In a recent interview, Sabrina Carpenter hinted that her fifth studio album will take a more "mature" direction. As a longtime fan of Sabrina, EVOLution remains my favorite album to this day, in part due to the maturity of the lyrics of a number of the songs. Given Sabrina has said the songs on this particular album will be more mature, I thought it might be interesting to talk about some of the work she has put out in the past that I feel is quite mature in lyricism.
"Thumbs" feels like one of Sabrina's most mature pieces of work to date. The song arguably takes jabs at capitalism at certain points ("the bank robs the people so the people rob the bank" and "the police came to get him, but they let him get away, because they all just working to get paid the very same"), pointing out flaws in our society. She also encourages the listener to break out of the mold, and to pursue what is truly meaningful. There are a large number of people who are adults that still do not realize this is possible, believing that people should just "get any paying job they can." Obviously, in some circumstances, this might be needed. However, if you can break the mold and follow things of true meaning within your life, why waste time living within monotony? This is what Sabrina is arguing with the lyrics of this song, which I feel is quite insightful, especially for a 16 year old. Even now that Sabrina has 60+ songs as of writing this, "Thumbs" is a very unique piece of artistry, both within her discography and pop music in general.
"Mirage" taps into Sabrina's experiences in Hollywood, where she calls out the industry for valuing fake prestige over authenticity. Compared to most other Disney stars at this age, this is an incredibly mature topic for a 17-year-old to be singing about, but also a necessary one. Hollywood is notorious for people who are so caught up in their own fame that they forget to be kind to others, and show their unique selves. In the song, Sabrina challenges the norm of being "fake" to be liked in Hollywood, and questions the realness of her interactions with others in the industry. This song shows maturity in her ability to recognize and call out issues within an industry she was just becoming immersed in.
"Shadows" is one of Sabrina's darkest songs to date, and discusses being vulnerable with a romantic partner through accepting their demons, because you recognize that you have your own. While this is not necessarily a mature topic in terms of being a societal issue like "Thumbs" and "Mirage" tackle, it demonstrates emotional maturity. The idea of recognizing flaws within yourself as a way of accepting another person's dark past is a very difficult thing to do, but Sabrina covers the topic well in the song.
"Run and Hide" is arguably Sabrina's most emotional mature song, even if it is challenging to listen to if you dislike sad songs. The song goes deep into the topic of emotional vulnerability. In the song, Sabrina sings about how she wants to be vulnerable with others, but struggles because others are never willing to be vulnerable back. The chorus includes a raw cry of emotional pain, as Sabrina exclaims "I wanna, I wanna be loved! But I don't wanna run and I don't wanna hide." In other words, she wants to be able to show her true self to others even if it isn't always pretty, but she feels she has to wear a mask because it is too difficult to be vulnerable with others if they refuse to be vulnerable with her. This is an issue that many people face. Vulnerability is a difficult thing, and when one person isn't willing to be vulnerable with another, the other person isn't likely to be vulnerable back. Or if one person does choose to open up, they may be seen as needy or odd. This creates an endless cycle where no one is opening up to anyone. It's a very dark reality, but for many people, it's something they have to face.
Similarly, "Exhale" talks about Sabrina's struggles with anxiety. In the song, she opens up about the pressure she feels from her family, her friends, her fans, and herself. The chorus details that her anxiety sometimes gets so bad that she feels she cannot stop to take a breath because there is so much pressure on her, hence the title.
Two of Sabrina's songs also have multiple interpretations. "Space" discusses needing personal space from an overzealous lover; however, all of the lyrics could also apply to the media. As a 17 year old Disney star, Sabrina was constantly being chased by the media at every turn. While some might think that kind of attention could be nice, Sabrina points out with the lyrics that it's also exhausting to always have others watching her. Despite her young age, paparazzi and "gossip news" sites were reporting on quite literally everything Sabrina did, even walking her dog or getting coffee (sadly, this isn't an exaggerated example; you can find pictures and articles going into great detail of her doing both of these things online). This type of attention likely caused her great anxiety and a lot of pressure to be "perfect" since she was constantly being watched. This song allows us to get inside Sabrina's mind and better understand how it feels to constantly under the media's watchful eye, while also pointing out how harmful this is on many celebrities' mental health.
The second of these "multiple interpretation" songs is "Paris." The song talks about Sabrina's emotional confusion over finding love while visiting Paris, when she already has love in her then-current home in Los Angeles. What I love about this song is it doesn't specify what this "love" is. The "love" is assumed by many people to be a person, but I would argue it could also be a place. Two years ago, I visited Italy for a month and absolutely fell in love with it. Despite that I had family and friends at home, I didn't want to leave as the end of my time there neared. It is possible to fall in love with a place, meaning the "love in LA" she talks about could refer to non-romantic relationships and responsibilities at home.
Sabrina has a number of empowering bops, but one collaboration sticks out in terms of its emotional maturity. "On My Way," a collaboration with producer Alan Walker and rapper Farruko, talks about realizing the importance of self-confidence in maintaining your mental health. Sabrina's first verse discusses the importance of taking care of yourself, and how no one but you can know how to do that. The repetition of the lyric "nobody but me can keep me safe" points out the importance of not being dependent on others for their happiness, which arguably many people are. Many people enter relationships because they are so unhappy with themselves that they want someone to take care of them. This song reminds us the importance of not getting overly caught up in taking care of others before taking care of our own mental health.
Over the years, Sabrina has put out a number of emotionally mature songs. I am quite excited to see what she means by her fifth album being more "mature," particularly with the release of "Intro" this past August, which is a heartbreaking confessional detailing her father suddenly leaving her mother after getting into a relationship with another woman. I am hoping that we will see more songs that are stylistically and lyrically similar to the ones above, particularly the mentioned tracks from EVOLution.
Komentáre