If you have not heard of pop princess Sabrina Carpenter in the year 2024, have you seriously been living under a rock?
With smash hits like “Nonsense,” “Feather,” “Espresso” and more making waves on both social media and the charts, Carpenter is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars of her generation, releasing banger after banger. Because of this, the never-ending debate between fans is which songs of hers are the best, and we got you covered…
Coming from a Sabrina Carpenter superfan (AKA myself) here are her top ten tracks, ranked. Warning: some of these placements might just surprise you!
10. “Read your Mind”
Written by Skyler Stonestreet, Leroy Clampitt and Sabrina Carpenter herself, “Read your Mind” discusses something that women all across the globe have witnessed firsthand, which is a man — seemingly a significant other or love interest — and his indecisiveness. Struggling to read her significant other’s mind, the songstress details his contradicting statements in the chorus of the tune: “You say that you need to be alone / But night and day, want me at your beck and call / You say you know that you might be crossin’ a line / Wastin’ all our time.” Belting the track over a groovy beat that will have the listener busting a move — or at least wiggling in their seat a little bit — “Read your Mind” is not the most popular tune to come from Carpenter. Nonetheless, it is a solid song that squeaked its way into the top ten due to its relatability, however, there are still some others that outrank it.
9. “Nonsense”
It might be shocking putting Carpenter’s signature song, “Nonsense,” in the number nine spot on our list, but that does not need to undermine just how incredible the track actually is. Throughout the tune, the 25-year-old finds herself in her Lover era — with a hint of mischief, of course — telling the story of what happens when a girl really likes someone. Exemplified by lyrics like “Cartwheels in my stomach when you walk in” and “Baby, my tongue goes numb / Sounds like bleh, blah, blee,” Carpenter sings about how her love interest makes her tongue tied, making for another track that is oh-so relatable for anyone who has ever had a crush. With a rather risqué outro that she alters each and every live performance, “Nonsense” has easily become one of Carpenter’s most popular (and catchiest) songs, however, we could not put it any higher on our list due to its overall lack of lyrical depth.
8. “Feather”
Another extremely popular song from Sabrina Carpenter is “Feather.” While it has topped dozens and dozens of charts, it ultimately took the number eight spot on our list due to its overall lack of lyrical depth like “Nonsense,” but that does not make the track any less terrific. Described as a “floaty, cutesy, bubblegum banger,” the tune is (for lack of a better phrase) a bad b***h breakup anthem, as Carpenter sings about the weight that is lifted off your shoulders after letting go of a toxic partner. “I feel so much lighter like a feather with you off my mind / Floating through the memories like whatever, you’re a waste of time,” she sings in the chorus over a fun, disco-inspired beat, causing the listener to feel airy and as light as a feather (yes, pun intended) after listening to it from start to finish.
7. “Fast Times”
“Fast Times” is not the most popular single to stem from emails i can’t send, but it is the best one (in my opinion), ultimately taking the number seven spot on our list. Written by Carpenter herself — alongside the talented Julia Michaels, JP Saxe and John Ryan — “Fast Times” discusses the impulsive actions individuals tend to partake in when they really like someone, with the Pennsylvania native singing about how quickly a particular love affair transpired. Singing “These are fast times and fast nights, yeah / No time for rewrites, we couldn’t help it / Outlines on bed sides, yeah / Give me a second to forget I ever really meant it” in the chorus, it is clear that Carpenter wants to live in the present, planning to deal with the repercussions of her impulsive actions later down the line. Packed with mischief — with the music video even featuring elements of Charlie’s Angels and Kill Bill — “Fast Times” is a cheeky song that we seriously cannot get enough of.
6. “emails i can’t send”
Also written by Carpenter alongside lyrical geniuses Julia Michaels and JP Saxe, “emails i can’t send” shows a far more complex side to the 25-year-old, sharing an extremely vulnerable story from her past. Carpenter sings about a daughter who discovers that her father had an affair — from the perspective of the daughter, of course — using gut-wrenching words to tell a beautiful yet tragic story, over the sound of a soft piano that intensifies as the song progresses. With lyrics like “When I’m 45, someone calls me their wife / And he f***s our lives in one selfish night / Don’t think I’ll find forgiveness as fast as mom did / And God, I love you, but you’re such a dip s**t” in the chorusless track, “emails i can’t send” is said to have “hit the emotional nail on the head,” and we seriously could not agree more. Due to the rawness and realness of this tune, “emails i can’t send” undoubtedly earns its spot in the top six Sabrina Carpenter songs, with some individuals — including pop princess Tate McRae — arguing that it should be ranked even higher.
