"Taste" is an '80s-styled disco-infused anthem about the lingering impact Sabrina Carpenter had on her ex-boyfriend. With cheeky innuendo and a playful attitude, she explains how even though he may have moved on to a new girlfriend, he's still haunted by the lingering taste of Sabrina on his lips.
In the first verse, Carpenter introduces herself as a petite powerhouse, packing plenty of punch despite her modest height:
Oh, I leave quite an impression
Five feet to be exact
You're wonderin' why half his clothes went missin'
My body's where they're at
The song is the opening track from Carpenter's sixth album, Short n' Sweet. Now, don't be misled by the album's title - it's not a nod to Carpenter's stature, but rather a playful reference to the brief yet impactful romances that have shaped her most.
These fleeting affairs may have been short in duration, but their effects were anything but sweet, providing Carpenter with ample material for her sharp lyrical observations.
In the bridge of "Taste," Carpenter makes it crystal clear that she's not looking to rekindle any old flames. She's moved on and is simply sifting through her past for the sake of pop artistry:
You can have him if you like
I've been there, done that once or twice
And singin' 'bout it don't mean I care
Yeah, I know I've been known to shareCarpenter is candid about the messy realities of relationships, both in her lyrics and in interviews. As she told
Paper, "I will write any song. It doesn't mean I'll put it out, but I'll write it. I think the series of unfortunate events I've encountered in relationships are no secret to people who know me - or think they know me."
The song is accompanied by a delightfully over-the-top music video directed by Dave Meyers, featuring actress Jenna Ortega. The video is a riot of cartoonish ultraviolence as Carpenter and Ortega engage in a series of increasingly creative attempts to kill each other. The two ultimately join forces to take down the man they both once dated. The video draws inspiration from the 1992 dark comedy Death Becomes Her, starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.
Some fans believe that "Taste" and its accompanying video is rooted in a love triangle between Carpenter, Shawn Mendes, and Camila Cabello. Carpenter and Mendes spent time together in February 2023, a year after the Canadian pop star parted ways with Cabello. Then, just two months later, Mendes and Cabello were spotted cozying up again at Coachella, fueling rumors of a rekindled romance. Was Jenna Ortega cast in the video to represent Cabello, given their similarities? They're both 5 foot 2 inch Latina brunettes.
Carpenter gave us a taste of this track at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, where she performed it in a medley along with "Please Please Please" and "Espresso." She was nominated for seven awards but only won one: Song Of The Year for "Espresso."
Sabrina Carpenter set a new record for a female artist on the UK Singles Chart when "Taste" nine weeks at the summit and 21 weeks in total at #1 in 2024 ("Espresso" previously spent seven weeks at the top and "Please Please Please" five weeks at the peak position). This surpassed Olivia Newton-John's previous UK record of 16 weeks in 1978.
Jenna Ortega's scenes in the "Taste" music video were largely improvised, partly because Ortega only learned about the role a few days before filming. This left little time for elaborate choreography, rehearsals, or the sort of preparation usually associated with a major pop video. Instead, the cast apparently just showed up and started kissing people. Film school may have been unnecessary.
One of the video's more surreal moments has Ortega leaning in to kiss her lover, only for him to suddenly morph into his ex-girlfriend, played by Carpenter.
"I swear to you, nothing about that music video was choreographed," Ortega told Esquire. "We were just running around. We had no time to prep or really talk about it."
She described the kissing scene as a particularly improvised affair. Ortega would stand in position and kiss a man, then be told to hold the pose. Carpenter would enter, kiss Ortega, and the sequence would be repeated several times.
"So, it was like a carousel of lovers," Ortega said.
