If you jumped on the Sabrina Carpenter bandwagon after “Espresso,” then it’s time to brush up on some of her past work.
While she may finally just be getting her flowers, Carpenter is not new to the music industry whatsoever. With five albums released before Short n’ Sweet and some major hits among them, it’s likely you’ve heard a song or two of hers without even realizing it.
Many of Carpenter’s tracks haven’t received the spotlight that they deserve, and if you’re claiming fan status, then you should definitely know them. Let Us introduce you to some hidden (and not-so-hidden) gems.
Keep reading for a short n’ sweet list of Carpenter songs to know before her new album debuts:
1. ‘Sue Me’
“Sue Me” served as the lead single from Carpenter’s third album, Singular: Act I, and you may have heard it playing on the stereo at clothing stores in every shopping mall throughout 2018.
The catchy track displays the pop star’s endlessly impressive vocal chops and references a real personal experience where she was sued by her former music managers in 2017.
“It’s funny, I look back on songs that I wrote when I was 16 and 17. The first time I ever got sued, I wrote a song called ‘Sue Me,’” she said during an interview with Vogue in August 2022. “Taking personal situations in my life and being able to turn them into art was always a way of healing myself, and also understanding those situations a bit better.”
2. ‘Thumbs’
“Thumbs” was one of Carpenter’s first hits to make a chart impact, peaking at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.
“The song is about the world, and I think it was a message that really inspired me because of the time,” the Girl Meets World actress said of the track during a 2016 interview with iHeartRadio.
“There’s so much hate happening in our world and there’s so much of the same things,” she added. “It feels like every day we wake up, and it’s just another news story, and it shouldn’t be that way. We should be the ones that are going out to be different, and change it, and make it better. So ‘Thumbs’ is basically just, don’t be mediocre. Be greater than that.”
3. ‘Nonsense’
If you’re a fan of Carpenter’s most recent singles, “Nonsense” is probably the song for you. Widely criticized by fans for not being the lead single from her fifth album, Emails I Can’t Send, the track marked one of the first times Carpenter let her humor shine through in her lyrics.
Oh, and it also led to one of the best moments at any Sabrina concert ever (see here for the bathwater reference).
4. ‘Fast Times’
“Fast Times” is another fan fave from Emails I Can’t Send. The genre-fluid track is all about throwing caution to the wind and diving headfirst into the various stages of a relationship.
The track also served as one of the first songs she cowrote with Julia Michaels and JP Saxe, who are now some of her frequent collaborators.
“Ugh, my mom and dad. My parents. I couldn’t have asked for a team I feel safer with,” Carpenter told Official Charts of the songwriting duo before revealing a fun fact about “Fast Times.”
“The funny thing is, ‘Skinny Dipping’ initially started out a lyric we wrote for ‘Fast Times’ but thought it deserved a song of its own,” she revealed.
5. ‘Feather’
This fun track about wrapping up a toxic relationship didn’t make the original tracklist for Emails I Can’t Send, but when it dropped on the album’s extended version, TikTok users went wild for it.
The music video, featuring Milo Manheim and a cheeky nod to the Catholic church (which created this hilarious interview moment), added even more flavor to this already irresistible hit.
6. ‘Vicious’
“Vicious” is a standout scream-singing track about a wronged ex, which feels like Carpenter’s sweet spot. Also included on Emails I Can’t Send, the track particularly encompasses the kind of playful songwriter Carpenter really is.
“You’re lucky I’m a private person. I’ve quietly carried your burden,” she sings. “Everyone thinks you’re an angel, but s–t, I’d probably use different wording.”
7. ‘In My Bed’
Another gem that truly deserves recognition! “In My Bed” is pure pop delight, with a sound that feels tailor-made for any Ariana Grande fan.
“It’s a clever play on words instead of saying, ‘I’m in my head about it,’” she told Substream Magazine. “The song is about one of those moments where life feels like a lot to deal with. We took that and turned it into something really fun and vulnerable.”
8. ‘Because I Liked a Boy’
While there’s plenty of speculation about who the song is really about, it’s a brilliant and honest reflection on how quickly people can jump to conclusions about those they don’t know.
During a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Carpenter spoke about how “therapeutic” it was to write the track.
“Now, looking back on it, the last two or three years of my life, that song came from a really real place in my life, so it didn’t feel right to not kind of write that song,” she recalled. “But at the same time, I’ve had so many people that have heard it tell me how much they relate to it in their own way.”
