The song at #6 on my list of 100 Best Songs of the 2010s is “Feel It Still” by alt-rock band Portugal. The Man. The second of their songs on this list (“Live in the Moment” is #66), “Feel It Still” is one of those songs that virtually everyone loves, thanks to an irresistibly catchy retro melody and driving bass line, that awesome little guitar riff, and lead singer John Gourley’s delightful falsetto. It was the second single from the band’s eighth album Woodstock.

Originally from Wasilla, Alaska and based in Portland, Oregon since 2004, the band’s quirky name has a simple back story. In a 2017 interview with USA Today, Gourley explained “A country is an individual in the world that represents a group of people, so I decided we would name our band after a country and Portugal happened to be the one that popped up. In hindsight, we should’ve named it something to do with Alaska. But you become so burnt out on beluga whales and huskies, you don’t appreciate it the same way.” 

If listening to “Feel It Still” brings a ring of familiarity, it’s because the melody used in the chorus was inspired by The Marvelettes’ 1961 hit “Please Mr. Postman”. The band respectfully (and tactfully) included that song’s original writers in the songwriting credits for “Feel It Still”. The lyrics are filled with meaning, making reference to both personal and sociopolitical themes. For example, the line “In case my baby girl is in need” was inspired by Gourley’s young daughter, while “I been feeling it since 1966 now, Might be over now, but I feel it still” refers to a year of seismic societal and cultural changes, and “It’s time to give a little to the kids in the middle, but, oh until it falls won’t bother me” is a back-handed slap down of Trump’s call for a border wall. It’s a short track, only 2 minutes and 43 seconds long, but packs a real punch.

The song was a massive hit for Portugal. The Man, spending an astonishing 20 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Chart, as well as many weeks at #1 on the Adult Alternative and Adult Pop charts. It also peaked at #4 on the Hot 100. It’s a fantastic song and an instant classic.

Can’t keep my hands to myself
Think I’ll dust ’em off, put ’em back up on the shelf
In case my little baby girl is in need
Am I coming out of left field?

Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now
I been feeling it since 1966, now
Might be over now, but I feel it still
Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now
Let me kick it like it’s 1986, now
Might be over now, but I feel it still

Got another mouth to feed
Leave it with a baby sitter, mama, call the grave digger
Gone with the fallen leaves
Am I coming out of left field?

Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now
I been feeling it since 1966, now
Might’ve had your fill, but you feel it still
Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now
Let me kick it like it’s 1986, now
Might be over now, but I feel it still

We could fight a war for peace
(Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now)
Give in to that easy living
Goodbye to my hopes and dreams
Start flipping for my enemies
We could wait until the walls come down
(Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now)
It’s time to give a little to the
Kids in the middle, but, oh until it falls
Won’t bother me

Is it coming?
Is it coming?
Is it coming?
Is it coming?
Is it coming?
Is it coming back?

Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, yeah
Your love is an abyss for my heart to eclipse, now
Might be over now, but I feel it still

Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now
I’ve been feeling it since 1966, now
Might be over now, but I feel it still
Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now
Let me kick it like it’s 1986, now
Might be over now, but I feel it still
Might’ve had your fill, but I feel it still

The satirical and somewhat humorous video generated a bit of controversy upon its release. Directed by Ian Schwartz, it features Gourley walking through an auto-wrecking yard, along with scenes of a bar fight, a couple having sex in the back of a junked car, and a man setting fire to a newspaper labeled “Info Wars.” InfoWars is the controversial website of the detestable right-wing nut Alex Jones, who rants about bizarre conspiracy theories. Portugal. The Man are unabashed progressive liberals who often speak out publicly about social injustice and politics, and their pointed shot at Jones and his crazy followers predictably got them riled up into a tizzy.