Eurovision has many hidden stories, and one of the most surprising ones is that of Portugal.
Hikaru had previously talked about the 1960s & 1970s entries of Portugal in a special report, but for this Eurovision History Chat, both Andy & Hikaru discuss and discover more of the Portuguese story at Eurovision.
Andy & Hikaru talk about how Portuguese entries were both used by the Salazar regime and also critiqued it. This period also sees Portugal undergo a revolution and the birth of a new and highly politically influenced style of entries. Even when politics disappear from the lyrics, Portuguese entries still retain a very sharp critique of modern life and popular culture.
Portugal explores its soul, and Europe takes notice a couple of times. Still, was the real message behind a lot of these entries lost on the juries? The birth of televoting sees Portugal become somewhat successful when they reject the classic Eurovision template.
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I enjoyed listening to both parts of Portugal in Eurovision.
I am Portuguese and I’ve always lived in my country. People tend to deride ESC here, but the ratings are still high (they weren’t last night though). We know that is is impossible to win the contest (we are too far away in the west and we sound oldfashioned to many). I just wanted to add that ‘Ele e Ela’ (PT 66) is still recognized by most people today and si still recorded by young singers. So is ‘Bem Bom’ (PT 82). Btw, Doce were dressed as musketeers, not as conquistadores. My favourite Portuguese songs are ‘Sol de Inverno’ (PT 65) and ‘Silêncio e tanta gente’ (PT 84). Thanks. 
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