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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