I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You

Album: Partie Traumatic (2008)
Charted: 11
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Black Kids hail from Jacksonville, Florida and consist of Reggie Youngblood, (guitar, vocals), Ali Youngblood (keyboards, vocals), Dawn Watley (keyboards, vocals), Owen Holmes (bass) and Kevin Snow (drums). This was their debut single and it was originally found on their 2007 self-released EP Wizard Of Ahhhs.
  • In this song Reggie Youngblood is mocking a girl's boyfriend with "two left feet," all the while worrying that he's nothing without his superior moves. He explained to the Guardian newspaper: "I like that about human nature. That you can think the world of yourself one moment and then the next you're a cowardly, awkward, sniveling piece of s--t. It's all there lurking and it's so random what's going to come to the forefront."
  • Reggie Youngblood explained to Vice magazine the background to this track: "Well, Jacksonville is a sort of anomaly, in that despite being a somewhat culturally bereft city, we have amazing dance parties at which we dance like motherfu--ers. So, in this environment, I've repeatedly found myself in situations where girls love to dance with me ('cause I can move, baby) but usually go home with someone else, who can't dance for s--t. It's a problem."
  • In the same Vice magazine interview, Youngblood explained the band's name: "It is REALLY hard to come up with a name that hasn't been taken. You think of something you like, Google it, and sure enough, someone's beat you to it. So, we thought, we really must have something that most people won't touch. And it should sound cool. I find it hilarious when someone black asks Owen or Kevin (who are both white) what band they play in, because they're not quite comfortable saying it aloud. If I'm with them, I just keep very quiet and relish the awkwardness."

Comments: 1

  • Vimal from New York, NyWhat's up with the line "You are the girl that I've been dreaming of ever since I was a little girl." Is it because the girl makes him emotional and thus, disparagingly "a little girl"?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.