When people hear “man’s best friend,” they usually associate the term with dogs being loyal to their owners. However, Sabrina Carpenter’s new album–Man’s Best Friend–involves the opposite of loyal, furry companions. Sabrina Carpenter released Man’s Best Friend on August 29th along with her lead single and most popular song in the album, “Manchild.” Some of her other songs, “Tears” and “When Did You Get Hot?” have also gained popularity. Man’s Best Friend has had over one billion streams on Spotify—a global music streaming service—and will only gain more as time goes on. Just like her other songs and albums, Man’s Best Friend has also gone viral on several social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Her album reached #1 on the Billboard 200 in September of this year.
Carpenter’s last album, Short n’ Sweet, and Man’s Best Friend are both about her dating life, but this time she is focusing on herself. Man’s Best Friend is Carpenter’s way of moving on and discovering her own worth. Her album consists of humor and irony to cover up her heartbreak. For example, in her song “Manchild,” she teases men who waste her time by asking for the wrong type of love. She offers tempting favors yet receives little in return. Hence why her album is titled Man’s Best Friend; she has shown devotion and love only to be manipulated like a dog. Though there are other songs that are written about men treating her the right way, such as “Tears” and “House Tour,” they are both explicit songs that are intended for more mature listeners.
Despite her history with Disney, her past and current albums have been intended for an older audience. Some of her songs aren’t appropriate for younger age groups, which has caused some controversy. In addition, many dislike her recent album cover because it presents Carpenter on her hands and knees like a dog with a man holding her hair like a leash, which many say gives a bad reputation to pet-owners. Others thought that her cover was provocative and misogynistic. Many held high expectations for her latest album because they enjoyed “Manchild,” only to be disappointed by the rest of the songs because they didn’t feel any depth from the album. But on the other hand, many fans have been thrilled to listen to Carpenter’s new album because it’s catchy and exciting. They love Carpenter’s humor and how she weaved it into her songs. They were able to connect to her songs easily because they understand how Carpenter feels.
While there may be fans of Sabrina Carpenter who dislike this recent theme of humor and heartbreak, a large amount of them adore Man’s Best Friend. This new approach, especially from her latest album, seems to be drawing more attention to Carpenter as her songs are being used on multiple social media platforms. Sabrina Carpenter is taking a healthy step back from relationships and is now focusing on herself, her career, and fans. Man’s Best Friend is Carpenter’s way of saying that enjoying and navigating life is much more important than seeking a romantic relationship.
