Modern Jesus

Album: Evil Friends (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Religion is a topic Portugal. The Man have covered on several of their songs, including an early one called "The Devil." In "Modern Jesus," they sing:

    We don't need no modern Jesus to roll with us...
    The only faith we have is faith in us


    In a Songfacts interview with lead singer John Gourley, he explained: "'Modern Jesus' is pretty on the nose for the way I feel about everything. It was growing up with religion around us. I grew up with friends whose parents would read the Book of Revelation before bed, and it really terrified me – this idea that there's this weird set of rules that apply to people, whether they know it or not."

    "It's about that belief in each other," he added. "It's in all of us: Everything that is going to happen is going to come from you. And we can talk about faith, destiny, and all these things – they're different than the cult of personality type thing. You run into it outside of religion, as well."
  • John Gourley wrote this song with Danger Mouse, who produced the Evil Friends album. By this time, Portugal. The Man had been at it for nine years, branching out from their native Alaska to gradually build a fan base. It was slow going, but they had a huge breakthrough in 2017 when "Feel It Still," from their next album, Woodstock, became a huge hit.
  • The video was directed by AG Rojas, whose credits include "Naeem" for Bon Iver and "Say Peace" for Common. Shot in several locations, it covers a wide cross-section of humanity, with farming, twerking, backyard wrestling, and, of course, churchgoing all represented.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music Scene

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.