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The singer surprised fans with classics like "Mamma Mia" and "Material Girl" during the "Spin the Bottle" segment at her concerts
If you haven’t seen Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet tour, you’re missing out on one of the year’s best shows. It’s a big party — literally. Carpenter set up the show like a fictional, Seventies-style TV show and each night, she’s taken audiences through a whole narrative arc, from her getting ready to greet guests to sipping espresso the next morning.
And what’s a party without a party game? Each night, Carpenter chugs a beer and plays a round of “spin the bottle,” picking a surprise song spin with her dancers. The segment has been a delicious part of each show, with Carpenter covering everyone from ABBA to Madonna to Rick James. Here’s a full list of Carpenter’s best surprise songs.
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‘Mamma Mia’ by ABBA
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Rolling Stone
Carpenter was a natural when she took on this ABBA classic, which she performed at Madison Square Garden, her tour opener in Columbus, and various other cities. The certified crowd-pleaser had the whole arena belting along as Carpenter made the 1975 hit sound like one of her originals. Her cover may have inadvertently served as an audition for a potential third installment of the Mamma Mia films: During an interview with ABC, the film’s star Amanda Seyfried said she’d want Sabrina Carpenter to play her character’s daughter. “If Sabrina Carpenter wants to play my daughter, I’ll make it happen. It’s fine. I’m a big fan.” —B.S.
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‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’ by Shania Twain
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Rolling Stone
Carpenter didn’t just cover “That Don’t Impress Me Much” during several stops of her tour; at one point, she snuck in the country twang of her own song “Bad For Business” while performing the Shania Twain. “It’s just a huge compliment,” Twain told E! News about the performance. “I mean, [Carpenter is] such a talented person! She’s smart, so it’s a compliment.” Fans of Carpenter and Twain will get to see the stars sing together during Carpenter’s Nonsense Christmas special on Netflix, out in December. —T.M.
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‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None the Richer
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images/AEG
Carpenter was born in the final year of the Nineties, but she’s an expert at introducing the decade’s pop hits to younger generations. Take Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me,” the alt-rock stunner memorably featured in Dawson’s Creek and She’s All That (yes, that’s a young Kieran Culkin in the latter). Carpenter first performed the blissful banger back in 2022, but she’s since delivered it five times on the Short & Sweet tour. Most recently, she covered it at San Francisco’s Chase Center, wearing a dazzling black robe as she swayed beneath the milky twilight. —A.M.
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‘Busy Woman’ by Sabrina Carpenter
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Rolling Stone
Legends cover themselves! As fate would have it, Carpenter’s hometown got a treat when the bottle landed on the singer’s Short n’ Sweet(er) bonus track “Busy Woman” for her show in Philly. (Technically, Carpenter grew up outside of the city in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, but we’ll give it to her.) “Oh this is a new song!” she exclaimed before belting out the sassy track and reminding the arena that she’s had an incredibly busy year. The singer first debuted the track in Brooklyn and has since sung it two more times. But Carpenter strutted and smiled with a dazzling confidence that only happens during a long-awaited homecoming. —M.G.
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‘Ain’t No Other Man’ by Christina Aguilera
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Rolling Stone
Carpenter pulled double duty surprising fans during her Los Angeles tour stop on Nov. 15. Not only did her surprise cover end up being “Ain’t No Other Man” by Christina Aguilera — the iconic vocal powerhouse came out onstage and performed it with her. Carpenter dolled out the special performance with flair, joking that there would be “a little Christina” added to the show. Then, Aguilera began performing insane vocal acrobatics offstage, immediately sending everyone at the Crypto.com Arena into complete shock and excitement. —J.L.
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‘Material Girl’ by Madonna
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images/AEG
Fans erupted into cheers when Carpenter’s Spin the Bottle game led her to sing Madonna’s 1984 mega-classic “Material Girl” in cities like Baltimore, Raleigh, Tampa, Salt Lake, and other stops. The frothy pop hit always feels like the perfect addition to the Short n’ Sweet setlist, giving Carpenter a chance to have fun belting out the lyrics and getting the entire audience singing along. In Baltimore, she had a blast and got cheeky as she strutted around the stage in a sparkly black suit, embodying the energy of a true Material Girl. —J.L.
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‘9 to 5’ by Dolly Parton
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Rolling Stone
No one understands how hard and distressing it is to be constantly working late because you’re a singer the way Carpenter does, except for maybe Dolly Parton. During the Austin stop on the Short n’ Sweet tour, the pop phenom went full country as she performed the music legend’s hit “9 to 5.” With more than a dash of country twang in her voice and a white feather-trimmed cowboy hat, Carpenter strutted around the stage and aired her grievances about the workforce as she delivered an exceptional vocal performance, singing. If this whole singing thing doesn’t work out for the six-time Grammy Award-nominee, she’d make a great union representative. —L.P.
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‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’ by Olivia Newton-John
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Rolling Stone
This classic ballad from the 1978 movie Grease is clearly a favorite of Carpenter’s. She performed it several times when she opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour, and really got into character when she broke it out at her own tour stop in Dallas, Texas this fall. Dressed as Olivia Newton-John’s character Sandy from the film, she belted out an epic version of the song, leading the crowd in an arena-wide sing-along. Fans at the American Airlines Center also got to see Carpenter perform as Tinkerbell and a Playboy bunny during the show. —J.D.
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‘What A Girl Wants’ by Christina Aguilera
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images/AEG
Carpenter brought Christina Aguilera out in Los Angeles, to the delight of fans. After the two singers finished performing “Ain’t No Other Man,” they kept things going by also launching into the Xtina favorite, “What A Girl Wants.” They seemed completely at ease belting out the song, possibly because it wasn’t their first time singing it together: They’d actually covered the song during a laidback Spotify performance, set up for the 25th Anniversary of the 1999 album Christina Aguilera. —J.D.
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‘Super Freak’ by Rick James
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Not only does Carpenter know how to put on a show, but she’s mastered the art of closing one out, too. For the final night of her Short n’ Sweet Tour, the singer got even freakier than she does in “Juno” when she performed a playful rendition of Rick James’ 1981 hit. Carpenter channeled the lively energy of the disco track as she danced along to the classic beat, her lush vocals trilling with each high note. For the song’s iconic saxophone solo, the singer fell down to her knees and whipped her tousled curls to each funky note. It was the perfect way to the end the sweetest party that’s ever been put on. —M.G.
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