Sabrina Carpenter, Manchild | Song Review 🎵

Grammy-winning pop singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter shows artistic growth with her entertaining, irresistible, and stylistically ambiguous single, “Manchild.”

“Oh, boy.” Indeed! Men can be awful. Yes, I say speaking as a man, and from experiences with men. There is no need to go into the personal deets, of course.  This is about Sabrina Carpenter, who has a bone to pick with a manchild (a man who has the qualities of a child: a childlike man) on her compelling single, “Manchild”. “You said your phone was broken, just forgot to charge it,” she sings in the first verse, continuing, “Whole outfit you’re wearing, God, I hope it’s ironic.” Oh, snap! Carpenter co-wrote “Manchild” with Amy Allen and Jack Antonoff, with whom she also produced it.  Interestingly, the song is a blend of pop, country, and synth-pop.  This is country-pop, if you had to settle on a characterization, but it sounds much more unique.

At the beginning, the expected colorful synths and drum programming catch the ear, locking down the pop and synthpop vibes.  Later, specifically the chorus, more country influence arrives. Locking in the country is the use of the banjo, acoustic, and electric guitars. There also appear to be less-traditional instruments that contribute to the distinct sound of “Manchild.” The unique backdrop matches Carpenter’s playful, personality-laden vocal performance.  At times, she talk-sings, adding to the allure.  The lyrics are simultaneously entertaining and scathing: “Why so sexy if so dumb? / And how survive the Earth so long?” she sings in the second verse, concluding, “I choose to blame your mom.” Burn! The second to beat is the chorus, in its infectious, tuneful glory:

“Man-child

Why you always come a-running to me?

Fuck my life

Won’t you let an innocent woman be?

Never heard of self-care

Half your brain just ain’t there

Man-child

Why you always come a-running, taking all my loving from me?”

I love the instrumental hits during the chorus as well. Sabrina Carpenter, very much on an upward trajectory, provides a successful contrast to her musical catalog with “Manchild”.  Yes, her knack for catchy, irresistible bops is nothing new, but the more stylistically ambiguous instrumental, coupled with those funny but on-point lyrics, shows her artistic evolution.