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What Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso" Is Really About
The "Feather" singer has a hit on her hands, thanks to its caffeinated beat.
If you can't stop humming Sabrina Carpenter's new song "Espresso," you're not alone. The bop has been climbing the charts since its release date of April 11, 2024 — barely a month ahead of her debut as Musical Guest for the Saturday Night Live Season 49 finale with Host Jake Gyllenhaal.
It's ridiculously catchy and so upbeat, making it the perfect song for beach parties and your morning mood-lift (and then there's that viral "I'm working late, 'cause I'm a singer" lyric). But what exactly does "that's that me espresso" mean?
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What Sabrina Carpenter's new song "Espresso" means
Espresso is an Italian coffee drink made by forcing boiling water through tightly packed coffee grounds to create a dense and highly caffeinated beverage. It's essentially a "shot" of pure coffee, as undiluted by water as possible.
Carpenter is singing that her "me espresso" is the effect she has on boys: They can't sleep because they're up all night thinking about her. Instead, they lie awake moving it "up, down, left, right," as in a Nintendo Switch game.
"Now he's thinkin' 'bout me every night, oh. Is it that sweet? I guess so," she sings. "Say you can't sleep, baby, I know. That's that me, espresso."
Later in the song, she also compares herself to Mountain Dew, a caffeinated soda.
"I know I Mountain Dew it for ya (yes). That morning coffee, brewed it for ya (yes). One touch and I brand-newed it for ya," she sings.
The pop star explained to Apple Music that the song is all about feeling good and not taking things too seriously.
Carpenter said she began writing then song during "one of those times in my life where it was just like, I just thought I was the sh-- in the moment. And I think you don't always feel that way, so you kind of have to capture those moments that you do."
She added, "For me, equating it to caffeine and that addiction was really fun and I definitely have a caffeine addiction as it is. So it really ends up being a full circle for me."
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