"Please Please Please" is a song by American singer Sabrina Carpenter from her sixth studio album, Short n' Sweet (2024). It was released through Island Records on June 6, 2024, as the second single from the album. Produced by Jack Antonoff, it was written by Antonoff, Carpenter, and Amy Allen. It is a yacht rock, country pop, alternative country, disco-pop, and synth-pop song, and sees Carpenter discuss her fears that her boyfriend will let his bad-boy reputation overshadow and destroy both their relationship and her pride and embarrass her.
The song received acclaim from music critics upon release. "Please Please Please" peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first number-one single on the chart. Outside of the United States, "Please Please Please" topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom. It peaked within the top ten in 18 other countries, including Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden.
"Please Please Please" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. A remix with Dolly Parton was released in February 2025, and promoted to US country radio.
Background and release Following the commercial success of "Espresso", Sabrina Carpenter announced her upcoming sixth studio album Short n' Sweet on June 3, 2024. She simultaneously promised an upcoming surprise for her fans, which would turn out to be the single. Only two days later, Carpenter took to social media to announce the song release and share a teaser of the accompanying music video featuring cinematic visuals set to showcase her acting skills. The clip shows her wearing a lacy red outfit in a robbery-like setting, as well as engaging in a romance with a criminal played by her then-boyfriend Barry Keoghan.
In February 2025, Carpenter released a deluxe version of Short n' Sweet featuring a duet version of "Please Please Please" with American singer Dolly Parton (with the swearing omitted), which was promoted to country radio in the US.
Lyrics and music
"Please Please Please" has been labeled as a pop, disco-pop, synth-pop, alternative country, country pop, and yacht rock song. It incorporates pulsing synthesizers and multiple vocal layers, with a key change on the second verse Lyrically, the song discussed a famous woman's anxieties regarding her public relationship, that she wants the best version of her lover but afraid that he might let his bad-boy persona slips out, destroys her pride and embarrasses her.
Music video
The music video for "Please Please Please" was filmed on May 23, 2024, in Staten Island, New York, and serves as a sequel to the "Espresso" music video released earlier in the year. The video explores a romantic dynamic between Carpenter and a convict, played by Irish actor Barry Keoghan who, at that time, was Carpenter's boyfriend. The prison scenes were shot in the Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, owned by Broadway Stages.
The video continues from where "Espresso" ended and focuses on Carpenter's relationship with a chaotic love interest. The video's director, Bardia Zeinali, expanded on this idea, incorporating themes of role reversals and power dynamics, as well as recurring scenes such as Carpenter repeatedly picking up the love interest outside the same prison at different times. Pamela Anderson, Tommy Lee, Madonna, Dennis Rodman, Quentin Tarantino, Natural Born Killers (1994), Bonnie and Clyde, and Thelma & Louise (1991) were cited as inspirations for the video. Cinematographer Sean Price Williams shot the video on film.
A second music video for the song, set to the duet version with Dolly Parton, was filmed on January 25, 2025, in front of a rear projection screen and co-directed by Carpenter alongside Williams. It was released on February 14, 2025, to coincide with the release of the deluxe edition of Short n' Sweet. The black and white vignette shows Carpenter and Parton driving a truck, having stolen a bag of money and kidnapped a man with the intention of burying him somewhere; evading the police while doing so.
Commercial performance On June 17, "Please Please Please" reached number one on the Billboard Global 200. On June 22, 2024, the song debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Carpenter's highest debut on the chart and highest-charting single then. The following week, it reached the top spot of the chart, making it her first chart-topper in the United States.
In the United Kingdom, with "Please Please Please" at number one and her previous song "Espresso" at number two on the UK Singles Chart, Carpenter became the first female artist to hold the top two positions of the chart for five weeks in a row and matched Ed Sheeran as the only artist to hold this feat in general. On July 12, 2024 – for the week ending date July 18, 2024 – "Please Please Please" was dethroned from the top of the UK Singles Chart with "Espresso" returning to the summit. On July 26, 2024 – for the week ending date August 1, 2024 – "Please Please Please" dethroned "Espresso" from the top of the UK Singles Chart to return to the summit for a second time, with the former song being replaced at number two by "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish, and the latter song falling to number nine on the chart.
