# Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974

Portugal was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 with the song "E depois do adeus", composed by José Calvário, with lyrics by José Niza, and performed by Paulo de Carvalho. The Portuguese participating broadcaster, Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP), selected its entry at the Grande Prémio TV da Canção Portuguesa 1974.

## Before Eurovision
### Grande Prémio TV da Canção Portuguesa 1974

Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP) held the Grande Prémio TV da Canção Portuguesa 1974 at the Teatro Maria Matos in Lisbon on 7 March 1974, hosted by Glória de Matos and Artur Agostinho. Ten songs took part in the final. The results were determined by a distrital jury, that had 20 votes each, and a selection jury, composed of nine elements, to vote, each one with 10 votes to distribute among the songs in the contest. For the first time, Funchal was called to vote
Grande Prémio TV da Canção Portuguesa - 7 March 1974 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Conductor | Jury | Jury | Votes | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Conductor | Distrital | Selection | Votes | Place |
| 1 | Green Windows | "Imagens" | Jorge Machado | 39 | 1 | 40 | 3 |
| 2 | Duo Ouro Negro | "Bailia dos trovadores" | Jorge Machado | 28 | 0 | 28 | 4 |
| 3 | Verónica | "Canção por todos vós" | Jorge Machado | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | José Cid | "A rosa que te dei" | Jorge Machado | 10 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
| 5 | Paulo de Carvalho | "E depois do adeus" | José Calvário | 159 | 86 | 245 | 1 |
| 6 | Artur Garcia | "Dona e senhora da boina" | Rafael Ibarbia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | Green Windows | "No dia em que o rei fez anos" | Jorge Machado | 141 | 3 | 144 | 2 |
| 8 | Fernanda Farri | "Cantiga ao vento" | Joaquim Luís Gomes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 9 | Helena Isabel | "Canção solidão" | Thilo Krassmann | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 10 | Xico Jorge | "Temos de cantar" | Thilo Krassmann | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |

## At Eurovision

On the night of the final Carvalho performed 16th in the running order, following Switzerland and preceding Italy. The voting system tried between 1971 and 1973 was abandoned, and for 1974 returned to the previous system of ten jury members in each country awarding one vote each.
At the close of the voting the song had received 3 points, placing joint last (along with Germany, Norway and Switzerland). The orchestra during the Portuguese entry was conducted by José Calvário.

### Voting
## Aftermath

Despite the modest showing in Brighton at the Contest itself, the song achieved considerable fame as one of the two signals to launch the Carnation Revolution in Portugal against the Estado Novo regime of Marcelo Caetano - the other being the folk song "Grândola Vila Morena" by Zeca Afonso, which was the signal for the coup leaders to announce that they had taken control of strategic parts of the country. It was broadcast at 22.55 on 24 April 1974 by 'Emissores Associados de Lisboa'.
Histories of the Contest tend to take a facetious view of this fact. In his Official History of The Eurovision Song Contest author John Kennedy O'Connor, for example, describes it as "the only Eurovision entry to have actually started a revolution", while Des Mangan suggests that other Portuguese entries (he mentions 1998's "Se eu te pudesse abraçar") would not be likely to inspire coups.