5. “because i liked a boy”
Real Sabrina Carpenter fans know that a big part of her musical success came from her drama with fellow Disney stars turned singers Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett, sparking up quite a bit of controversy when Bassett seemingly ended his relationship with Rodrigo to pursue a relationship with Carpenter instead. Receiving a great deal of backlash at the time — characterized by the lines “Now I’m a homewrecker, I’m a slut / I got death threats filling up semi-trucks” — the talented singer/songwriter channeled all of her emotions into the a song titled “because i liked a boy.” Explaining that “things can really get out of hand” in interviews in the past, Carpenter spreads an important message throughout “because i liked a boy” — spreading awareness about cyberbullying — all while speaking her truth about her relationship with Bassett: “When everything went down, we’d already broken up.” Due to the beauty of the track and the impact that it had on pop culture at the time of its release, “because i liked a boy” simply needed to round out the top five Sabrina Carpenter songs.
4. “Tornado Warnings”
With a message that is similar to “Bad for Business,” Carpenter uses tornado warnings to describe the red flags that her love interest has, singing about her tendency to ignore them and only view the good in the person throughout a track titled “Tornado Warnings.” Wanting to maintain her relationship with this individual, despite the fact that he might be bad for her, she admits in the chorus of the tune that she has been “lying to [her] therapist” and “saying things like ‘I never saw him and we never kissed'” to paint him in the best light. Utilizing a talkative flow, “Tornado Warnings” has a truly poetic feel, simultaneously sharing a story that almost everyone can relate to, despite it not being in our best interest. Serving as arguably the most relatable track on emails i can’t send — followed by songs like “Read your Mind,” “Nonsense” or “opposite” — it takes the number four spot on our list, however, there are still some better Sabrina Carpenter songs out there.
3. “Espresso”
Making it onto the podium is Carpenter’s newest hit, “Espresso.” The tune plays into the talented singer/songwriter’s typical retro, disco-inspired sound, all while using some sassy lyrics to tell a rather sexual story. Using coffee to describe herself, she sings about how her significant other can’t sleep when he’s with her, describing herself as his dream came true as well: “And now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh / Is it that sweet? I guess so / Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know / That’s that me espresso.” Described as “a throwback with a modern twist,” “Espresso” is truly timeless, certain to make any listener dance a little bit upon hearing its infectious tune. It is seriously a song anyone can enjoy, regardless of whether or not they have been a fan of Carpenter’s music in the past!
2. “decode”
The top two songs are a toss up in my mind, but after a great deal of consideration, “decode” ultimately is the runner up on our list. Written Julia Michaels, JP Saxe and Sabrina Carpenter again, as well as John Ryan, the songstress sings about her inability to accept situations that are out her control in a truly beautiful way, certain to make any listener shed a tear after hearing “decode” for the first time. Opening up about just how hard she is on herself, Carpenter spreads a powerful message to each and every listener while singing over a dreamy, euphoric sound, which is that they need to accept whatever happens in life as is. Singing that “There’s nothin’ left here to decode,” the sooner that both Carpenter and the listener can accept that what’s meant to be will be, they will find peace in whatever aspect of their life is giving them anxiety.
1. “opposite”
While it is hard to find a song more beautiful than “decode” in my opinion, “opposite” has the tune beat by just a hair, coming in as the best Sabrina Carpenter song to date. Singing about something that is near and dear to the hearts of women all across the globe, Carpenter reflects on a heartbreak that has caused her to question herself and whether or not she was “good enough” for her ex-lover, contemplating changing both her appearance and her personality to be his dream girl and win him back: “Oh, so you do have a type and it’s not me / Oh, so you can reply, just to not me / If you wanted brown eyes / I coulda got contacts.” Eventually accepting that he was biding time with her until he found his actual dream girl — characterized by the lines “And I know now / Even if I tried to change / That somehow / You’d end up with her anyway” — “opposite” is as heartbreaking as can be, serving as another song that solidifies Carpenter’s expertise as not only a singer, but a songwriter.
To develop your own ranking, fans can stream Sabrina Carpenter’s entire discography from start to finish on their favorite platform as we speak.
