Portugal. The Man is an experimental indie rock band from Wasilla, Alaska … Read Full Bio ↴Portugal. The Man is an experimental indie rock band from Wasilla, Alaska (formed in 2004), but currenly based in Portland, Oregon, USA. The band's line-up currently consists of singer/guitarist John Gourley and bassist Zach Carothers (both formerly of Anatomy Of A Ghost), Gourley's wife Zoe Manville (backup vocals/percussion), guitarist Eric Howk, drummer Jason Sechrist, and keyboardist Kyle O'Quin (formerly of Gatsby's American Dream). The band has released nine studio albums (the latest being 2023's "Chris Black Changed My Life"), two #1 hits on Alternative Radio, scored a #4 hit in the USA with "Feel It Still", and won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Portugal. The Man centered on frontman John Gourley’s abstract musical approach and corresponding upbringing. He was raised in a sort of technological isolation: his log cabin home in the winter wasteland of the fringes of Wasilla, Alaska was powered by a generator and had no telephone. Both of his parents helped completely immerse him in the unique lifestyle that comes with a land of seasonal darkness and perpetual cold with their jobs as dog sled mushers. Gourley’s innate curiosity and individual spirit combined with a fascination with science fiction and experiences of homelessness create a distinctly transcendent sound that is always open to interpretation and change.

The band’s debut album, Waiter: “You Vultures!” was released by Fearless Records on January 24th, 2006.

On June 22, 2007 they released their second full length, Church Mouth. The band then set out on a full US tour with support from The Photo Atlas, Play Radio Play, Tera Melos, and The Only Children. They then toured Europe, and followed it up with another US headlining tour with support from Rocky Votolato and Great Depression during September and October. Following this tour, they joined Thursday on a short east coast tour in November alongside Circle Takes the Square.

Portugal. The Man collaborated with the band The Sound of Animals Fighting on the re-release of their first album, “Tiger and the Duke.” Portugal. The Man remixed three of the songs on that album.

On July 30, 2008, it was announced that Portugal. The Man would release Censored Colors under its independent record label, Approaching AIRballoons, with a partnership with EQUAL VISION RECORDS. The album was released September 16, 2008.

On April 9th, 2009, Portugal. The Man announced a fourth studio album, The Satanic Satanist. It was released on July 21, 2009.

As of October 2009, It was announced through Twitter that Portugal. The Man have completed another album entitled “American Ghetto” which combines their progressive rock style from their latter albums with some of the electo style from their “Its Complicated Being A Wizard” release. A listening party was held for a group of 17 fans in Los Angeles CA. The album was released on March 2, 2010.

The Got it All (This Can’t Be Living Now) Songfacts reports the band’s sixth album and first for Atlantic, In the Mountain in the Cloud, was released on July 19, 2011.

On February 8, 2013, Portugal. The Man leaked pictures on Bonnaroo's official Tumblr page which showed that celebrated producer Danger Mouse was producing the band's new record. According to a Q&A Zach did on the band's Tumblr, their new album was influenced by Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album.

On February 25, 2013, Portugal. The Man released the name of their new album, titled Evil Friends, on Instagram. On March 6, the band revealed the album art for Evil Friends using a Tweet-to-reveal mosaic. The next day, the video for the title track from Evil Friends was released on the band's YouTube channel. On June 4, 2013, the album was released in the United States. The album featured backing vocals by Este Haim and Danielle Haim. A music video of "Purple Yellow Red and Blue" followed.

On April 22, 2014, the band announced a partnership with Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute to release a limited-edition run of 400 records to raise awareness for critically endangered Sumatran tigers. The track, "Sumatran Tiger" does not officially exist digitally, and the copies were sent to "400 carefully chosen influencers, among them actors, activists, musicians, conservationists, bloggers and journalists," and is, as the band claims, "the first song meant to go extinct unless it's reproduced." The band encouraged fans to "scour the Internet" using the hashtags #EndangeredSong and #SumatranTiger to find recordings of the song.

