersection in question do not mean much, the actual hamlet of Montauk does.
The new single marks Grande’s first studio album in four years, and one week following the premier of the music video, which supplies no other references to Montauk other than the coordinates, on Friday, January 19, Grande revealed the name of the new, highly anticipated album. The name of the new album is Eternal Sunshine.
For those who may have filed these words away with the rest of the early 2000s, the title pays tribute to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. The award-winning film is set primarily in Montauk, and the phrase from the movie Meet Me in Montauk has continued to grow in popularity over the years. The word rose in such prominence that even people who have never visited the easternmost corner of Long Island have had it tattooed on their bodies. It is also a staple phrase on the internet, on t-shirts, hats, and all Etsy store products.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry, is renowned as the strangest and most incredible love story ever filmed on the East End. The film does a phenomenal job of capturing the tender gift of romantic love while displaying the tragedy of losing it, and the hamlet of Montauk plays a vital role in the film. It has become somewhat of a cult classic among its most devoted fans, who consider the picture much more than a movie. Many think of the film as a hopeful message about the enduring power of true love.
One notoriously enormous fan of the film was Grande’s ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller. Miller tragically passed away in 2018, but he and Grande remained close friends up until his untimely death.
Grande’s new album Eternal Sunshine is set to be released on Friday, March 8.
