Performed by: Carlos Paião
Music by: Carlos Paião
Lyrics by: Carlos Paião
Conductor: Shegundo Galarza
Language: Portuguese
Placing: 18th (9 points)
Other versions: English

"Playback" was the Portuguese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in Portuguese by Carlos Paião.

The song is a moderately up-tempo number. Paião satirizes the "singing in playback", which he explains is in fact miming to pre-recorded music (the anglicism "playback" is used in Portugal to mean "lip synch", broadened from "playback singer"). By doing this, he points out, one does not have to risk singing out of tune or missing notes.

He sang the song with the help of four backup singers, who were dressed in multicolored jumpsuits and acted as robots of sorts, emphasizing the playback theme. From left to right, these singers were Pedro Calvinho, Cristina Águas, Ana Bola, and Peter Petersen.

The song was performed fifteenth on the night, following the United Kingdom's Bucks Fizz with "Making Your Mind Up" and preceding Belgium's Emly Starr with "Samson". At the close of voting, it had received 9 points, placing 18th in a field of 20.

It was succeeded as Portuguese representative at the 1982 Contest by Doce with "Bem bom".

The English version can be found here:

[ Ссылка ]

Carlos Manuel de Marques Paião (born in Coimbra on 1 November 1957 - 26 August 1988 in Rio Maior) was a very popular singer and songwriter from Portugal.

He represented Portugal at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Playback. Carlos Paião was also a doctor, having graduated in Medicine in 1983, but his great passion was music.

Some of his songs became national hits. In August 1988, Carlos Paião died in a car accident on N1 Road ("old" road Lisbon-Oporto) in Ponte Amieira, near Rio Maior, Santarém district, while returning from a concert. The Datsun Urvan Carlos Paião was travelling in collided head on with a truck that was irregularly overtaking a broken car.

Lyrics:

Play-back
Podes não saber cantar nem sequer assobiar
Com certeza que não vais desafinar
Em play-back, em play-back, em play-back
Só precisas de acertar, não tem nada que enganar
E assim mesmo sem cantar, vais encantar
Em play-back, em play-back, em play-back

Põe o microfone à frente muito disfarçadamente
Vai sorrindo que é p'rá gente lá presente não notar

Em play-back, tu és alguém
Mesmo afónico cantas bem
Em play-back, a fazer play-back, e vivó play-back
Hás-de sempre cantar
Em play-back, respirar p'ra quê?
Quem não sabe também não vê
Em play-back, a fazer play-back, e vivó play-back
Dá p'ra toda uma soirée

Podes não saber cantar nem sequer assobiar
Com certeza que não vais desafinar
Em play-back, em play-back, em play-back
Só precisas de acertar, não tem nada que enganar
E assim mesmo sem cantar, vais encantar
Em play-back, em play-back, em play-back

Abre a boca, fecha a boca
Não te enganes, não te esganes
Vais ter uma apoteose, põe-te em pose p'ra agradar

Em play-back, é que tu és bom
A cantar sem fugir do tom
Em play-back, a fazer play-back, e vivó play-back
Hás-de sempre cantar
Com play-back até pedem bis
"Mas decerto", dirás feliz
Em play-back, a fazer play-back, e vivó play-back
Agradeces e sorris

Podes não saber cantar nem sequer assobiar
Com certeza que não vais desafinar
Em play-back, em play-back, em play-back
Só precisas de acertar, não tem nada que enganar
E assim mesmo sem cantar, vais encantar
Em play-back, em play-back, em play-back

Em play-back, em play-back, em play-back
Em play-back, em play-back, em play-back


ENGLISH translation:

Playback
Maybe you don't know how to sing or even how to whistle
But you won't sing out of tune for sure
In playback, in playback, in playback
You just have to get it right, there's nothing to it
And even without singing, you're going to enchant
In playback, in playback, in playback

Put the microphone in front of you, it's very disguisingly
Smile, so the people won't notice it

In playback, you're someone
Even aphonic, you sing in tune
In playback, miming, long live playback
You'll always sing
In playback why bother to breathe?
Those who don't know it, won't see it
In playback, miming, long live playback
It's for a whole evening

Maybe you don't know how to sing or even how to whistle
But you won't sing out of tune for sure
In playback, in playback, in playback
You just have to get it right, there's nothing to it
And even without singing, you're going to enchant
In playback, in playback, in playback

Open your mouth, close your mouth
Don't make mistakes, don't stop breathing
You're going to be worshipped, perform to delight

In playback, you sing in tune
Singing without missing the notes
In playback, miming, long live playback
You'll always sing
With playback, they even ask for an encore
"But of course", you'll say happily
In playback, miming, long live playback
You thank and smile

Maybe you don't know how to sing or even how to whistle
But you won't sing out of tune for sure

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