Learn English with Dua Lipa
7 words & expressions from the song ‘Levitating’
Music can teach us so much about a language and its culture. Lucky for you, English learners, there is probably no better language to learn with music than English! Today, let’s look at the song “Levitating” by English singer Dua Lipa. How many times can I repeat “English” in one paragraph?
English.
Okay, so “Levitating” is an upbeat song for dancing and having fun from Ms. Lipa’s 2020 album, Future Nostalgia. We’ll look at some cool vocabulary words and expressions that could help improve your comprehension. There’s also a bonus reference at the end, so stay tuned!
First, let’s learn some words.
Watch the lyric video here.
Vocab
Premonition
A feeling or belief that something is going to happen.
I had a premonition that we fell into a rhythm —
*Notice, it’s very common to use it in this format: “to have a premonition”.
Levitate
To rise or make (something) rise into the air in a way that seems magical.
Come on, dance with me, I’m levitating —
*She seems to be using this figuratively, so she’s not literally levitating. “Floating in air,” “walking on air,” or “on cloud nine” are similar ideas. They mean to be feeling really happy, ecstatic, and in a “dreamy” state of emotion.
Renegade
Someone or something that causes trouble and cannot be controlled.
We’re “renegading” —
*Dua uses “renegade” here as a verb. It’s fairly common for English speakers to turn nouns into verbs. I don’t think “renegading” is in the dictionary though.
Expressions
Sugarboo
Both “sugar” and “boo” are terms of endearment. That means we use these names to refer to people we love or care about. “Sugar” is more general, used mostly when someone older talks to someone younger. You can also give someone “sugar” (a kiss/some love).
“Boo” is more common among dating couples, and is a more relaxed form of “dear”.
“Sugarboo” is a combination of these two expressions. It’s also common to combine terms of endearment. These kinds of words aren’t universal (so “sugarboo” isn’t used or known by all English speakers), and people often make them up to fit their style or personality. Ex: babydoll, sugarplum, honeybun, etc.
I want you, baby, my sugarboo —
Written in the stars
Something “written in the stars” is meant to happen by a force from the future. It’s the same idea as destiny. “It is written,” “it is meant to be.”
I feel it in our energy, I see us written in the stars —
Blast off
“Blast off” is almost always associated with rockets or spaceships. This is when the ship, rocket, or jet fires up and takes off into the sky. Think of the classic countdown: “Three, two, one, blast off!” It can also reference the beginning of a big exciting event.
My love is like a rocket, watch it blast off —
*Blast off can be used as a verb (to blast off) or as a noun (blast-off/blastoff). “Take off” and “Lift off” are similar concepts in flight.
(Action + determiner) ass off
To do something with your “ass off” is to do it intensely. (Wow, that sounded really funny reading out loud) This adds emphasis to whatever the action is. So saying “I laughed my ass off” is the same as “I laughed really hard.” Just remember, “ass” is technically a bad word, and saying this is extremely informal, potentially offensive. Check the situation for appropriateness.
A less vulgar way to express this is replacing “ass” with “butt,” “bum,” or “tail.” Ex: I laughed my butt off.
When talking about another person or group of people, you substitute “my” with whatever word (determiner) describes that person. Ex: his ass off, your ass off, their asses off, etc. In the lyrics, she says “dance (an action) + my (the determiner) + ass off”.
And I’m feeling so electric, dance my ass off
*Fun fact: “Ass” in British-influenced English is usually pronounced and spelled like “arse,” as in this song.
Bonus Reference!
Moonlight
This is light coming from the moon (or reflected off of the moon, to put it accurately). I could be wrong, but this might also be a reference to the 2016 movie, Moonlight. It won some pretty big awards.
In the movie, there is a definitive scene where a character holds the protagonist, Chiron, in his arms while teaching him to swim. This could be a possible reference in the lyrics.
I got you, moonlight
*In spoken casual English, “have” is often transformed into “got” when talking about possession. Ex: I got a lot of bills to pay (instead of “I have a lot of bills to pay”)
That’s it, music lovers! Tell us what you learned. Did you know all these words before? Am I right about the Moonlight reference? Do you love this song? Let me know. Thank you for supporting Culture Surf.
Now, go take a listen to this song and dance your tails off!
