Rachel Chinouriri – Can We Talk About Isaac?. Lyrics Meaning: An Ode to That All-Consuming, Can’t-Stop-Talking-About-Them Crush
Ever met someone and, within minutes, your brain just short-circuits? You know the feeling. One minute you’re fine, and the next, you have this overwhelming, almost frantic urge to grab your best friend, shake them by the shoulders, and just unload every single detail about this new person who has crash-landed into your world. It’s a mix of pure excitement, wild anxiety, and the desperate need for validation that, yes, this person is as amazing as you think they are.
That electrifying, chaotic energy is precisely what London-based artist Rachel Chinouriri bottles up and serves to us in her incredibly catchy and deeply relatable track, “Can We Talk About Isaac?”. It’s a song that feels like a frantic, whispered phone call to a friend at 1 a.m. But this track is more than just a gushy love song; it’s a dive into the beautifully messy world of new attraction, crippling self-doubt, and the desperate, burning need to just talk about it.
That First ‘Oh No, He’s Cute’ Moment in Rachel Chinouriri’s “Can We Talk About Isaac?”
The song immediately throws us into a scene we’ve all lived through. Rachel isn’t presenting a polished, perfect version of herself. Instead, she’s raw and real from the very first line.
- Rachel Chinouriri – 23:42 :42 : A Joyful Leap of Faith into a New Crush
- Rachel Chinouriri – Can We Talk About Isaac? : An Ode to That All-Consuming, Can’t-Stop-Talking-About-Them Crush
I’m not sure if I should be here
I feel underdressed and I look like a mess, I’m in pieces
Right away, we can picture it. A crowded room, maybe a party or a pub, where you instantly feel out of place. It’s that classic wave of social anxiety washing over you. But then, the moment happens. The cinematic slow-motion entrance of… well, Isaac. She paints a simple but effective picture of him.
He had a little black coat, 6’1 and a cute smile
With two pints in his hands he came over and said “Nice to meet you”
And just like that, the entire dynamic of her night shifts. This isn’t just a guy; this is the guy. The one whose simple greeting sends her entire nervous system into a frenzy. It’s the beginning of an internal spiral that is both thrilling and terrifying.
The Burning Question: So, Can We Talk About Isaac?
The chorus is where the song’s central plea explodes. It’s not a declaration of love; it’s a desperate request for an outlet. It’s the title of the song and the thought looping in her head. She isn’t talking to Isaac; she’s talking to a friend, to us, to anyone who will listen because she can’t contain these feelings anymore.
Can we talk about Issac?
(I’m about to scream ’cause I’m getting excited
You’re a supernova and I go where the light is)
This is the giddy, heart-pounding excitement of a new crush. He’s a “supernova,” a bright, explosive force of nature, and she’s irresistibly drawn to his light. It’s that feeling of being so full of joy and energy that you feel like you could burst. But, true to the song’s duality, there’s another side to it.
A Supernova of Conflicting Feelings
(If we’re gonna cry, can we do it in silence?
But if we’re gonna talk, can we talk about Isaac?)
This is where Rachel Chinouriri so brilliantly captures the complexity of intense attraction. It’s not all sunshine and butterflies. It comes with a heavy dose of fear. The possibility of getting hurt, the fear of it not working out, the anxiety of vulnerability—it’s all there, bubbling just beneath the surface. She’s acknowledging the potential for tears, but even that can wait. Right now, the most urgent thing is to simply talk about him.
Sabotage and Self-Doubt: The Inner Monologue
Just when you think it’s all about Isaac, the song cleverly turns the lens back on the narrator’s own insecurities. The second verse is a masterclass in the art of self-sabotage, that little voice in our heads that tells us we aren’t good enough.
He’s so perfect, God, I hate him
Feel so undeserving
I love that he’s like this
I hate that I’m like this
Has there ever been a more relatable set of lines? Putting someone on a pedestal so high that you feel completely unworthy of their attention. She hates him for his seeming perfection because it highlights all the imperfections she sees in herself. It’s this internal conflict that makes the song so compelling. She follows this with a line that feels like a protective chant, a desperate attempt to ward off her own negative patterns:
Sabotage the enemy of what once was
Protect me as I take these sacrifices
She’s aware of her tendency to ruin good things, and she’s pleading with herself, or perhaps the universe, to let this one be different. She knows he deserves someone who is confident and whole, and she’s struggling with the fear that she can’t be that person.
At its heart, “Can We Talk About Isaac?” is a celebration of vulnerability. It reminds us that it’s okay to feel a whirlwind of contradictory emotions when you meet someone who sparks something in you. It’s okay to feel wildly excited and completely terrified at the same time. The song gives us permission to embrace the messy, beautiful chaos of a new connection and the fundamental human need to share that experience with someone we trust.
Ultimately, this track is a fantastic anthem for overthinkers, romantics, and anyone who has ever been so captivated by a new person that their name becomes the only topic worth discussing. It perfectly captures that dizzying, head-spinning phase of a crush in all its anxious glory. What’s your take on Isaac’s story? Does it remind you of a time you felt this way, desperate to just talk it out? Let’s discuss it below!
