That period was on purpose. That's really how their name is formatted.
So, uh, yeah. Portugal. The Man. There's an actual rock band in the top 20 that isn't Imagine Dragons or Twenty One Pilots, hallelujah. I mean, the song's more of a psychedelic-funk-pop fusion, but you get the idea, they're a rock band that makes rock music. This could very well end up being another Foster the People or The Neighbourhood kind of situation where this is their only song anyone cares about, but I don't care. It's a hit.
Okay, a little bit of background. Portugal. The Man is a sort-of psychedelic, indie, alt-rock kind of group, they're not like most mainstream rock acts. They're kind of experimental, which is fine. They have been putting out music since at least 2005, and this song here comes from their eighth major studio album Woodstock. The song is called Feel it Still.
As you can see, the video is also fairly wacky.
You may have heard this song a few time if you've watched any commercials recently, especially in the United States. Apple, Google, and even the guys behind VitaminWater have used the song in their adverts. Yeah, this is more of an American hit, so far it's only peaked at around number 42 on the UK charts, for example. Really, though, it doesn't matter, it's on the radio over here often enough. I'm counting it.
Normally, it gets kind of annoying seeing songs get popular through commercials (Alex Clare and X Ambassadors are examples of acts that have gotten success this way), but with a song as odd as this, I don't have many problems with it. It gives the charts a bit more diversity, it's refreshing seeing something like this so popular. There's a bit of old-school charm here somewhat akin to other hits we've had this year. Still, nostalgia's a bit of an industry nowadays, and a cool one at that. Well, I guess now's a better time than ever to talk about the actual song.
This is a song built around a chorus. Quite literally, the band themselves have said the writing process started with the chorus's first line "I'm a rebel just for kicks." Rebelling for the sake of rebelling. Because someone has to do it. The rest of the song just kind of gels off of it. It's just a solid line, you can do a lot with it. Also, yes, it is to the tune of the opening lines to The Marvelettes' Please Mr. Postman, why not?
They sure do a lot with it. There's something about the lead singer's kid in there, that's pretty much what the first two verses are about. This is more to solidify the feeling of oldness. They haven't literally been feeling it since 1966, but they sure feel like it. Reminiscing about those old counter-cultural movements is more what this song's about. What do I mean?
I mean what I say. It's a song about finding connections between what happened years ago and what's going on nowadays. Even the misguided allusion to the Beastie Boys' classic (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) fits into this, as even though that song was made as a parody of "bleep the rules, I wanna party" songs, it just inspired that sort of rebellious attitude even more.
Besides that is the ancient feeling it gives off. The verses about raising a kid only add to that. This song is from the point of view of an older person who was alive around 1966, or at least feels that way, and it shows. The album it's from is even called Woodstock, there's no subtlety to that, and you know what? That's totally fine. It gets the point across. Old people feel old, but also see a bit of a connection to their youth in the turbulence surrounding them. Jeez, there's even a fairly subtle connection between the Berlin Wall and the reactions to the proposed US-Mexico border wall ("We could wait until the walls come down... it's time to give a little to the kids in the middle but oh, until it falls, it won't bother me."). It's subtle, but that's pretty obviously what they're going for.
I think the verse that does it for me is the third one (the one with the line about the walls). It's a bitterly ironic one, talking about "fighting wars for peace" and "giving in to that easy feeling." It's directed at those who delibrately choose inaction, to go along with the flow and be blindly happy about whatever's going on, and punches are not pulled. Giving a little to the kids in the middle ain't gonna do much, but tearing that wall down sure will. It's brilliant.
Hey, if you're looking for something to rebel to, this is fine. Obvious commercial fodder, but hey, I like my commercial fodder. It's lively, it's energetic, it's inspiriting, and I love it. The album's alright, too. Next time, we're getting a bit more sane.
This is a song built around a chorus. Quite literally, the band themselves have said the writing process started with the chorus's first line "I'm a rebel just for kicks." Rebelling for the sake of rebelling. Because someone has to do it. The rest of the song just kind of gels off of it. It's just a solid line, you can do a lot with it. Also, yes, it is to the tune of the opening lines to The Marvelettes' Please Mr. Postman, why not?
They sure do a lot with it. There's something about the lead singer's kid in there, that's pretty much what the first two verses are about. This is more to solidify the feeling of oldness. They haven't literally been feeling it since 1966, but they sure feel like it. Reminiscing about those old counter-cultural movements is more what this song's about. What do I mean?
I mean what I say. It's a song about finding connections between what happened years ago and what's going on nowadays. Even the misguided allusion to the Beastie Boys' classic (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) fits into this, as even though that song was made as a parody of "bleep the rules, I wanna party" songs, it just inspired that sort of rebellious attitude even more.
Besides that is the ancient feeling it gives off. The verses about raising a kid only add to that. This song is from the point of view of an older person who was alive around 1966, or at least feels that way, and it shows. The album it's from is even called Woodstock, there's no subtlety to that, and you know what? That's totally fine. It gets the point across. Old people feel old, but also see a bit of a connection to their youth in the turbulence surrounding them. Jeez, there's even a fairly subtle connection between the Berlin Wall and the reactions to the proposed US-Mexico border wall ("We could wait until the walls come down... it's time to give a little to the kids in the middle but oh, until it falls, it won't bother me."). It's subtle, but that's pretty obviously what they're going for.
I think the verse that does it for me is the third one (the one with the line about the walls). It's a bitterly ironic one, talking about "fighting wars for peace" and "giving in to that easy feeling." It's directed at those who delibrately choose inaction, to go along with the flow and be blindly happy about whatever's going on, and punches are not pulled. Giving a little to the kids in the middle ain't gonna do much, but tearing that wall down sure will. It's brilliant.
Hey, if you're looking for something to rebel to, this is fine. Obvious commercial fodder, but hey, I like my commercial fodder. It's lively, it's energetic, it's inspiriting, and I love it. The album's alright, too. Next time, we're getting a bit more sane.
SCORE: 8/10
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