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.

Marching With 6
Portugal. The Man Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Woke up late on that Sunday morning
(Woke up late yeah the sun was burning)
Slides and chutes spilling explanations
(Slides and chutes offer alibis)

Oh, no no

Where the freeways mate and the flies congregate

There's a needle hungry for a place to sleep
Where the jumpers meet in the film cloud eyes
With the doctors notes and them heavy heads we'll cry

Lay my face back in the sleep finds me lazy
(A fears friendly fed when you're free to be resting)
Birds in the sky and the rain won't soon call in
(Gravel laced sunsets foaming through my belly)

Evident was the flood
(Frame it up frame it up now frame it)
Evident I was told
(Frame it up frame it up now frame it)
A wonder it was worn
(Frame it up frame it up now frame it)
Evident I was told
(Frame it up frame it up now frame it)

Oh, no no...

Oh my baby wants to take your breath away
Oh my baby wants to burn your soul
Oh my baby wants to take your breath away
Oh my baby wants to burn your soul

Oh my baby's gonna take your breath away
Oh my baby's gonna burn your soul
Oh my baby will take your breath away
Oh my baby will break your soul

Oh my baby's gonna take your breath away
(My baby will)
Oh my baby's gonna burn your soul
(My baby will, my baby will)
Oh my baby's gonna take your breath away
Oh my baby wants to burn your soul

Take take take take take take it away
(Burn your soul)

Evident was the flood
(Frame it up frame it up now frame it)
Evident I was told
(Frame it up frame it up now frame it)
A wonder it was worn
(Frame it up frame it up now frame it)

Evident I was told
(Frame it up frame it up now frame it)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song Marching With 6 by Portugal. The Man describe a lazy Sunday morning where the singer wakes up late to find the sun already burning. The lines “slides and chutes spilling explanations” may refer to water parks, while “needle hungry for a place to sleep” could be a reference to drug addiction. The lyrics then describe a place where freeways cross and flies swarm, setting the scene for a somber tale of despair.

The singer talks of meeting jumpers who are “in the film cloud eyes,” possibly describing people who are high on drugs, and they all cry together with heavy heads. They lay back with a sense of restlessness, finding solace in bird sounds and far-off rain. The lyrics then describe a flood that is evident and that the singer was told about. The repetition of the line “frame it up now frame it” suggests that the flood is a metaphor for something that was brought about intentionally.

The song then becomes more sinister, with the line “Oh my baby wants to burn your soul” repeated multiple times. This suggests that someone is plotting revenge or causing harm to someone else. The words “take take take take take take it away” add to the ominous and threatening tone of the song.

Overall, the lyrics of Marching With 6 are quite ambiguous, leaving interpretation open to the listener. The imagery used suggests a tale of addiction and despair, and the repeated lines about burning souls give a sense of danger and destruction.

Line by Line Meaning

Woke up late on that Sunday morning
I woke up later than I intended on that Sunday morning

Slides and chutes spilling explanations
Powerpoint slides and graphs explaining things were being presented

Where the freeways mate and the flies congregate
The place where freeways come together is also where a lot of insects gather

There's a needle hungry for a place to sleep
There is a desire for a drug fix to ease the pain

Where the jumpers meet in the film cloud eyes
People who are thinking about jumping off a building are in a daze

With the doctors notes and them heavy heads we'll cry
People with medical issues and mental health problems will cry

Lay my face back in the sleep finds me lazy
I feel comfortable and lazy when I lay my face back in the sleep

Birds in the sky and the rain won't soon call in
The sky has birds and there is no rain in sight

Evident was the flood (Frame it up frame it up now frame it)
There was a major flood, and we need to take pictures or frame it

Oh my baby wants to take your breath away
My lover wants to take my breath away

Take take take take take take it away (Burn your soul)
Take away everything and make me feel empty