Sabrina Carpenter Pokes Fun at Romance on New Album ‘Man’s Best Friend’
Just barely over a year since releasing her critically acclaimed album, ‘Short n’ Sweet,’ Sabrina Carpenter returns to the dazzling spotlight with an 80s-inspired, synth-pop, country-infused album, featuring her signature cheeky and humorous lyrics. As Carpenter takes us on a journey through her romantic relationships (and situationships!), she embraces her sexuality and finds a way to dance through heartbreak. The album remains consistently upbeat with disco-inspired instrumentals and snappy rhythms as lyrics reveal some unfortunate realities of modern dating.
Excitement for ‘Man’s Best Friend’ started strong with the swinging, country-inspired anthem “Manchild,” a hilarious and dance-worthy track that pokes fun at multiple ex-lovers and immature men in general: “You said your phone was broken, just forgot to charge it/Whole outfit you're wearing, God, I hope it's ironic.” Despite her sharp quips, Carpenter evens the score by making fun of her own dating patterns: “Oh, I like my boys playing hard to get/And I like my men all incompetent/And I swear they choose me, I'm not choosing them.” Following “Manchild,” Carpenter unravels the ironic truth of wanting a more responsible man. Carpenter is sultry and a touch sarcastic on “Tears” as she highlights the unfortunate reality that when the bar is low, the bare minimum is enough: “A little respect for women can get you very, very far/Remembering how to use your phone gets me oh so, oh so, oh so hot/Considering I have feelings, I'm like, ‘Why are my clothes still on?’ (Mm)/Offering to do anything, I'm like, ‘Oh my God.’” She directly references the line from “Manchild” about a man claiming their phone was broken (when we all know he just wasn’t responding), but in “Tears,” simply knowing how to use a phone and communicate is enough for Carpenter to catch feelings.
“Tears” Official Music Video Directed by Bardia Zeinali, featuring Colman Domingo
Similarly, the dynamic, 80s-inspired instrumentals in “House Tour” are bouncy and electric as Carpenter pokes fun at her own tendency to sing about sexual references in the form of obscure (and sometimes not so obscure) metaphors: “Do you want the house tour?/I could take you to the first, second, third floor/And I promise none of this is a metaphor.”
Swanky and seductive vocals and instrumentals throughout the album, in songs such as “Sugar Talking,” “Never Getting Laid,” and “When Did You Get Hot?” represent the emotional highs of Carpenter’s love affairs, while tracks such as “My Man on Willpower,” “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night,” and “Nobody’s Son” expose the constant push and pull that Carpenter experiences in her relationships. “My Man on Willpower” highlights the all-too-familiar feeling of a lover reciprocating your emotions one day then flipping the switch the next, for seemingly no reason at all except for the vague excuse that they aren’t emotionally mature enough for a relationship: “He’s clingy, he's loving, he always initiates/Callin’ and touchin’, it feels like just yesterday/He wanted all four of my personalities/Now I don't recognize this.” Carpenter’s vocals grow more frustrated and confused in each chorus as she struggles to keep up with a rollercoaster of emotions: “He used to be literally obsessed with me/I’m suddenly the least sought after girl in the land.”
photo by Bryce Anderson
On “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night,” Carpenter shifts from feeling confused, to admitting that she occasionally catches herself falling for a man’s deceptive behavior, and she would sometimes rather reconcile than go through an emotional rollercoaster: “When I reach to pull the plug/I swear he starts working out/And on the days I'm a little much/That’s when I tell him how sweet he treats me.” ‘Man’s Best Friend’ becomes more than just a sarcastic and snarky breakup album as Carpenter reveals her patterns and discovers that being human means having faults and complexities. Her willingness to lay all her feelings on the line makes ‘Man’s Best Friend’ and Carpenter herself more relatable and inspires listeners to embrace imperfection.
Finally, she unleashes her true emotions on “Nobody’s Son” as she calls out a man’s behavior against a background of sparkling string instrumentals, and comes to the realization that she was never the problem: “Here we go again, crying in bed, what a familiar feeling/All my friends in love, and I'm the one they call for a third wheeling/Probably should have guessed, he’s like the rest, so fine and so deceiving.” In the bridge, Carpenter can no longer hold back: “That boy is corrupt (Ah)/Could you raise him to love me, maybe?/He sure fucked me up (Ah-ah)/And yes, I'm talking ‘bout your baby.”
photo courtesy of Apple Music
After battling emotional ups and downs and becoming irked with behaviors she has tolerated for far too long, Carpenter switches gears and takes a sharp bite at her ex-lover’s ego. On, “Go Go Juice,” she pushes her luck as she nearly name drops an ex-situationship, just as one might when they are a few too many drinks in after dancing off a breakup at the bar with their friends: “I'm just drinking to call someone/Ain’t nobody safe when I'm a little bit drunk/Could be John or Larry, gosh, who's to say?/Or the one that rhymes with ‘villain' if I'm feelin’ that way.” She is more vengeful on “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” as she decides to take her power back and keep her emotions to herself: “You think that I'm gonna fuck with your head?/Well, you’re absolutely right.”
Carpenter spills the remaining details of her most recent breakup on “Goodbye” as cheery, sweeping instrumentals reveal her fresh freedom and confidence after a heartbreak that left her in a deep state of sadness and frustration. After all the emotional back-and-forth, Carpenter has found her groove again and is ready to move on: “Goodbye means that you're losing me for life/Can't call it love, then call it quits/Can’t shoot me down, then shoot the shit/Did you forget that it was you who said goodbye?” For her, goodbye is forever, and she is ready to leave her past behind without another thought.
