It’s April. So that means it’s practically summer.
Maybe not for you or me or the calendar makers, but certainly for the artists fighting to throw out the best summer song. And while the winner is not quite yet decided (it is, after all, April), there is one song in the running you should know about.
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
This earworm, released by the 24-year-old former Disney star-turned-actor-turned singer, has a 70s feel. That’s especially true of the accompanying video which has already garnered close to 9 million views in a little over a week, and that number is still climbing.
This song equates Sabrina–all of Sabrina–to an addictive drug that a new man in her life just can’t quit.
There’s nothing wrong with someone liking you (“Now he’s thinkin’ ‘bout me every night, oh/Isn’t that sweet? I guess so”). And Sabrina knows that this new guy is really into her (“Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know/that’s that me espresso”).
In fact she’s so sure of this man’s affections that she confidently stands on the side of arrogance (“I can’t relate to desperation/My give-a-f—s are on vacation/And I got this one boy and he stop calling/When they act this way, I know I got ‘em”).
It’s pretty clear that the addiction and obsession here are due to a few things:
Sabrina’s skin and scent (“Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya”), her overall demeanor (“Walked in and dream-came-trued it for ya”) and of course the sexual interaction Sabrina has with this man.
Now, all of that above information sets the stage for the music video, which finds Sabrina and her backup dancers at the lake, dressed in an array of very revealing bikinis, along with shirtless men, for whom the women flaunt, dance and act provocatively, even to their embarrassment.
In addition to the f-word, Sabrina also says “holy s—” in one line of her song.
Sabrina Carpenter isn’t a new name. While many may know her best as an actress, she’s continuing to make a very prominent space for herself in the music industry.
She’s had a handful of songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and, even bigger, she opened for Taylor Swift in 2023 during her Eras Tour. That’s no small accomplishment.
Here, she boldly sings about how glorious it feels to be someone’s addiction–and to know it. This song, while it is remarkably catchy and meant to be a light summer hit, is laced with sensuality, arrogance and a few harsh profanities that likely will make it out of reach for young listeners.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
