espresso-adjacent
she's working late (cuz she's trying to hit #1)
Hi, happy Monday! Sorry to be bringing it up yet again, but I have had “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter stuck in my head for the past month. It is an earworm-y, campy bop and I believe will be the song of the summer. It’s also Sabrina Carpenter’s highest ever charting song, having peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and #1 in the UK.
Last Friday, Sabrina released the Espresso EP, made up of of 6 different versions of “Espresso” including: “Espresso” (the regular song); “Espresso - Double Shot Version” (a sped-up version of the song); “Espresso - On Vacation Version” (an “instrumental” version of the song); “Espresso - Decaf Version” (a slowed-down version of the song); “Espresso - Mochapella Version” (just the vocals of the song); and “Espresso - Espressooooo Version” (a version with extended instrumentals on the front and back of the track).
Listening to the full EP (which I did for the sake of this newsletter!) made me feel like I was slowly losing my mind. I love this song, but not that much. So what is the point of releasing this EP? Chart placement. She, no doubt, wants this song to hit #1 in the United States. Especially after performing the song during her SNL debut this past weekend, she is hoping to ride the wave of publicity, boost streams, and clinch the #1 spot.
The idea of artists releasing different versions of songs or variants of albums isn’t new, but it really picked up in the streaming era as streaming has changed the way that songs perform on the charts.1 Charts now measure sales, radio airplay, AND streams across digital platforms. The more opportunities you give people to buy or stream your music, the better it will do. This is why seemingly every artist releases multiple variants of their physical albums and various remixes to their singles; the variants all count towards the sales and streams of the original version. A perfect example: when there was a chance of “Cruel Summer” hitting #1 last year, Taylor Swift released the Cruelest Summer EP which included remixes and a live version from the Eras Tour. The EP provided a needed bump and the song did eventually hit #1. Sabrina is trying the same thing with the Espresso EP. We’ll find out later this week if it worked!
So, what if you want more songs LIKE “Espresso” but not just increasingly maddening versions of it? I’ve got you. This mix is espresso-adjacent: my favorite bubblegum, campy, earworm-y, summer-y pop songs for when you want more espresso but not TOO much.
Need a complete break from “Espresso?” drinks on the porch is my pride and joy mix that I’ve been adding to for years. A lot less bubblegum pop, but plenty of summer-y vibes!
Thanks for being here, for reading, and for listening! If you enjoy Made You a Mix, please share with a friend!
If you want to know more about how the Billboard Hot 100 works and what exactly it’s measuring, Sam Sanders put out a great podcast episode last year on his [sadly now defunct] podcast, “Into It.”