Skinny Dipping (song) explained

Skinny Dipping
Cover:Sabrina Carpenter - Skinny Dipping.jpeg
Type:single
Artist:Sabrina Carpenter
Album:Emails I Can't Send
Released:September 9, 2021
Recorded:Summer 2021
Studio:Jungle City (New York City)
Genre:Pop
Length:2:58
Label:Island
Producer:Leroy Clampitt
Prev Title:Skin
Prev Year:2021
Next Title:Fast Times
Next Year:2022

"Skinny Dipping" is a song recorded by American singer Sabrina Carpenter from her fifth studio album Emails I Can't Send (2022), included as the eleventh track of the album. The track was written by Carpenter, Julia Michaels, JP Saxe and its producer Leroy Clampitt. The song was released by Island Records as the lead single of the album on September 9, 2021.[1]

Background and release

On August 18, Carpenter shared a post with several clues from the song, including the mention of the first verse, "it'll be a Wednesday", in the post’s description, the lines "if we could take it all off and just exist?" and "water under the bridge".[2] On August 23, Carpenter sent an email to her fans with the song’s codified title on a message and, later, posted a snippet of the song with the title revealed.[3] On August 30, Carpenter finally revealed the single's cover art and release date.[4] The song was released on September 9,[1] along with its music video. It was written by Carpenter, Julia Michaels, JP Saxe[5] and Leroy Clampitt in New York during the summer of 2021.[6]

Composition and lyrical interpretation

Musically, "Skinny Dipping" is a two minutes and fifty-eight seconds acoustic guitar-driven midtempo pop song.[7] In terms of music notation, "Skinny Dipping" was composed using common time in the key of E major, with a moderate tempo of 92 beats per minute.[8] The song follows the chord progression of E–B-Amaj7-B.[8] Carpenter's vocal performance on the verses in sung on a speaking style and her range spans, approximately, from the low note E3 to the high note of E5, giving the song about two octave of range.

Music video

The official music video[9] was released along with the song and was directed by Amber Park. In the music video, Carpenter writes letters to herself and puts them in a box labeled "this too shall pass" and, at the end, after dancing barefoot in a green dress on the streets of New York, she throws the letters into the air.[10] The letters put in the box allude to the emails Carpenter wrote for herself, from which the inspiration for the songs on her album came. There are easter eggs to the follow-up single, "Fast Times", including the end of the music video where a different version of Carpenter riding a motorcycle appears, providing a snippet and a clue to the song's music video.

Live performances

On October 29, 2021, Carpenter performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon[11] wearing a black and white gingham sequin dress, playing a Nord Electro 6D, and surrounded by band.[12]

Credits and personnel

Recording and management

Personnel

Credits adapted from Emails I Can't Send liner notes.[13]

Release history

Release history and formats for "Skinny Dipping"!Region!Date!Format!Label
VariousSeptember 9, 2021Island

Notes and References

  1. Web site: skinny dipping - Single. Apple Music. Apple. September 9, 2021. July 2, 2022.
  2. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram: "it'll be a Wednesday". Instagram. August 18, 2021 . July 1, 2022. en.
  3. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram: "skinny dipping". Instagram. August 23, 2021 . July 1, 2022. en.
  4. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram: "my new song skinny dipping comes out sept. 9th midnight est ". Instagram. August 30, 2021 . July 2, 2022. en.
  5. Sabrina Carpenter Calls Past Relationship 'Water Under the Bridge' in 'Skinny Dipping'. Avila. Daniela. People. September 21, 2021. November 25, 2023.
  6. Sabrina Carpenter Writes Her Next Chapter: 'I Feel a New Sense of Freedom' . Lipshutz . Jason . . October 14, 2021. November 25, 2023.
  7. News: Iahn. Buddy . September 9, 2021. Sabrina Carpenter unveils 'Skinny Dipping'. July 4, 2022.
  8. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter "Skinny Dipping" Sheet Music in E Major. Musicnotes.com. 9 September 2021 . July 4, 2022.
  9. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter Rewrites Her Past In The Nostalgic 'Skinny Dipping' Video . Droke . Carolyn . . September 9, 2021. November 25, 2023.
  10. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter recalls an old flame in new video for 'Skinny Dipping' . Sheridan . Wade . UPI . September 21, 2021 . November 25, 2023.
  11. Sabrina Carpenter's New Album Is Coming Soon, and Its Name Is Hidden In Recent Songs. Brandle. Lars. Billboard. January 5, 2022. November 25, 2023.
  12. Web site: Sabrina Carpenter: Skinny Dipping - The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. October 29, 2021. July 4, 2022 . YouTube . en-US.
  13. Emails I Can't Send. Sabrina Carpenter. 2022. booklet. Island Records. B0034443-02 . United States.