carly rae jepsen

pop's undefeatable ambassador of love

she's our favorite musician and one time at a concert someone gave her a sword to wield, so she did

blog: october 19th, 2023

after last night is so fucking good. every time we listen to it, we stop and take note that after last night is just so good. i listen to the album over and over and over and it always catches my attention. it's everything to me.

listening to come over makes me the happiest person in the entire world

signed, jyliet

carly rae jepsen (crj) is our favorite musician. we love her music and spend a lot of time listening to it. her music is 80s inspired dance pop "chill disco" with buttery feathery vocals and tender lyrics.

her most well known song is call me maybe, a song on her 2012 album kiss. the song was so popular that it was even referenced by cookie monster. unfortunately, the light-hearted pop song branded crj as a twee girlish bright-eyed darling in the minds of like everyone on earth. undaunted, crj went on to knock the ball out of the park with her album emotion, an underrated gem that critics loved.

a year after emotion came out, emotion: side b dropped. it was a complete surprise, and it rules.

crj took her time (four years!) crafting dedicated, a much more mature and confident voice. and, just like emotion before it, dedicated: side b was released. we're torn as to which we like better because they're both really good.

her latest album, the loveliest time was really fun! we have extensive thoughts about it, along with its previous album the loneliest time down below.

carly rae jepsen makes music that makes me feel like when you grab your friend's hand and pull them to the dance floor and you do a silly little wiggle to get started. and isn't that a good feeling?

the loveliest time

the loveliest time is crj's eighth studio album (after tug of war, kiss, emotion, emotion side b, dedicated, dedicated side b, the loneliest time) and it fucking rules. it's so good. please listen to it.

this album is raucous and joyous, a true lovely time. the songs are about jumping headfirst into love. it focuses on the aftermaths and the cyclical push-pull nature of affection and love.

the loveliest time track reviews

reviews of every song on the album
  1. anything to be with you

    an appetite for stars tonight / and you're the reason

    immediately, we're thrown into carly's party of love. it's a bright and jazzy bop with a catchy chorus that sticks like honey to the mind.

  2. kamikaze

    you mind if i need to come kamikaze / crash into your way?

    the echoing gives it a nice haunting and textured quality to it. wish that she hadn't made a like world war 2 reference though.

  3. after last night

    in the pale moonlight / in the moment, i was / hypnotized

    bright with a fun dip for the chorus. the lyrics flow together beautifully. like other places in the album, crj alludes to being bad at love previously and is getting her groove back (thanks to someone special) and it's cute.

  4. aeroplanes

    we're only earth angels / and every day i want you

    slower song that's a little confusing. does he return her affections or not? :thinking: maybe smarter folks than us can decide

  5. shy boy

    shy boy, stir me up / you didn't even know you got the midas touch

    a sweet little disco number. definitely a highlight of the album, and it was released as a single before the rest of the album.

  6. kollage

    i'm still in the dark / paralyzed emotions a very slow ballad in the middle of the album. it's smooth and slick with a more complicated melody than some of the other songs. 27 really likes it, but it may be too slow for this to be a favorite.
  7. shadow

    city to city, heartbeat to heartbeat / body to body

    another slow song but the chorus is sticky. we get another airplane reference. the bridge is very cute.

  8. psychedelic switch

    'cause baby i'd be satisfied forever / with a couple years of this

    this psychedelic song with a heavy backbeat might be the most divisive song on the album. maddy thinks it's a teeny bit cringey but jyliet really likes it. teresa thinks it's cute that jyliet likes it.

    here's some specific lyric thoughts:

    • don't wake me 'cause i'm lucid dreamin'cliche, but endearing
    • meditatin' on your lips makes maddy cringe a tad, but teresa thinks it's romantic
    • 'cause, baby, i'd be satisfied forever / with a couple years of this is just soooo sweet, that young fresh raw kind of love
    • make me feel like in my birthday suit makes maddy cringe even more, but jyliet thinks the line delivery is just bubbly and adorable
  9. so right

    sometimes we get it so right / we can get it so right

    this is the same spot as "so nice" in the loneliest time, so nice parallel. this is also her second song with an explicit rating. this song is also slightly confusing, but it's buttery smooth and fun to listen to.

