Skin (Sabrina Carpenter song) explained

Skin
Cover:Sabrina Carpenter - Skin.png
Type:single
Artist:Sabrina Carpenter
Released:January 22, 2021
Recorded:2020
Length:2:58
Label:Island
Producer:Ryan McMahon
Chronology:Sabrina Carpenter
Prev Title:Wow
(Remix)
Prev Year:2020
Next Title:Skinny Dipping
Next Year:2021

"Skin" is a song by American singer Sabrina Carpenter. It was released through Island Records on January 22, 2021.[1] [2] The song marks her first release with Island after previously being signed to Hollywood Records since 2014. It was written by Carpenter, Tia Scola and its producer Ryan McMahon. "Skin" is a synth-pop ballad.

Composition

"Skin" is a synth-pop ballad with a length of two minutes and fifty seven seconds.[3] It was written by Carpenter, Tia Scola and Ryan McMahon. McMahon also handled the song's production. "Skin" is composed in the key of G major, and has a tempo of 106 BPM.[4] It uses compound time in verses and common time everywhere else with a chord progression of Em-D-G-B-C-D.

Several publications suggested the lyrics are centered around the highly publicized "love triangle" between Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett, posing as a response to Rodrigo's single "Drivers License", as the track was released only two weeks after Rodrigo's single had come out.[5] [6] [7] Carpenter has since denied the claim that the song is a diss track, explaining that it isn't "calling out one single person".[8] Carpenter has stated that,

"People will make a narrative out of something always [...] and I think this was like a really interesting song for people to kind of misinterpret and make into something that it wasn’t really supposed to be in the first place."

Commercial performance

The week of its release, "Skin" debuted at 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the highest debut on the chart for the week.[9] The song also marked Carpenter's first Hot 100 entry with her previous singles "Thumbs" and "Why" charting on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 at numbers 1 and 21 respectively.[9] Furthermore, the song reached number 12 in Ireland and the top 30 in the United Kingdom.[10]

Music video

The music video for "Skin" was directed by Jason Lester and released on February 1, 2021.[11] The 3-minute long music video features an appearance by Gavin Leatherwood, who plays Carpenter's love interest.[12]

Live performances

Carpenter performed the song live on The Late Late Show with James Corden.[13] [14] She also performed the song at the 2021 GLAAD Media Awards.[15] During this performance, Carpenter sang in front of a montage of videos with transgender youth appearing behind her, "sending a powerful message of love and acceptance to the trans community".[16] On May 11, 2023, Carpenter performed the song during the second night in New York of leg two of the Emails I Can't Send Tour.[17]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[18]

Charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 61
Dominican Republic Anglo (Monitor Latino)[20] 20
Greece (IFPI)[21] 73
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[22] 19
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[23] 1
Singapore (RIAS)[24] 21

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
VariousJanuary 22, 2021Island
United StatesJanuary 26, 2021Contemporary hit radio[25]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Paul. Larisha. January 22, 2021. Sabrina Carpenter Drops Drama-Inspired Single 'Skin'. January 22, 2021. uDiscover Music. en-US.
  2. January 22, 2021. Sabrina Carpenter Drops Provocative New Song 'Skin'. January 22, 2021. Billboard. en.
  3. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter New Song 'Skin', Lyrics Explained. Vulture. Curto. Justin. January 22, 2021. January 22, 2021.
  4. Web site: Key, BPM of Skin By Sabrina Carpenter . musicstax.com . 28 January 2021 . en.
  5. Web site: Chiu. Melody. Sabrina Carpenter Addresses Olivia Rodrigo Drama on New Song 'Skin': 'Don't Drive Yourself Insane'. January 22, 2021. People. en.
  6. Web site: Aswad. Jem. January 22, 2021. Sabrina Carpenter Addresses 'Drivers License' Drama in New Song, 'Skin'. January 22, 2021. Variety.
  7. Web site: Bonner. Mehera. Sabrina Carpenter 'Skin' Lyrics About Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett. January 22, 2021. Cosmopolitan. 22 January 2021 . en-US.
  8. Web site: Hautman. Nicholas. Sabrina Carpenter Denies Writing 'Skin' as a 'Diss Track' About Olivia Rodrigo: 'The Song Isn't Calling Out One Single Person'. January 25, 2021. Us Weekly. 25 January 2021 .
  9. Five Burning Questions: Sabrina Carpenter's 'Skin' Answer Song Debuts at No. 48 on the Hot 100. February 9, 2021. Billboard.
  10. Web site: 29 January 2021 - 04 February 2021. Official Singles Chart Top 100. February 9, 2021.
  11. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter Releases Music Video For Latest Single 'Skin'. February 1, 2021. uDiscover Music. February 2, 2021.
  12. Sabrina Carpenter Weathers the Storm With 'Sabrina' Actor in 'Skin' Video. February 1, 2021. Billboard. February 2, 2021. Mamo. Heran.
  13. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter Gets Drenched Again While Performing 'Skin'. April 28, 2021. Vulture. 10 February 2021 .
  14. Sabrina Carpenter Performs 'Skin' and Says There's No Drama Behind it on 'Late Late Show': Watch. April 28, 2021. Billboard.
  15. Chika, Rebecca Black, Sabrina Carpenter to Perform at GLAAD Media Awards. April 28, 2021. Rolling Stone. April 2021 .
  16. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter honors trans youth during Hulu exclusive performance at the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards. April 28, 2021. GLAAD Media Awards. 9 April 2021 .
  17. Web site: In Focus: Sabrina Carpenter's Birthday Show at Terminal 5 - NYS Music . 2023-05-16 . nysmusic.com. 15 May 2023 .
  18. Web site: Skin / Sabrina Carpenter . Tidal. January 23, 2021.
  19. The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 1 February 2021. The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association. 1613. 4. February 1, 2021.
  20. Web site: Top 20 Republica Dominicana Anglo – Del 19 al 25 de Febrero, 2021 . . February 23, 2021.
  21. Web site: Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 04/2021. IFPI Greece. February 8, 2021.
  22. Web site: Tipparade-lijst van week 6, 2021. nl. Tip parade list from week 6, 2021. Dutch Top 40. February 8, 2021.
  23. Web site: NZ Hot Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. February 1, 2021. January 30, 2021.
  24. Web site: RIAS International Top Charts Week 5. Recording Industry Association (Singapore). February 12, 2021.
  25. Web site: Top 40/Mainstream > Future Releases. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210122204300/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases. January 22, 2021. January 22, 2021. AllAccess.