Because I Liked a Boy
"Because I Liked a Boy" is a song by American singer Sabrina Carpenter. It was released through Island Records on July 15, 2022, as the fourth single from Carpenter's fifth studio album Emails [I Can't Send] ''.'' The song is a dark pop ballad which speaks about the emotional turmoil Carpenter experienced on social media platforms.
She co-wrote the song with JP Saxe and Julia Michaels along with producer John Ryan. The song was "therapeutic" for Carpenter to write after being labeled as a "homewrecker", "rebound" and receiving death threats online.
Background and release
On January 22, 2021, Carpenter released the standalone single "Skin". As the song was released two weeks after Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License", which drew allegations of the lyric "that blonde girl" referring to Carpenter, many journalists interpreted "Skin" as a response to Rodrigo, despite Carpenter stating otherwise. This caused Carpenter to receive an onslaught of hate and become villified on social media. She decided to co-write "Because I Liked a Boy" for her next album as a form of therapy. Speaking to Nylon in August 2022 about the song, Carpenter stated that not everyone gets to write songs so not everyone gets to have that voice to heal through, she continued saying that people who do not have that voice are able to hear these songs and hopefully move through it "because they're listening." She later said Emails I Can't Send did that for her and gave her back that voice.Carpenter told Rolling Stone in July 2022: She continued stating that she simply wanted people's perceptions of her to change. "So many people have dealt with being labeled something that they're not", she continued saying that whether or not she did not or did do something about it, people would still be upset.
Composition and lyrics
"Because I Liked a Boy" is a dark pop ballad with soul-barring rhythms which starts as a mellow guitar. The lyrics allude to the controversy surrounding Rodrigo's "Drivers License" and the backlash Carpenter experienced on social media. Cosmopolitan's Kayleigh Roberts explained that "the song’s lyrics are all about a pretty innocent/casual relationship that ends up causing an avalanche of judgment, name-calling, cyberbullying, and general hate."American Songwriter said Carpenter turns from being playfully reminiscent to spiteful and upset in the chorus and uses several lyrics such as "I got death threats filling up semi-trucks" to reference the onslaught of negative messages she received on social media."
Critical reception
Many critics picked "Because I Liked a Boy" as a standout track on "Emails I Can't Send". The Bulletin described it as "damn near perfect" whereas Billboard called it one of the most "viral-ready tracks" on the album, stating "this song sonically swells as a response to the fallout of Carpenter’s alleged relationship with Joshua Bassett, shortly after his own alleged relationship with Olivia Rodrigo." Ilana Frost of Betches called it "The Adult, Mature, Actually Good Music Version of "Skin"" where Carpenter targets the trolls on the internet rather than Rodrigo, she also complimented the lyricism. Hot Press called the track a "pièce de résistance", calling it a "must listen" for its transportive electric guitar and distinct forlorn beats.Music video
The music video was directed by Amber Park and released alongside both the single and its accompanying album. iHeart'Credits and personnel
Recording and management- Recorded at Jungle City Studios
- Mixed at MixStar Studios
- Mastered at Sterling Sound
- Sabalicious Songs, Music of Big Family/Don Wyan Music, administered by Hipgnosis Songs Group, Good Deal Publishing, administered by Songs of Universal, Inc., Music By Work of Art /Modern Arts Songs /Songs of Starker Saxe /Starkersaxesongs, administered by Sony/ATV Songs LLC
- Sabrina Carpenter – lead vocals, songwriting
- John Ryan – songwriting, production, recording, programming
- Julia Michaels – songwriting
- JP Saxe – songwriting
- Serban Ghenea – mixing (recorded music)|mixing]
- Bryce Bordone – assistant mix engineer
- Will Quinnell – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart | Peak position |