Today (February 14), Sabrina Carpenter gave her fans a Valentine’s Day treat when she dropped the deluxe edition of her most recent album Short n’ Sweet. The new release features the 12 original tracks from the album and five new cuts. Among those is a new version of “Please, Please, Please” with country music icon Dolly Parton.
Videos by American Songwriter
Fans will immediately notice sonic differences between the original cut of “Please, Please, Please” and the new version. The arrangement leans more toward country-pop than the original, adding acoustic guitar and fiddle into the mix. The new arrangement accommodates Parton’s presence. Additionally, there is the obvious addition of Parton and Carpenter’s harmonies. They also changed the song’s lyrics.
Sabrina Carpenter and Dolly Parton Sing a Cleaned Up “Please, Please, Please”
Anyone familiar with Dolly Parton knows she has a great sense of humor and has no problem tossing around innuendos and the occasional double entendre. However, she remains wholesome and family-friendly for the most part. That could be the reason Sabrina Carpenter decided to change the lyrics in the new version of “Please, Please, Please.”
The change comes in the chorus. The original line is Heartbreak is one thing, my ego’s another / I beg you, don’t embarrass me mother f**ker. The new version is Heartbreak is one thing, my ego’s another / I beg you, don’t embarrass me like the others.
Interestingly, the new version of the song is also different than the radio edit of the original version. In the clean solo version, Carpenter sings “little sucker” in the chorus.
One can only speculate on why Carpenter chose to rewrite that line for her new collaboration. At the same time, hearing Parton dropping an f-bomb would be strange, to say the least. Asking the icon to drop an expletive in a song would have likely been an awkward conversation. So, the change makes sense.
Furthermore, you could argue that the new line in the chorus fits better than “little sucker.” In the opening verse, Carpenter hints at having a history of choosing poorly when it comes to dating. So asking a new love interest to not embarrass her like the ones who came before him makes perfect sense.
Whatever the reason was for the change, the fact is that fans got a great new rendition of a killer song along with a fun new music video today.
Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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