The songs for Festival da Canção were announced this afternoon, and while in the main they made up the kind of beautiful sunny afternoon chill out album that the good old FdC has been producing since its glorious post-Salvador reboot. But there's one song that stood out head and shoulders above the rest of the gentle loveliness - this one.
Na Mais Profunda Saudade is pretty much the Portuguese Eurovision song that we've been crying out for decades now. The kind of song we've quietly wept over in tiny local Fado bars any time we've been lucky enough to be visiting around those ways. The kind of song that we don't understand a physical word of, but deeply understand every last nuance of feeling that Valéria is huskily emoting.
Man, this is a bit special. We've got no idea how it's likely to do in the whole FdC process, but we're so very, very glad it's there.
You know what? I am supposed to like this. But I don't really. Is it authentic? Sure. But being authentic doesn't make it good. Half way through the song I could swear there was an added part of the arrangement that sounded like I had another window playing music on my computer. Also, it was a bit substandard. It was better than most of the other songs in semi final 1 (have yet to check semi final 2) but that really doesn't say much. I'm not sure that PdC is the best vehicle to choose a song for ESC. Salvador was a one-off and saved thanks to the juries. There is a silver lining between choosing something that will only appeal to the local market and something that will appeal internationally. None of these songs achieve that silver lining.
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