Sabrina Carpenter released a Valentine's Day treat for her fans: a deluxe version of her Grammy award-winning album, “Short n’ Sweet.” The deluxe version, which dropped on Feb. 14, also includes a different version of her hit song, “Please Please Please” (2024), this time featuring country superstar Dolly Parton, in addition to four new tracks.
“Busy Women,” one of the new songs on the deluxe album, debuted during Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet Tour,” where she played a version of spin-the-bottle onstage to decide what surprise song to sing. It’s no surprise why this deluxe track was featured on tour before its release; with suggestive lyrics paired with good humor, the song fits perfectly with the album’s original songs.
Carpenter doesn’t take herself too seriously, leading to a constant stream of unexpected new work. The singer combines confidence and a hint of sass in “Busy Women” singing, “I’m flexible, so just tell me what you like / Tantric yoga, baby, namaste.” Carpenter also adds laugh-out lyrics, such as, “If you don’t want me, I’ll just deem you gay.” This song is nothing if not out-of-pocket, elevating otherwise questionable lyrics filled with double entendres like “My openings are super tight.” On the other end of this humor is pure, undeniable confidence. Here, Carpenter asserts herself as too busy for those who don’t want her. Carpenter isn’t afraid to show her humor and sexuality, which, paired with the song's upbeat nature and catchy chorus, makes it an exciting listen.
Starting with a guitar intro, “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder” is the first slow song on the deluxe section, and it does not disappoint. The notes on the line “You say you can take it / But you don’t know how hard I can make it” will scratch your brain, and the sound of the chorus, which is reminiscent of Olivia Newton-John’s “Hopelessly Devoted To You” (1978), is delightful. Compared to the confident nature of Carpenter’s other songs, this one provides a new glimpse into how she thinks, showing a surprisingly vulnerable side. She starts by singing, “Oh, what I'd give to be / Meeting you as the glass-half-full version of me / I was easier than I am now.” Carpenter longs for connection but recognizes the complexities within her current state of mind. The double meaning of “easier” is not lost, especially as the song circles back to the reference at the end with the line, “You’ll want someone that makes it easy.” The song continues to detail how and why she believes herself to be hard to love. In the bridge, she blames this on the boys “you’ll never meet” who created the “graveyard in my stomach / filled with pivotal formative comments” — a line that reveals the consequences of her past relationships described in other songs on the album.
In “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder,” Carpenter doesn’t end on a happy note, but rather something bittersweet, recognizing how, despite her yearning for the song's subject, “One day, believe me / You’ll want someone that makes it easy.”
Carpenter closes out the album with track 17, “Bad Reviews.” Like “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder,” the song starts slow, but this time builds into a spunky beat before the chorus. The lyrics in this song are reminiscent of “Slim Pickins” (2024), which includes similar themes of accepting love because it’s convenient rather than because it’s good. In “Bad Reviews,” the line “If I close an eye, it’s almost like your red flags are blue” exemplifies a similar willing choice. The song combines all the songs before it, where Carpenter is aware of her flaws but doesn’t judge herself for it: “I’m intentionally careless, least I got self-awareness.” In “Bad Reviews,” Carpenter isn’t worried about sounding poetic. She is vulnerable and shares her feelings in a way that makes the song charmingly relatable.
On “Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe),” Carpenter continues to embrace her sexual humor, but this time pairs it with a whiff of confidence. Carpenter doesn’t let the audience forget that she is busy and reinforces how she doesn’t have time for people who aren’t serious about her. It’s sultry, it’s spunky, it’s purely Sabrina.
Amelia Bush (she/her) (28C) is majoring in English. She is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and enjoys walking around their many lakes. Outside of the Wheel, you can find her reading, scrapbooking, or playing tennis.
