Sabrina Carpenter’s new song may be called “Bad Reviews,” but it’s only getting praise from me. Regardless of your plans for Valentine’s Day, Carpenter is here to secure her spot as your valentine with the release of Short N’ Sweet Deluxe. The album (petition to call it Short N’ Sweeter?) came with five bonus tracks, including a “Please Please Please” remix featuring Dolly Parton, “15 Minutes,” “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder,” and “Busy Woman.” However, “Bad Reviews” is the song that left quite an impression on us Carpenters.
When the petite pop princess announced the release of her deluxe album, fans were quick to notice the intentional way the tracklist was written in her Instagram post. Not only was “Bed Chem” crossed out and then rewritten, but there’s another scribbled-out song that looks like it was titled, “Barry.” But in light of the breakup rumors and Barry Keoghan deactivating his Instagram account, the song was renamed to “Bad Reviews.”
In the opening lyrics, Carpenter sings, “I’ve heard all the bad news and the bad reviews / Couple bad gut feelings, well I’ve had them too, but / Still I choose to be in love with you.” This country meets pop blend immediately evokes the feelings a situationship brings. Carpenter goes on to sing about how she not only ignored the red flags, she even cut off friends because she’d rather be with the wrong guy than admit she was wrong. If you’re feeling personally victimized already, you’re not alone.
The song is overall, a justification for staying in a relationship that even Carpenter knows isn’t good for her. We’ve all been there. She even reasons this by singing, “I’m intentionally careless, least I got self-awareness / Just want someone to love me, who doesn’t?” Ouch.
Carpenter also included a reference to “Please Please Please,” because while that song opens with “I know I have good judgment, I know I have good taste,” Carpenter sings in the bridge of “Bad Reviews” that she’s “Fresh out of any good judgment.” The cheeky and equally heartbreaking line is a potential nod to her breaking up with Keoghan, a rumor that she has yet to comment on.
In the final verse of the song, Carpenter sings, “And I can’t lose another boy that’s not even my boyfriend / Still I choose to be in love with you,” proving that this song is both a win and a loss for the hopeless romantics.
“Bad Reviews” overall message reminds us that sometimes, love isn’t blind — it’s willfully ignoring the red flags, putting on rose-colored glasses, and calling it a fashion statement. (Red is a pretty color!) So whether this song is a farewell letter to a relationship or just a painfully relatable anthem that should(n’t) have been released on Valentine’s Day, one thing’s for sure: Carpenter has once again turned heartbreak into a hit. And honestly? It deserves nothing less than glowing reviews.