Portugal. The Man - So American [Official Audio]

Official Audio for "So American" by Portugal. The Man off their album, In The Mountain in the Cloud.

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Lyrics:
If pain was a color to paint on you
Your heart would be the color blue
Be a painting, hung up there 'til your body met your head
Which were made of silver

You are the one they call Jesus Christ
Who didn't know no rock and roll
Just a mission made of guns that they give boys in Vietnam
But they always told him

There's a madness in us all
There's a madness in us all

So
Who broke the rules?
Who broke the rules?
Who broke the rules?

They said
Every one of you will never try to lend a hand
When the policemen don't understand

Oh, you boys, all you boys
Think you're so American
Girls, all you girls
They're so American

He may not be born of this land
But he was born of this world
He was born of all the mothers
And the colors of our brothers
And the love that we sent him

You are the one they call Jesus Christ
You may not know no rock and roll
There may not be a heaven or a place in which to send you
But you know in the end

There's a madness in us all
There's a madness in us all
There's a madness in us all
There's a madness in us all

So
Who broke the rules?
Who broke the rules?
Who broke the rules?

They say
Every one of you will never try to lend a hand
When the policemen don't understand

Boys, all you boys
Think you're so American
Girls, all you girls
Yeah, you're so American

There's two eyes for every one of us
But somebody got there first and took them all
There's two eyes for every one of us
But somebody got there first and took them all

Man, oh, man
Think you're so American
Man, oh, man
Yeah, you're so American

Man, oh, man
You think you're so American
Man, oh, man
Yeah, you're so American

There's two eyes for every one of us
But somebody got there first and took them all
There's two eyes for every one of us
But somebody got there first and took them all

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Portugal. The Man took 2017 by the horns after a considerably long gap, between records. They spent years working on an album called Gloomin + Doomin before later developing what would become known as their latest studio album WOODSTOCK. Fate struck lead singer, John Gourley, twice. First, John got some parental tough love from his old man. “What’s taking so long to finish the album?,” John’s dad asked. “Isn’t that what bands do? Write songs and then put them out?” The whole thing got John thinking about why the band seemed to be stuck on a musical elliptical machine from hell and more importantly, about how to get off of it. Second, John found his dad’s ticket stub from the original 1969 Woodstock music festival, which ultimately knocked something loose in his head. He realized that, in the same tradition of bands from that era, Portugal. The Man needed to speak out about the world crumbling around them.

With these two ideas converging, the band made a seemingly bat-shit-crazy decision: they took all of the work they had done for the three years prior and threw it out. The band went back to the studio – working with John Hill, Danger Mouse and longtime collaborator Casey Bates. In this new-found creative territory, the album that became WOODSTOCK rolled out naturally from there. Fast forward to present day and it was impossible to escape the album’s first single “Feel It Still,” which dominated the charts and radio airwaves in 2017. The 6X Platinum Certified hit reigned at #1 at nearly all radio formats, including Top 40, as well as Alternative, where the song held the chart’s top spot for a mind-blowing 20 weeks, breaking the record for most weeks at #1. Yes, you read that right. 5 guys from Wasilla, Alaska who have played nearly 1,500 shows in their career broke Alternative radio records and had a #1 song at Pop radio. Billboard Magazine even went as far as to call the song, “the unexpected rock crossover hit of 2017,” while Rolling Stone listed it as “one of the best songs of 2017.” AND THEN…the band kicked off 2018 by winning a GRAMMY Award for “Feel It Still.” WOODSTOCK has since been certified gold, as has their second single “Live In The Moment”.

#SoAmerican #PortugalTheMan #InTheMountainintheCloud #OfficialAudio #AtlanticRecords

[heretictom]

Every song on this album is incredible.

[WaLoR]

12 years old and the song is still amazing

[BrandausBlog]

A good taste in music brought me here.

[lufelipe]

This song has the exact amount of melancholy that i need. 

[johnplayer]

Even more relevant in 2025 than in the year of its release, and it was plenty relevant, then, too.

[kevin]

HBO's Enlightened is amazing. SOLID writing by Mike White. Laura Dern is awesome. I enjoy the narration most of all. Oh, this song rocks!

[seaniebarry]

Where have been hiding, this is brilliant, reminds me of Bowie, listen to not only the words, but equally pay as much attention to the music,

[emma]

...and this is so unfair!!! "Enlightened" is probably one of the best shows that make you want to become better and change not only your life but also the world!!!!

[venslugen]

the replay value of this album is fucking phenomenal

[MyNameIsMcBad]

the beginning of this song totally reminds me of Space Oddity by David Bowie "Ground control to major tom"

[pakarpis]

I think its about looking at your country and yourself from the outside your borders. They have named themselves after another country which is interesting too. Its an intriguing band really like it.

[andykaufman]

It’s giving me nostalgia to other music I used to listen to

[NabilElJaouhari]

Till we are all Enlightened...Cheers to an amazing show, that remind us of what really matters.

[naomikama]

I will never forget the first time I heard you guys, it was in 2012 and I was in Guinea. Nobody understood the hype my brother and I had for this very far rock band from Alaska haha ! Still a fan and no regrets <3

[obCEAssed]

Saw them live a couple months ago, met Jason afterward.. asked him if they're going to be at Coachella and he said that they usually do every other year. And with this album out now they'll definitely be there! FUCK YES.

[michaelcamelo]

Raised American PORTUGUESE in spirit ready to embrace all that is to be PTM

[yesrelationthesequel]

I FUCKING LOVE that show! I hope it gets a third season! That finale was AMAZING!!!!

[ck]

Exactly. "There's a madness in us all."

[paleriderone]

how did i not hear these guys long ago, new to me in 2020 and luv it

[danbygreenday]

Jesus would certainly rock and roll to this song !