Released: 2022
In “Nonsense,” Sabrina Carpenter takes us on a whirlwind journey of her romantic feelings where she finds herself completely intoxicated by a lover’s presence, to the point where she’s literally talking ‘nonsense’. The song is a candid confession about her tongue-tied condition around someone who has genuinely swept her off her feet.
The opening lines speak of a young woman knee-deep in infatuation, to such a degree that she’s considering making this individual the only contact in her phone. The line “You said you like my eyes and you like to make ’em roll,” is indicative of him having a knack for pushing her buttons, yet she’s intrigued by his audacity. The feeling of being ‘thrown’ reinforces her disoriented state, introduced by this up-and-coming romeo.
The chorus, “Lookin’ at you got me thinkin’ nonsense, Cartwheels in my stomach when you walk in” clearly captures the dizzying effect of this new attraction. She’s so smitten that she’s forgetting past relationships – an occurrence common in the throes of early lust. And when she conveys her loss of chill, that’s Carpenter saying she’s all in, caution to the wind.
The repetition of “I’m talkin’, I’m talkin’, I’m talkin'” in the hook and elsewhere serves to underline her constant state of being engrossed with this potential suitor. It’s also reflective of pop culture’s current affinity for repetitive, catchy hooks. Her line, “I got some young energy, I caught the L-O-V-E” reveals that youthful immediacy to label feelings as love when they’re still in the exhilarating stage of infatuation.
Finally, Carpenter ends with a cheeky nod to her own song writing process. The lines “This song catchier than chicken pox is, I bet your house is where my other sock is, Woke up this morning thought I’d write a pop hit, How quickly can you take your clothes off? Pop quiz” are fun, self-aware quips acknowledging the creation of a catchy pop song amidst the thrill of a budding romance.
Overall, “Nonsense” is a sweet, fizzy pop confection that encapsulates the whirlwind nature of fresh romance and the giddy nonsense it often invites. Its lyrical exploration of young love, laced with a touch of vulnerability perfects the recipe for a unapologetically pop song.
