Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Man’s Best Friend’: A Track-By-Track Breakdown

Carpenter is as horny and sarcastic as ever on “Tears,” where she gleefully sings on the disco-tinged chorus that “I get wet at the thought of you being a responsible guy.” The title comes from one of her raunchiest lyrics to date, joking that “tears run down my thighs.” Carpenter did say this album wasn’t for pearl clutchers, and she makes that clear right away. (E.M.)

There’s a funny juxtaposition between “My Man on Willpower’s” cheery, gorgeous harmonies and the song’s actual meaning, where Carpenter laments waning interest from a romantic partner who makes her feel like “the least sought after girl in the land.” This may be the catchiest chorus on the entire album.’ (E.M.)

“Sugar Talking” is one of Man’s Best Friend’s slowest-paced tracks, and perhaps one of its more underwhelming, though it’s hard to compare when the song is sandwiched between two of the more dramatic, grandiose songs on the whole album.

One of the more vulnerable songs on the album has Carpenter crooning about a relationship on the edge of falling apart, as she recalls fights and subsequent make-up sex barely keeping them together. For all of Carpenter’s quick whit and sarcasm, “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” feels starkly more earnest, though even here she still shows off some cheekiness, wrapping the song with a lyric about how her partner “gave me his whole heart, and I gave him head.” (E.M.)

Heartbreak and failed relationships are among the central themes of Man’s Best Friend, fully evidenced on “Nobody’s Son,” where Sabrina sings about the classic breakup tropes of crying in bed, third-wheeling coupled friends and how she “gets PTSD on the daily.” The song can be summarized in one line: “he sure fucked me up.” (E.M.)

The dreamy, retro sounds of “Never Getting Laid” perfectly leads listeners into the second half of Man’s Best Friend. The breakup track takes a kill ‘em with kindness approach to an ex-lover: “I wish you a lifetime full of happiness / And a forever of never getting laid.” It’s easy to imagine a world in which “Never Getting Laid” was also considered for the album’s lead single, given it seems to follow the formula of Carpenter’s singles like “Tears” or “Please Please Please.” (N.F.)

The almost-Alanis Morissette-like beat of “When Did You Get Hot?” makes it an interesting addition to Man’s Best Friend. Lyrically, the song fits right in with the rest of the album, with Carpenter singing during the song’s second verse, “Congratulations on your new improvements / I bet your light rod’s, like, bigger than Zeus’s.” (N.F.)

The country-pop twinges of “Go Go Juice” elevates this track to one of the most fun of the album. Understandably, some lyrics have already sparked chatter on social media – “Could be John or Larry, gosh, who’s to say? / Or the one that rhymes with “villain” if I’m feelin’ that way.” Carpenter, seemingly making a cheeky reference to exes, had to have known that would be a talked about lyric. (N.F.)

One of the slower songs on the album, “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry,” has Carpenter lamenting on how she’ll never let the subject of the song know where he stands. She opens with the theme of the rest of the song – “You think that I’m gonna fuck with your head? / Well, you’re absolutely right” – which seems to weave a narrative of Carpenter retaliating against a less-than-perfect lover, who she accuses of not being able to read signs. The song’s messaging can be easily summed up with the last chorus: “I’ll leave you feeling like a shell of a man.” (N.F.)

The innuendo-laden penultimate track “House Tour” is perhaps the most groovy of the album and arguably the most fun. Carpenter spends the song asking someone to come home with her after a date, but she cheekily explains on the song that the lyrics should be taken at face value. “I promise none of this is a metaphor / I just want you to come inside / But never enter through the back door,” she sings on the chorus. At one point, she mentions that she spent a “a little fortune on the waxed floors.” Totally innocent, of course. (N.F.)

Fittingly, Carpenter ends Man’s Best Friend with “Goodbye,” a farewell to the album and an old love. She certainly doesn’t hold back with the feelings she has for this former lover – “I’ll say, ‘Arrivederci, au revoir’ / Forgive my French, but, fuck you, ta-ta” – and where the blame is to be placed. “Goodbye” is the perfect track to end this 12-track mix of lust and heartbreak. (N.F.)