Why Sabrina Carpenter's New Song "Vicious" Might Be About Joshua Bassett
At first, I felt like I was getting some clues here and there that this song might be about Sabrina Carpenter's relationship with Joshua Bassett, but then when I looked back at the lyrics, I realized nearly every line or two felt like it had a hint at the very public (albeit not by choice) relationship between these two.
I'm going to refresh your memory with the song lyrics before I start diving in here, or for those who missed a line or two, just putting these out there first so you can read them in their entirety before we get started.
I've took the liberty of bolding the parts I think likely indicate some sort of tie to Joshua Basset. Yes, it is a lot.
Sabrina Carpenter Vicious Lyrics with Potential Joshua Bassett References Bolded
[Verse 1]
One year, ten thousand bad moments
But it was dressed up in heated emotion
And I tried to look for the best in the worst
But like, fuck me, that caused a commotion
You're lucky I'm a private person
I've quietly carried your burden
And everyone thinks you're an angel
But shit, I would probably use different wording
[Chorus]
Oh, you're so vicious
Love me, then pretend you didn't
Crush my heart and wreck my image
Why you gotta be so vicious?
[Verse 2]
You like a certain type of woman
Who's smart, but neglects intuition
When you're insecure, could be me, could be her
You just run to whoever is winning
[Pre-Chorus]
Said that it was me and you for life
Now you're kinda acting like I died
[Chorus]
Oh, you're so vicious
Love me, then pretend you didn't
Crush my heart and wreck my image
Why you gotta be so, so, so
Oh, you're so vicious
Love me, then pretend you didn't
Half of me just can't resist it
Why you gotta be so vicious?
[Post-Chorus]
Oh, no
Why you gotta be so
Oh, oh
Why you gotta be so vicious?
[Bridge]
You don't feel remorse, you don't feel the effects
'Cause you don't think you hurt me if you wish me the best
I shoulda known all along, I was only the next one
To take your love songs as a promise
[Chorus]
Oh, you're so vicious
I loved you, but I wish I didn't
If you're out there somewhere listening
Why you gotta be so vicious?
The Breakdown of Vicious Lyrics & Why They Might Be About Joshua Bassett
Sabrina starts off by explaining how the relationship she's talking about included ten thousand bad moments.
Bad relationships are pretty common and there was absolutely no need to assume this had anything to do with Joshua, until I got to the lyric,
"But like, fuck me, that caused a commotion"
No one could deny the hoopla around the Olivia Rodrigo love triangle was anything besides a commotion, almost certainly the biggest commotion in Carpenter's life to date - maybe (and hopefully for her since she really didn't seem to enjoy it one bit) ever.
Then she goes on, with the grace in wording I think was evident in Skins -
"You're lucky I'm a private person
I've quietly carried your burden
And everyone thinks you're an angel
But shit, I would probably use different wording"
I mean, how perfect is that? So let's break this down. You were in a relationship with someone. It caused a huge commotion. If you weren't a private person you'd probably have aired out the dirty laundry because somehow this ex is seen as an angel when you absolutely do not believe that to be true?
Sounds like some tea's been spilled.
But okay, we're still not sold? Let's keep digging shall we.
There's that chorus (by the way, totally a bop) where she mentions this ex not only crushed her heart but also wrecked her image. I can't imagine a soul believes Sabrina Carpenter was painted in a positive light throughout the whole Olivia Rodrigo debacle, even though it was clear as soon as Olivia's album dropped (at least to me) that Joshua Bassett was the person to blame for how things went down.
Speaking of Olivia. A number of the lyrics in Vicious seem to echo, or maybe even directly allude to some Olivia Rodrigo songs.
Almost as though Sabrina's seen the same kind of ending to her relationship with Bassett that Rodrigo saw earlier. Like there's a pattern repeating itself here.
I'm going to go with the ones that seem to most directly resemble Olivia Rodrigo lyrics, then move on to the looser ones to paint the picture:
"I shoulda known all along, I was only the next one
To take your love songs as a promise"
So Sabrina's pointing out not only that she took love songs written by this beau as a promise, but also that she wasn't the only one to do so.
Hmm, where do I remember lyrics about love songs being taken seriously? Oh yeah, that mega-hit Driver's License:
"Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me
'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street"
Guess there's a pattern here.
Sabrina seems to directly call out the type of woman this particular ex is attracted to, calling her intelligent, but ignoring intuition, in this case I'm assuming that means, ignoring any red flags that might signal danger or untrustworthiness:
"You like a certain type of woman
Who's smart, but neglects intuition
When you're insecure, could be me, could be her
You just run to whoever is winning"
It's those last two lines I want you to re-read, because they remind me of Olivia's assessment of what happened at the end of her relationship with Basset (from "enough for you):
"You found someonе more exciting, the nеxt second, you were gone"
Of the two lyrics, you definitely get a lot more nuance, and just a little more cutting read from Carpenter.
She's just shy of accusing Bassett to be clout chasing, and going for the girl that happens to be the most successful and popular he can land at the time, but there's all the pieces there if you want to come to that conclusion yourself.
The Vicious lyrics suggest that this relationship ended in probably the worst way I could imagine -
"Love me, then pretend you didn't"
"Said that it was me and you for life
Now you're kinda acting like I died"
So you have someone full fledged in love in a relationship, then once it's over, pretty much ignoring the existence of their ex like the person was never even important to them? Again, brings back memories of another slighted belle (lyrics from good 4 u):
"It's like we never even happened
Baby, what the fuck is up with that? (Ah)
And good for you, it's like you never even met me
Remember when you swore to God I was the only
Person who ever got you?"
So Rodrigo's experience with Bassett sounds like the same kind of end as this relationship - too close to be a coincidence? Seems to be a pattern? I think so.
Oh, and then there's the bit about not feeling guilty - this from Sabrina's Vicious:
"You don't feel remorse, you don't feel the effects
'Cause you don't think you hurt me if you wish me the best"
Apathy? Lack of remorse? Let's head over to good 4 u again:
"Your apathy is like a wound in salt
Maybe I'm too emotional
Or maybe you never cared at all"
Oh and those lyrics from traitor:
"You betrayed me
And I know that you'll never feel sorry
For the way I hurt, yeah"
Again, it all just rings a little two similarly. I definitely didn't assume all the songs on the album were about Joshua Bassett. In fact, I don't think the vast majority are. But to me, this one has his skin all over it. Reference absolutely intended for those in the know.
The only other song on the album I think is absolutely about him? The song because i liked a boy (check out why here).
Although if you want to assume Vicious is likely about Joshua Bassett, and this was a particularly toxic relationship (because of that first mention of ten thousand bad moments), it's possible Tornado Warnings is also about him. Though that's more of a stretch than I'll make an argument for.
There is one last song that I do personally believe is about him - because of a few short lines at the end of the song (okay, it's bet u wanna) that go a little something like this:
"I bet you hate the way that you said goodbye
And you still can't even tell me why
I hate the way that you left me dry
But I'll keep that between you and I"
So there was a break up where an ex left you high and dry, and you hate the way he left without even an explanation. A bad breakup and you're keeping that break up a secret? Sounds a little like the lyrics in the first verse of Vicious:
"You're lucky I'm a private person
I've quietly carried your burden"
So yes, I do think it's entirely possible those two songs are about the very same person, and that it's likely that person is Joshua Bassett.
