2017Released
2:43

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about Feel It Still. By Songfacts®.

In this song, Portugal. The Man lead singer John Gourley is a "rebel just for kicks" because he's now a family man, with a daughter, Francis, born in 2011. "It's hard to be a punk when you're thinking about your baby daughter at home," he said in a Songfacts interview. "The verses are all about my baby daughter, but I'm out here being this rebel, messing around with people and trying to make a positive impact." His punk days may be over, but the spirit is still there: he can "feel it still."

Many bands pay their dues, but few do it in Alaska, where Portugal. The Man formed in 2004. For years, they spent most of their waking hours touring and recording; they released an album every year from 2006-2011, along with various EPs and singles, all while playing hundreds of shows. They grew a loyal following, but didn't have anything close to a mainstream hit until "Feel It Still" broke loose in 2017. The song was everywhere, making playlists on a variety of formats. Most listeners had never heard the group before, so it was heavily Shazamed. The band has always kept a low profile, and that didn't change when they landed a hit. By this time, they were living in Portland, Oregon, where unorthodox is the norm. Instead of getting a makeover and maximizing their viral moment, they kept moving forward like the always had, with a look and sound far left of center. They even sold T-shirts on their website that read: "I liked Portugal. The Man before they sold out."

The vocal melody on this track kicks it like it's 1961, interpolating the Marvelettes hit "Please Mr. Postman": Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now... Oh yes, wait a minute Mister Postman... "That 'Please Mr. Postman' melody is every bit of the way we grew up," John Gourley said in his Songfacts interview. "I grew up with dog-mushing parents – which I know is a bizarre thing for anybody outside of Alaska. And even within Alaska, it's such a small community within the state. So I grew up around really long drives. We were off the grid our whole lives until I left. Like, an hour drive to town. Sometimes a two-hour drive to town. That's four hours, both ways. So we would just listen to oldies radio, and 'Please Mr. Postman' is a staple. I always wanted to sing something to that melody. It's a totally different song, and that to me is what music is about. What songwriting is about is paying homage and creating something new. It's no longer 'Please Mr. Postman.' Now, it's 'Feel It Still.'"

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of Feel It Still.
C♯Key
MinorMode
4/4Time Signature
79BPM

Album

The album Feel It Still is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released Feel It Still.
Atlantic Records
© 2017 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. A Warner Music Group Company
℗ 2017 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. A Warner Music Group Company

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