Breaking Down the Lyrics in Sabrina Carpenter's New Single "Skin"
Sabrina Carpenter just released a new song, and while fans invested in the “Driver’s License” are furious, I’m not mad about it. And honestly, you shouldn’t be either. Among first listen, “Skin” can seem like the newest diss track of the songs that have been released within this month’s hottest love triangle: Olivia Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett, and Sabrina Carpenter, in which she is flaunting her happiness in response to Rodrigo’s heartbreak in “Driver’s License.” However, with further listen, and pushing away biases, the song is actually quite the opposite. Here’s the breakdown.
Maybe we could've been friends
If I met you in another life
Maybe then we could pretend
There's no gravity in the words we write
Maybe you didn't mean it
Maybe blonde was the only rhyme
The only rhyme
The penultimate line of the first verse leads listeners to believe that the song is probably aimed towards the Disney love triangle. However, the start of the verse shows Carpenter saying that if they hadn’t both fallen in love with the same guy and both been put in the spotlight, maybe they still could’ve been friends.
And I'm not asking you to let it go
But you been telling your side
So I'll be telling mine, oH
In the pre-chorus, the song slowly builds up as Carpenter says that she’ll be telling her side of the story. Also within this, she is making it clear that she’s not dismissing Rodrigo’s feelings, but she still wants to have her say in the matter.
You can try
To get under my, under my, under my skin
While he's on mine
Yeah, all on my, all on my all, on my skin
I wish you knew that even you
Can't get under my skin
If I don't let you in
This is potentially the most controversial part of the song and has received the most backlash. Fans have taken to social media platforms, complaining about how they believe that this part is Carpenter rubbing the situation in Rodrigo’s face. Fans have also brought up the age gap between the two, saying that Carpenter, age 21, should not have felt the need to say any of this toward Rodrigo, age 17.
But most of the chorus isn’t actually directed at the 17-year-old-chart-topper. Since the “driver’s license” release, fans have taken sides and made it quite obvious which side they were taking. Carpenter has received hate on all her social media platforms, has been given death threats, and more. Carpenter, who has struggled with anxiety as discussed in her song, “Exhale,” simply used the chorus to respond to the haters, not Rodrigo. In this chorus, she’s telling those that are sending her hate that they can try to get under her skin, but she won’t let them.
The only part of the chorus that may be directed at Rodrigo, is the last three lines. “I wish you knew that even you can’t get under my skin if I don’t let you in.” This is her way of letting the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (HSMTMTS) star know that it’s okay that she mentioned Carpenter in her song, and it’s okay that she’s getting hate because even her, the potential ex-love of her boyfriend, can’t do anything to take away from her happiness that she feels in her current relationship.
You're putting me in the spotlight
But I've been under it all my life, all my life
Rodrigo’s song has allowed fans to portray Carpenter in a negative light, but here she is saying how it doesn’t faze her considering that she’s been in the spotlight her entire life. This is about her 10-year long and counting career.
I just hope that one day
We both can laugh about it
When it's not in our face
Won't have to dance around it
Don't drive yourself insane
It won't always be this way
It seems that in the bridge, Carpenter is offering advice, and Rodrigo is looking to move past the situation. She’s saying that, in the future, she wants them to be able to look back at all the drama and side-taking as just a funny misunderstanding.Then, towards the end, she reference’s Rodrigo’s song and music video, in which she talks about driving through the suburbs, crying and screaming about her heartbreak. The ex-Disney act tells her not to worry about the situation because it won’t always hurt as bad as it does right now. It’s kind of sweet.
At the time of the posting, Rodrigo had not acknowledged the song. But in a similar fashion to his appreciation for Rodrigo’s song, Joshua Bassett posted his congratulations to his potential girlfriend on his Instagram story, “been stuck in my head since I heard it!!! congratulations @sabrinacarpenter on ‘skin,’ the new label, & all that’s to come!!!”
This is also Sabrina Carpenter’s first single after signing with a new record label, Island Records. Because of this, fans seem to think that this was all for publicity, but unfortunately, we won’t know until she speaks on it. However, all opinions and drama aside, Carpenter is reclaiming her narrative with “Skin” and not allowing anyone else to tell her side of the story. As she should.
What do you think? Comment below!