  10. come over

    i'm already dreamin' / come over come over

    our tied-for-first on the album with after last night. this is superduper sweet with the same kind of fun as want you in my room. just puppy love.

  11. put it to rest

    like your moon / won't let me sleep

    this song is about setting aside the past that keeps you lonely, which means a lot coming after an album called the loneliest time.

  12. stadium love

    hey boy, saw you on the weekend / full stop, now i'm in the deep end

    we just realized now what this song reminds us of and it reminds us of fun., especially they're first album. we'll ask 27 if they agree

  13. weekend love

    soft light hits me on the high line / so go on foolin' around / i'll be already, i'm alright

    a slow and stylish way to end the album. another weekend song, too!

our rankings

  1. after last night
  2. come over
  3. shy boy
  4. psychedelic switch
  5. anything to be with you
  6. kamikaze
  7. so right
  8. stadium love
  9. shadow
  10. put it to rest
  11. aeroplanes
  12. shadow
  13. kollage

the loneliest time

the loneliest time is crj's seventh studio album (after tug of war, kiss, emotion, emotion side b, dedicated, dedicated side b) and it fucking rules. it's so good. please listen to it.

the first six songs just absolutely fucking rule. the 7th song is bends, which really slows everything down and it stays pretty lowkey after that. shooting star brings the energy back up a bit. so nice has a very similar vibe to everything he needs.

the loneliest time track reviews

reviews of every song on the album
  1. surrender my heart

    the first time carly gets to say fuck!

    what a banger to start the album with! it also does a great job of setting up the mood and themes, which are all about loneliness, desperation, vulnerability, grief, and coping with the devastation of being recognized.

  2. joshua tree <3

    either tied for first or second place favorite song

    a great song to bob your head to.

  3. talking to yourself

    third single released before the album

    it's a fun pop song! about the general sense of wanting someone to miss you when you're gone.

  4. far away

  5. sideways

    "everything's going my way, and i like when i get my way"

  6. beach house

    our favorite song. and second released song for the album before it came out. reasons why we like it:
    • the singability of it
    • the chorus
    • the organ harvesting line
    • we can listen to it over and over and over again for days on end and still love it
    • one part makes it sound like she ate this guy's wife out
  7. bends

    the grown up version of "sun on you"

    it's very slow, which isn't our favorite

  8. western wind

    first hint at the new album and possibly self-insert fanfiction into greek myth

  9. so nice

    the source of crj's current tour, the so nice tour

    fun fact: when she was writing this song, producers told her that it was too sweet, and she said, 'okay' and then made it sweeter.

  10. bad thing twice

    the most evil of the evil carly songs (released)

  11. shooting star

  12. go find yourself or whatever

    crj used all of her "fucks" in surrender my heart, longest song of the album at 4:44

  13. the loneliest time (ft. rufus wainright)

    final single released before the album

    VERY POLARIZING! but we liked it

  14. anxious (bonus)

    we keep getting this song stuck in our head

  15. no thinking over the weekend (bonus)

    the redditers love this one

  16. keep away (bonus)

    this is the only bonus song available on the target version of the album

our rankings

  1. beach house
  2. joshua tree
  3. so nice
  4. shooting star
  5. bad thing twice
  6. sideways
  7. far away
  8. surrender my heart
  9. talking to yourself
  10. anxious
  11. the loneliest time
  12. keep away
  13. western wind
  14. bends
  15. go find yourself or whatever
  16. no thinking over the weekend

albums, ranked

please understand these seven albums are still all in our top like 20 albums ever

