You’ve definitely heard it. That chunky, rubbery bassline kicks in, and suddenly you're tapping your steering wheel or doing that awkward shoulder shimmy in the grocery aisle. Dua Lipa levitating lyrics aren't just words; they’re a whole vibe that somehow survived the most chaotic years of the 2020s to become a permanent resident on pop radio.
Honestly, it’s kinda wild. When Future Nostalgia dropped right as the world went into lockdown, we were all stuck in our living rooms. We needed an escape. Dua gave us a rocket ship. But behind the "sugarboo" of it all, there's a surprisingly nerdy story about how this song was built, the legal drama that almost grounded it, and why we’re still singing about "renegading" in the Milky Way today.
The Afternoon Tarot Cards Made a Hit
Most pop songs are manufactured in sterile rooms with twenty writers fighting over a comma. Not this one. On August 28, 2018, Dua Lipa sat down at Sarm West Studios in London with her regular crew: Clarence Coffee Jr., Sarah Hudson, and Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk.
The energy was... weird.
To break the ice, Sarah Hudson pulled out a deck of Tarot cards. They did a reading. They talked about their lives. They cleared the "creative gunk" out of the room. It sounds a bit "woo-woo," but Dua has gone on record saying it completely shifted the atmosphere. Koz started messing around with a Roland VP-330 vocoder—basically a vintage synth that makes your voice sound like a robot from a 1970s sci-fi flick.
That "squelchy" sound became the backbone.
They were literally dancing while writing. Dua wanted something that felt like an Austin Powers dance number. She wanted "smart-bubbly." The goal wasn't a "dance-crying" song like Don't Start Now. It was pure, unadulterated "let's get lost on Mars" energy.
What’s a Sugarboo Anyway?
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Or the alien in the spaceship. "My sugarboo, I'm levitating."
Is it cringey? Maybe a little.
Is it infectious? Absolutely.
The term "sugarboo" wasn't some deep poetic metaphor. It was actually an inside joke between the writers. They called each other that in the studio. When it came time to fill that gap in the chorus, they threw it in as a placeholder. But like most things in pop, the weirdest stuff usually sticks the best. It felt playful. It felt human.
Dua Lipa Levitating Lyrics: A Cosmic Breakdown
The song uses space as a massive, glittering metaphor for that specific "new love" high. You know the one. That feeling where your feet don't quite touch the ground and you're pretty sure you could actually fly if you tried hard enough.
- The Premonition: The opening line, "I had a premonition that we fell into a rhythm," sets the stage for fate. It's not just a crush; it’s written in the stars.
- The Milky Way: When she sings "The Milky Way, we're renegading," she’s basically saying they’re breaking the rules of gravity and logic to be together.
- The Rocket: "My love is like a rocket, watch it blast off." Simple? Yes. Effective at 2:00 AM on a Saturday? 100%.
There’s a specific "British-ness" to the middle eight—that "you can fly away with me tonight" section. Dua wanted to channel her inner Blondie. She wanted a bit of that 80s New York rap-style delivery but with a London edge. It’s the part of the dua lipa levitating lyrics that bridges the gap between the disco past and the pop future.
The Legal Drama That (Almost) Ruined the Party
Success attracts lawyers. It’s just the way the music industry works. For a while there, it felt like everyone with a guitar and a dream was trying to sue Dua Lipa over this track.
First, a Florida reggae band called Artikal Sound System claimed the chorus was a rip-off of their 2017 song Live Your Life. That case got tossed in 2023 because, frankly, there was zero evidence Dua had ever even heard of them.
Then came the big one. Songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer argued that Levitating copied their 1979 disco track Wiggle and Giggle All Night.
They took it all the way to a Manhattan court.
In a massive win for songwriters everywhere, Judge Katherine Polk Failla dismissed the suit in early 2025. Her reasoning? You can't copyright a "vibe." She noted that the similarities were just basic musical building blocks—scales and rhythms that even Mozart and the Bee Gees used.
If we started suing people for using a "disco feel," pop music would literally stop existing.
Why We Still Care in 2026
It’s been years since the Future Nostalgia era began, yet Levitating is still everywhere. Why?
Part of it is the production. Stuart Price (the guy who helped Madonna with Confessions on a Dance Floor) came in and polished the track until it shone like a diamond. It’s got that "infinite loop" quality.
But mostly, it’s the escapism.
The lyrics don't ask you to think about your taxes or the news. They ask you to get on a spaceship and dance. In a world that feels increasingly heavy, a song about floating is always going to have a seat at the table.
Actionable Insights for Your Playlist
If you’re still obsessed with the sound of this track, here’s how to dive deeper into that specific "cosmic disco" world:
- Listen to the "Solo" Version: Most radio stations swapped back to the solo version after the DaBaby controversy in 2021. Without the rap verse, the song actually breathes a lot better and leans harder into the 70s space-rock vibe.
- Check Out the Influences: Go listen to Rosa Parks by Outkast or Physical by Olivia Newton-John. You’ll hear exactly where Dua’s head was at.
- Watch the "TikTok" Video: The official music video was a massive collaboration with creators. It’s a time capsule of 2020 internet culture that actually holds up.
Stop overthinking the "sugarboo" and just let the bassline do the work. The song was built to make you feel light. Let it.
Grab your headphones, find a high-quality FLAC or Atmos version of the track, and pay attention to the "talk box" vocals in the background of the final chorus—it’s the secret sauce that makes the whole thing feel like a retro-future dream.
Next Steps: You might want to explore the Club Future Nostalgia remix album for a more underground, house-heavy take on these lyrics. Or, if you're a production nerd, look up Stephen Kozmeniuk’s breakdown of the Roland VP-330 settings used for the main riff.