The song “Rebound chick” by Nelson Freitas tells the story of a guy going out clubbing for the night after his girlfriend has left him. It’s one of the most popular songs at Latin dance parties, and with Prague’s International Zouk Congress coming up this weekend, now’s a good time to check out the song and go over a few phrases below.
What’s a rebound girl?
First up, if you throw a ball against the wall, it will come back to you. It will rebound. It will come back to a similar position to where it was originally.
Likewise in relationships, if your partner leaves you, you are on the rebound. You’re hit and now you want to bounce back to where you were before your break up.
The rebound girl (or guy) is someone who you fall on during this hurtful time so that you can move forward to a better place.
And chick..?
‘Chick’ is a word used in the USA and Australia to describe a woman. The MacMillan Dictionary says it’s ‘offensive’ but to be honest, it might be considered more inappropriate rather than being offensive. Sure, don’t use it in formal settings like at a conservative company or in a job interview, but I’ve heard Aussie girls use the word ‘chick’ in a positive way. It’s more likely to be used like this by young people, and it would sound a bit odd to come from your granddad!
Looking at the lyrics
Got my swagger right I’m off to the club tonight
To find me a one night thing
Oohh been out of the game for a while
But I’m back fresher than ever
Not about to let nobody tie me down
swagger – describes how someone walks, especially a man who walks with confidence. The dictionary says we use the word to express disapproval of the way someone walks or talks, but you can see from this real example that it can be used positively. It could be cultural – having swagger in a club like you can see in the video is a good thing, whereas having swagger at a get-together with your British friends may not be so good.
I’m off to the club – means ‘I’m leaving for the club.’
This is used a lot in spoken English:
Wow, it’s 11 o’clock! Right, I’m off.
a one night thing – you can also say a one night stand. ie meeting a girl or guy just for the night. Y’know, you invite someone home and look at grammar exercises together over a tea.
I’ve been out of the game – he hasn’t dated for a while. Sometimes the world of dating is referred to as ‘the game.’
tie me down – he doesn’t want to be tied, he wants to be free. So he’s not looking for a serious relationship, just something casual.
Cause when you left you broke my heart
But time heals all wounds and now
I’m looking for my rebound chick girl could you be it
I’m not looking for love love love love love
I’m searching for that rebound chick
And you just may be it
I’m not looking for love love love love love
you broke my heart – this tells us he was hurt and not happy after his girlfriend left him.
time heals all wounds – a wound is what you get when you are seriously injured, for example, when you’re a soldier fighting in a war or during a terrorist attack. So figuratively he’s saying that he’ll be feeling better with time. He’s hurt now but later on he’ll be fine. His ‘wound’ will heal.
Got my swagger right
I’m headin to the club tonight
I’m gonna get crazy stupid
Might even cross the line
I’m gonna get my drink on
And blame it on the alcohol
So please ladies don’t you hold none of this
Against me no no
get crazy stupid – he’s going to get drunk (smashed, trashed, hammered – slang).
cross the line – if you cross the line, it means you go too far in how you behave. Maybe he’ll dance very close to a girl and see how far he can go before she tells him to stop. One girl might like the way he is, another might think he’s crossed the line (gone too far).
please don’t hold this against me – he’s saying he doesn’t want the girl to remember what he does at the club and then argue or criticise him later on (or the next morning) for it. He thinks he’s being really honest and clear with what he wants, so don’t criticise him for it or use it against him.
Over to you
What do you think of the song?
Do you go clubbing much? When was the last time you had a big night out?
We’re taught that being ‘cool’ means sex, drugs and alcohol – is this how you see US and UK pop culture? Is this a good or bad thing?
Please leave your comments below and enjoy the Prague Zouk Congress this weekend! 🙂
Lyrics: Nelson Freitas (no copyright infringement intended)
Read more
Somebody that I used to know – big hit from Australia about a break up
Photo credits
Image: Mark Sebastian
Licence: CC by 2.0
Great explanation. Let’s go global! Check out ZoukMix.com for all the latest.