open for rankings
  1. the loneliest time
    • favorite: beach house, joshua tree, sideways, so nice, bad things twice, shooting star
    • least: no thinking over the weekend
  2. emotion side b
    • favorite: higher, fever, the one, body language, roses
    • least: cry
  3. dedicated side b
    • favorite: this love isn't crazy, stay away, this is what they say
    • least: heartbeat, comeback
  4. emotion
    • favorite: gimmie love, emotion, run away with me, making the most of the night, let's get lost
    • least: black heart
  5. the loveliest time
    • favorite: after last night, come over
    • least: kollage
  6. kiss
    • favorite: call me maybe, turn me up, hurt so good
    • least: guitar string, your heart is a muscle
  7. dedicated
    • favorite: automatically in love, too much, want you in my room, the sound
    • least: feels right
  8. tug of war
    • favorite: tug of war, money and the ego, bucket, sour candy
    • least: worldly matters, hotel shampoos

favorite singles

occasionally, crj releases singles. some of them are singles written for other works, such as cut to the feeling, which was written for a canadian ballerina animated movie.

expand for singles
  1. cut to the feeling was written for the canadian ballerina animated movie
  2. boys in the band came out on youtube shortly after the pandemic lockdowns started
  3. let's be friends is a valentine's day song for the unlucky ones

leaked songs

crj's music process includes writing and recording a lot of music and then whittling down to the best tracks according to a theme. however, this process also yields a lot of leaked music.

some of her leaks rank in our top favorites of her discography.

spoilers for awesome unreleased music
  • little of mine
    • rating: 11/10
    • year recorded: 2017
    • year leaked: 2018
    • first listen: in a car in a vietnamese restaurant parking lot
    • album placement: on
    • best part timestamps: 0:50 - 1:19
  • can we again
    • rating: 9/10
    • year recorded: 2016
    • year leaked: 2021
    • first listen: new wave of dedicated side b contender leaks
    • album placement: on
    • best part timestamps: 0:50 - 1:07
  • love & paranoia
    • rating: 10/10
    • year recorded: 2018
    • year leaked: 2019, 2021
    • first listen: a treat, another leak so soon
    • album placement: on
    • best part timestamps: 2:20 - 2:57
  • white lie
    • rating:8/10
    • year recorded: 2017
    • year leaked: 2020
    • first listen: reddit alert
    • album placement: off
    • best part timestamps: 2:45-2:51
  • favourite night
    • rating: 8/10
    • year recorded: 2018
    • year leaked: 2021
    • first listen: first half of the dedicated side b contenders
    • album placement: off
    • best part timestamps: 1:00 - 1:09
  • disco darling
    • rating: 10/10
    • year recorded: 2018
    • year leaked: 2021
    • first listen: second half of the dedicated side b contenders
    • album placement: on
    • best part timestamps: 2:39 - 2:57
  • black light
    • rating: 7/10
    • year recorded 2014:
    • year leaked: 2015
    • first listen: big splurge with a tentative relisten
    • album placement: off
    • best part timestamps:
  • i believe you
    • rating: 8/10
    • year recorded: 2014
    • year leaked: 2019
    • first listen: a "catch up" of leaked songs
    • album placement: off
    • best part timestamps: 1:06 - 1:15

career

  • got fifth on canadian idol
  • put out 1st album tug of war in 2008
  • 2nd album kiss in 2012 featuring the single call me maybe
  • call me maybe goes viral
  • emotion, album #3, drops in 2015 to critical acclaim
    • and not Just because of the sax solo in run away with me
  • a surprise b-side album a year later: emotion: side b
  • dedicated joins the ranks in 2019, with dedicated: side b coming a year later
  • album #7 !! , the loneliest time, comes out october 2022!

trivia

  • she's sang in simlish before to put run away with me in the sims
  • she's said in a couple of interviews she wants to write a musical
  • japan has laws in place that make it profitable to make japan-exclusive tracks, and usually they are Very good and Very easy to get through various methods
  • she did a music video with shrampton, the instagram famous cat
  • cut to the feeling, arguably one of her very best songs, was made for a canadian animated children's movie called 'ballerina'

review reviews

pitchfork

review by pitchfork
  • album: Dedicated
  • rating: 7.3
  • thoughts: beautifully worded and fair. we'd rate it higher, but we agree with the general critiques.
  • link: here

vulture

review by vulture
  • album: Dedicated
  • rating: none
  • thoughts: this one barely sounds like it's talking about music. whatever.
  • link: here