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

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Jonathan Cain of Journey

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Women Who Rock

Women Who RockSong Writing

Evelyn McDonnell, editor of the book Women Who Rock, on why the Supremes are just as important as Bob Dylan.