In cooperation with our partners songfestival.web-log.nl, we present to you a different 2006 Eurovision Song Contest participant each day. Today: Portugal!
Semifinal, spot 19 in the running order
Performer: Nonstop
Song: Coisas de nada
Lyrics: José Manuel Afonso
Music: Elvis Veiguinha
Official website: eventos.clix.pt/nonstop
Best result: : 6th in 1996
Broadcaster: RTP
Multimedia: video/audio
Portugal and the Eurovision Song Contest
It has been ten years since Lúcia Moniz achieved an unprecedented sixth place for Portugal in Oslo, and since then no Portuguese artist has managed to match her success, or trouble the top ten again. Since coming last at its first Eurovision Song Contest in 1964, Portugal has developed a reputation as one of the underdogs, with a handful of high points like the seventh place José Cid scored in 1980 and Tonicha's ninth place in 1971. A brief upturn in the early 1990s soon gave way to disappointment and repeated relegation with the start of the new millennium. Since the introduction of the new qualifier round in 2004, Portugal has not managed to pass successfully to the international final.
Portugal revived its early national selection tradition for 2006 with the program Festival Eurovisão da Canção 2006 which selected girlband Nonstop as the flag flyers for Athens. Their victory was not without controversy, as the result – 50% jury and 50% televoting – put fellow contestant Vânia Oliveira in joint first place with her song Sei quem sou. The expert jury were given the last word, and Vânia lost out to Nonstop.
Nonstop
Nonstop were formed as a result of the Portuguese show Popstars, which saw 1500 hopefuls whittled down to a final five-piece band in 2001. Liliana Almeida, Rita Reis, Katia Morreira, Andrea Soares and Fátima Sousa had great success with the spin-off single Ao limite eu vou, which was a Summer hit and topped Portuguese charts. Further single success followed, and their album Nonstop shifted more than 30,000 copies. After that success, Fátima left the group.
The girls' second album E tudo vai mudar (2004) contains a cover of the 1981 Portuguese Eurovision classic Playback, which was also released as a single. The group has toured France and Canada, and played as a warm-up act for Ronan Keating.
Coisas de nada
Gonna make you dance
Gonna make you smile
I'll make you stop thinking sad things for a while
And everything waits when you're dancing in style
Não digas nada
Somos livres de ficar
Não estragues a noite
Com coisas de nada
Juntos, tão juntos
Os dois pela noite
Podemos ris e falar
E dançar outra vez
Gonna make you dance
Gonna make you smile
I'll make you stop thinking sad things for a while
And everything waits when you're dancing in style
Gonna make you dance
Gonna make you smile
I'll make you stop thinking sad things for a while
And everything waits when you're dancing in style
Deixa as lagrimas
Tambem tu podes rir
Esta tudo ai
Guardado dentro de ti
Dançar na noite
Esquecer o tempo
E ouvir a musica
A chamar outra vez
Gonna make you dance
Gonna make you smile
I'll make you stop thinking sad things for a while
And everything waits when you're dancing in style
Gonna make you dance
Gonna make you smile
I'll make you stop thinking sad things for a while
And everything waits when youire dancing in style
Não digas nada
Não digas nada
Não estragues a noite
Com coisas de nada
Gonna make you dance
Gonna make you smile
I'll make you stop thinking sad things for a while
And everything waits when you're dancing in style
Gonna make you dance
Gonna make you smile
I'll make you stop thinking sad things for a while
And everything waits when you're dancing in style
I'm gonna make you dance
Make it with style
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