Good Graces

Album

Short n' Sweet

Label

Island Records

Genre

Rhythm & Blues

Duration

5:00

Composer(s)

Sabrina Carpenter;Julia Michaels;Amy Allen;John RyanJulian Bunetta

Entered Chart

Sep 7, 2024

Peak Date

Sep 7, 2024

"Good Graces" is a sassy, empowering song where Sabrina Carpenter lays down the law on setting boundaries in a relationship. In it, she gives her partner a cheeky but unmistakable warning to stay in her "good graces." The message? Step out of line, and she won't hesitate to flip from love to indifference - or even outright disdain. Carpenter goes as far as to promise that if he does her wrong, she'll "tell the world you finish your chores prematurely," a euphemism referring to his bedroom performances. The song finds its home on Carpenter's sixth album, Short n' Sweet; it slots right in after "Please Please Please" on the tracklist. Both cuts play with similar themes - relationship dynamics, setting boundaries, and knowing one's worth. But while "Good Graces" is a playful yet firm declaration of self-respect, "Please Please Please" strikes a more vulnerable, almost pleading note. Sabrina Carpenter went public with her relationship with Barry Keoghan in February 2024, following a couple of months of speculation. With "Good Graces" released on August 23, 2024, it's tempting to think Carpenter may have penned this tune around the time her romance with Keoghan was blooming. Because the Irish actor has cultivated a bit of a "bad boy" reputation, it wouldn't be a stretch to interpret "Good Graces" as setting firm limits for someone who loves to push them. For "Good Graces," Carpenter teamed up with Amy Allen, who lent her talents to all 12 tracks on Short n' Sweet, singer-songwriter Julia Michaels (of Justin Bieber's "Sorry," Selena Gomez's "Lose You to Love Me" fame) and producers John Ryan and Julian Bunetta, the guys behind many of One Direction's hits. Ryan and Bunetta wrap Carpenter's tongue-in-cheek assertions in the sweet, soulful sounds of '90s R&B. They add a warm, playful texture to the singer's reminder that sometimes love needs a little bit of bite. Carpenter said that Short n' Sweet is a personal project for her. "I feel a thread running through this album of not just self-discovery, but also getting through the heartache and heartbreak that can often," she admitted to Zane Lowe in Apple Music 1. "Man, it can really break you for a long time."

I won't give a fuck about you
Oh, oh
I won't give a fuck about you
Oh, oh

When I love you, I'm sweet like an angel
Drawin' hearts 'round our names and dreamin' of writing vows
Rockin' cradles
Don't mistake my nice for naïve
I don't waste a second, I know lots of guys
You do somethin' suspect as cute as bye-bye

Like ooh, baby, you say you really like it being mine
So let me give you some advice

Boy, it's not that complicated
You should stay in my good graces
Or I'll switch it up like that
So fast, 'cause no one's more amazin'
At turnin' lovin' into hatred
Boy, it's not that complicated
You should stay in my good graces
Or I'll switch it up like that (like that)
So fast (so fast), 'cause no one's more amazin'
At turnin' lovin' into hatred

I won't give a fuck about you
I won't give a fuck about you
I won't give a fuck about you
That was cool
I won't give a fuck about you (oh)
I won't give a fuck about you
I won't give a fuck about you
Yeah

I'll tell the world you finish your chores prematurely
Break my heart and I'll swear I'm movin' on
With your favorite athlete
Shoot a shot every night

Want you every second, don't need other guys
You do somethin' suss, kiss my cute ass bye-ye-ye

Boy, it's not that complicated
You should stay in my good graces
Or I'll switch it up like that
So fast, 'cause no one's more amazin' (amazin')
At turnin' lovin' into hatred
Boy, it's not that complicated
You should stay in my good graces
Or I'll switch it up like that (like that)
So fast (so fast), 'cause no one's more amazin'
At turnin' lovin' into hatred

I won't give a fuck about you
I won't give a fuck about you
I won't give a fuck about you
Oh-oh
I won't give a fuck about you (oh)
I won't give a fuck about you
I won't give a fuck about you
Oh

No, I won't, I won't give a fuck about you
No, I won't, I won't, I won't
No, I won't, I won't give a fuck about you
No, I won't, I won't, I won't