Songfacts®:

• "Ariel" imagines a troubled character who, as Johhny Marr explained in Mojo magazine, could be someone like the depressive poet Sylvia Plath or like Pink Floyd's acid casualty Syd Barrett. The song borrows its title from Sylvia Plath's 1965 poetry collection.
• Marr wanted to write a song about friendship, empathy, and compassion, while avoiding any trite clichés. "The first thing that I thought of was about someone I wanted to make feel better, so I thought of Sylvia Plath and that's where I got the title 'Ariel' from," he told NME. "My feelings on Sylvia Plath and her tragedy are similar to my feelings on Syd Barrett. It's a story of tortured genius. They're amongst my pantheon of heroes and people I care about."
• Marr originally included "Ariel" on his 2021 EP, Fever Dreams Pt 1, before including it on his fourth solo album, Fever Dreams Pts 1-4, released the following year. "The overarching thing of this EP and the whole album is that I want it to connect with people," he told NME. "It's so interesting being a songwriter, because sometimes it can drive you mental – but with a song like 'Ariel,' I just felt like I wanted to sing something to do with empathy."
• American singer-songwriter Meredith Sheldon contributes backing vocals on the song, along with the rest of the album. In 2013 and 2014, she toured in support of Johnny Marr, opening for all his shows.
• Marr co-wrote and co-produced the song with Doviak. The Manchester-based multi-instrumentalist has worked as co-producer on all of Marr's solo albums and as guitarist on his world tours.