Just six days after releasing her smash hit album “Short n’ Sweet,” Sabrina Carpenter announced the bonus song “Busy Woman,” limiting its access to her online store. While the duration of obtainability was brief, users surreptitiously distributed the track on streaming and social media platforms — though few casual listeners got to hear the song before it sold out.
After winning two Grammy awards six months after the album and secondary song were released, Carpenter announced a deluxe version of “Short n’ Sweet” as a thank-you to her fans, which included the somewhat secret song.
The deluxe album came out on Valentine’s Day, including three new songs titled “15 Minutes,” “Bad Reviews” and “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder.” The deluxe version also incorporates a new rendition of “Please Please Please” featuring renowned country singer Dolly Parton. “Busy Woman” was added to the deluxe album, creating a total of five additions to the original “Short n’ Sweet.”
“Please Please Please,” which was a single from the album, dropped alongside a music video starring acclaimed actor Barry Keoghan, who Carpenter was dating at the time. To promote the new version of “Please Please Please,” Carpenter released a sequel to the first video, this time with Parton by her side in place of Keoghan.
The two women drive furiously to escape from law enforcement, attempting to get away with a mysterious body tied up in the back of the car. Viewers have interpreted this setup as symbolism for Carpenter and Keoghan’s apparent breakup, as the man in the back of the car is wearing the same outfit Keoghan was in the original “Please Please Please” music video.
“Couldn’t Make It Any Harder” leans into the slower style that Carpenter explored toward the end of “Short n’ Sweet” while also incorporating the country twang that was present in “Slim Pickins.” The song describes Carpenter’s struggles with emotional detachment when searching for love, which can be read as a commentary on moving past the relationship breakup detailed in the original version of “Short n’ Sweet.” The impassioned depth of this track makes it stand out from Carpenter’s other songs and their depictions of physical attraction.
Carpenter ends the deluxe album with the new song “Bad Reviews,” leaving listeners with a humorous description of the singer’s intentions for her future romantic endeavors. The lyrics acknowledge that despite the “red flags” of Carpenter’s current intimate situation, she is going to ignore the signs of bad intentions for the sake of keeping amorous company around.
With the deluxe “Short n’ Sweet,” Carpenter essentially critiques the main point of the initial “Short n’ Sweet” album, in which she argued against keeping a partner with warnings of substandardness around, leaving the audience on a cliffhanger.
Each of the new songs has been shining on social media platforms, with trends being made from distinctive lyrics of the tracks. Overall, Carpenter has curated a sultry but more conflicted collection of accessory songs that pair well with the original tracks’ confidence.