In November 2014, Portugal. The Man were in the studio recording their eighth album with Mike D from The Beastie Boys producing. The band also posted pictures of themselves in the studio on Instagram, as well as showcasing small teasers of what their new album would sound like. Mac Miller was also shown working with the band as well. In May 2015, the band released teasers on social networks of what appeared to be new music with a Latin twist with huapango guitars, dream synths and drums machines. On May 5, Portugal. The Man released a Spanish version of "Purple Yellow Red and Blue" covered by a Mexican-American band called The Chamanas on their official YouTube channel to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. On December 31, 2015, Portugal. The Man posted to their website that they had completed two records followed by separate hashtags #Gloomin + #Doomin. However, on February 3, 2016, the band tweeted from their official account that the new record would be entitled Gloomin + Doomin. In February 2016 Portugal. the Man were featured on the Yoko Ono collaboration album Yes, I'm A Witch Too performing "Soul Got Out of the Box".

On November 30, 2016, Triple J radio debuted Portugal. The Man's new song "Noise Pollution". It was released as a single on December 2, and featured Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Manville. On March 3, 2017, the band released a single titled "Feel It Still", which was followed by the release of an accompanying music video three days later. It was revealed that Gloomin + Doomin "failed to complete" and was thrown out after three years. They have since completed another album, titled Woodstock, which is promoted by "Feel It Still". The album's title was inspired by an original 1969 Woodstock music festival ticket stub owned by Gourley's father. It led Gourley to a realization that almost 50 years later, music has the same mission as then – "to comment on societal and political unease." "We worked with so many rad people on this album, but ended up with just the four of us in a basement at 4 a.m. trying to say something that mattered," said Gourley. "Trying to write music that would help people feel they're not alone, even if they're angry or feeling lost." Woodstock was released on June 16, 2017. John Gourley and Zoe Manville married on New Year's Eve 2017.

Black Magic
Portugal. The Man Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So children come in.
So children come in,
Find a seat you're sure to do.
Children come in,
Find a seat you're, you're...
Children come in,
Find a seat you're sure to do.

Lengths of snakes, they match each silent syllable,
With eyes like these.
Hello, you missed the sparrow's mark.

A breath of rockets shone like torches.
A breath of rockets shone like torches.

Overall Meaning

The Portugal. The Man’s song Black Magic begins by directing children to come in and find a seat. The lyrics suggest that a new story, a performance or a grand spectacle is about to unfold, and the children are invited to be a part of it. The repetition of the line “Find a seat you're sure to do” creates an atmosphere of anticipation and excitement as if something magical is about to happen.

The next few lines “Lengths of snakes, they match each silent syllable, With eyes like these, Hello, you missed the sparrow's mark” illustrate the surrealist imagery of the song. The lyrics do not offer a coherent story or plot, but instead they present a collection of vivid and abstract images. The themes of snakes, eyes and missed opportunities create an eerie and mysterious ambiance that is reflective of the song’s title - Black Magic. The last line “A breath of rockets shone like torches” further adds to the song’s eerie nature and invites the listener to imagine an apocalyptic scene.

Overall, Portugal. The Man’s Black Magic is a song that is rich in surrealistic, mysterious and apocalyptic themes. The song creates an atmosphere of anticipation and excitement, while also being dark and dramatic. The lyrics, although not offering a clear story, are imaginative and make the listener feel as if they are inside a dream or a frightening nightmare.

Line by Line Meaning

So children come in,
Welcome, everyone. Please join us and take a seat.

Find a seat you're sure to do.
Please make sure you find a comfortable seat where you can focus.

Lengths of snakes, they match each silent syllable,
The complexity of this situation is like a snake whose every movement aligns with the intricacies of the problem.

With eyes like these.
I am looking at things with deep understanding and insight.

Hello, you missed the sparrow's mark.
Hey there, you might be off track or missing the intended target.

A breath of rockets shone like torches.
There was a sudden and powerful burst of energy that illuminated the sky like fires.

Contributed by Elena O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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