Live performances Carpenter sang "Please Please Please" for the first time at the Governors Ball Music Festival on June 8, 2024. Later that month, she performed the song on the Live Lounge. At the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, she performed the song as part of a medley with "Taste" and "Espresso". Entertainment Weeklys Lester Fabian Brathwaite and Vogues Hannah Jackson thought Carpenter channeled Britney Spears, Marilyn Monroe, and Madonna on her Blond Ambition World Tour (1990). "Please Please Please" was included on the permanent setlist of Carpenter's sixth headlining tour, the Short n' Sweet Tour (2024–2025). Carpenter performed "Please Please Please" with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift at the second New Orleans show of the Eras Tour (2023–2024), as an acoustic mashup with "Espresso" and "Is It Over Now?" (2023). On February 2, 2025, Carpenter performed "Please Please Please" at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Track listing Digital download and streaming – single "Please Please Please" – 3:06 "Please Please Please" (acoustic) – 3:01 "Please Please Please" (clean) – 3:06 "Please Please Please" (sped up) – 2:32 "Please Please Please" (slowed down) – 3:30 "Please Please Please" (a cappella) – 3:06 "Please Please Please" (instrumental) – 3:06
7-inch single "Please Please Please" – 3:06 "Please Please Please" (acoustic) – 3:01
Accolades Organization Year Category ResultMTV Video Music Awards 2024 Best Direction Best Art Direction Song of Summer Camerimage 2024 Golden Frog for Best Music Video Grammy Awards 2025 Song of the Year Hollywood Music Video Awards 2025 Best Pop Best Styling Best Narrative iHeartRadio Music Awards 2025 Best Music Video
Credits and personnel Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Short n' Sweet.
Recording and management Recorded at Electric Lady Studios (New York City) Evan Smith's Performance Recorded at Pleasure Hill Recording (Portland, Maine) Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach) Mastered at Nomograph Mastering (Los Angeles) Sabalicious Songs (BMI) administered by Songs Of Universal, Inc., Songs Of Universal, Inc./Ducky Donath Music (BMI), Kenny + Betty Tunes (ASCAP) administered by WC Music Corp.
Personnel
Sabrina Carpenter – vocals, songwriting Jack Antonoff – LinnDrum programming, percussion, drum kit, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, Roland Juno-60, bass guitar, Moog, Prophet-5, Korg M1, production, songwriting Amy Allen – songwriting Bobby Hawk - violin Laura Sisk - engineering Oli Jacobs - engineering Jack Manning - engineering assistance Jozef Caldwell - engineering assistance Joey Miller - engineering assistance Evan Smith - flute, engineering Serban Ghenea – mixing Bryce Bordone – mix engineering Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2024–2025) Peakposition Bolivia Airplay (Monitor Latino) 4 Bolivia Streaming (Billboard) 23 Chile Airplay (Monitor Latino) 7 Chile Streaming (Billboard) 24 Croatia (Billboard) 17 Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) 12 El Salvador Airplay (Monitor Latino) 16 France (SNEP) 44 Greece International (IFPI) 4 Hong Kong (Billboard) 12 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 2 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 33 India International (IMI) 2 Indonesia (Billboard) 3 Israel (Mako Hitlist) 39 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan) 2 Latvia Airplay (LaIPA) 6 Latvia Streaming (LaIPA) 7 Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20) 3 Lithuania (AGATA) 11 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 2 Luxembourg (Billboard) 8 Malaysia (Billboard) 2 Malaysia International (RIM) 2 Middle East and North Africa (IFPI) 14 Mexico (Billboard) 23 Nigeria (TurnTable Top 100) 85 Panama (Monitor Latino) 10 Peru (Billboard) 9 Philippines (Billboard) 2 Philippines (Philippines Hot 100) 3 Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) 28 Serbia Airplay (Radiomonitor) 13 Singapore (RIAS) 1 South Korea (Circle) 80 South Korea Download (Circle) 185 Turkey International Airplay (Radiomonitor Türkiye) 9 United Arab Emirates (IFPI) 9 Venezuela (Record Report) 34
Monthly charts Chart (2024) Peakposition CIS Airplay (TopHit) 63 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál – Top 100) 45 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 8 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 4 Panama International () 43 Paraguay Airplay (SGP) 33 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) 56 Slovakia (Singles Digitál – Top 100) 39
Year-end charts Chart (2024) Position Australia (ARIA) 14 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 97 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 17 Denmark (Tracklisten) 69 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 24 Global 200 (Billboard) 17 Global Singles (IFPI) 12 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 9 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 76 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 60 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 10 Philippines (Philippines Hot 100) 11 Portugal (AFP) 41 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 79 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 81 UK Singles (OCC) 10 US Billboard Hot 100 16 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 37 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 20 Venezuela Anglo (Record Report) 13
Chart (2025) Position Argentina Airplay (Monitor Latino) 68 Australia (ARIA) 53 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 49 Global 200 (Billboard) 25 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 44 Philippines (Philippines Hot 100) 75 UK Singles (OCC) 43 US Billboard Hot 100 50 US Pop Airplay (Billboard) 50
Certifications
Release history Region Date Format(s) Version Label Various June 6, 2024 Original Island June 18, 2024 EP United States Contemporary hit radio Original Various August 23, 2024 7-inch single United States February 14, 2025 Country radio Dolly Parton duet
Notes
References