Homens da Luta

Homens da Luta (Men of the Struggle) is a Portuguese improvisational comedy and musical street performance group consisting of brothers Vasco Duarte (Falâncio) and Nuno Duarte "Jel" (Neto). Their songs are a parody of songs sung during the period after the 1974 Carnation Revolution, and the characters played are caricatures of the revolutionary singers of the time, such as Zeca Afonso and José Mário Branco. Homens da Luta often use the term "struggle" to invoke slogans that became famous during the revolutionary era, such as "A Luta Continua" (The Struggle Goes On). In 2010 Homens da Luta released an mp3 album called "A Canção é uma arma" ^[1] (The song is a weapon) consisting of 14 songs. One of their most popular songs is "E o povo, pá?" (What about the people, man?).^[2]

Eurovision Song Contest

In 2010, Homens da Luta took part in the RTP Song Festival 2010, with the song "Luta assim não dá" (The struggle can't go on like this).^[3] The song was disqualified as it had been previously performed, which was a breach of the rules of the Festival and the international ESC.

In 2011, they entered the contest again with the song "A luta é alegria" (The struggle is joy), lyrics by Nuno Duarte "Jel" and composed by Vasco Duarte. They were in sixth place until the public vote was counted, at which point they ended up on the first place, winning a place in Düsseldorf. They represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany, but did not gain enough votes from other countries for a place in the final round. Since the group are comedians and not singers, and because their victory was also based on popular support rather than the selected jury, there were some negative reactions to their win on the site of the contest.^[4]

References

Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest
Participation 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Artists 1960s António Calvário Simone de Oliveira Madalena Iglésias Eduardo Nascimento Carlos Mendes Simone de Oliveira 1970s 1970 Tonicha Carlos Mendes Fernando Tordo Paulo de Carvalho Duarte Mendes Carlos do Carmo Os Amigos Gemini Manuela Bravo 1980s José Cid Carlos Paião Doce Armando Gama Maria Guinot Adelaide Ferreira Dora Nevada Dora Da Vinci 1990s Nucha Dulce Pontes Dina Anabela Sara Tavares Tó Cruz Lúcia Moniz Célia Lawson Alma Lusa Rui Bandeira 2000s 2000 MTM 2002 Rita Guerra Sofia Vitória 2B Nonstop Sabrina Vânia Fernandes Flor-de-Lis 2010s Filipa Azevedo Homens da Luta Filipa Sousa 2013 Suzy Leonor Andrade
Songs 1960s "Oração" "Sol de inverno" "Ele e ela" "O vento mudou" "Verão" "Desfolhada portuguesa" 1970s 1970 "Menina do alto da serra" "A festa da vida" "Tourada" "E depois do adeus" "Madrugada" "Uma flor de verde pinho" "Portugal no coração" "Dai li dou" "Sobe, sobe, balão sobe" 1980s "Um grande, grande amor" "Playback" "Bem bom" "Esta balada que te dou" "Silêncio e tanta gente" "Penso em ti, eu sei" "Não sejas mau para mim" "Neste barco à vela" "Voltarei" "Conquistador" 1990s "Há sempre alguém" "Lusitana paixão" "Amor d'água fresca" "A cidade (até ser dia)" "Chamar a música" "Baunilha e chocolate" "O meu coração não tem cor" "Antes do adeus" "Se eu te pudesse abraçar" "Como tudo começou" 2000s 2000 "Só sei ser feliz assim" 2002 "Deixa-me sonhar (só mais uma vez)" "Foi magia" "Amar" "Coisas de nada (Gonna Make You Dance)" "Dança comigo (Vem ser feliz)" "Senhora do mar (Negras águas)" "Todas as ruas do amor" 2010s "Há dias assim" "A luta é alegria" "Vida minha" 2013 "Quero ser tua" "Há um mar que nos separa"
(Note: Entries scored out are when Portugal did not compete)