Fausto Bordalo Dias (1948-2024), the man who sang the present leaning against History

Fausto Bordalo Dias occupies a rightful place of distinction in the pantheon of Portuguese popular music. Along with the now-disappeared José Afonso and José Mário Branco, artists with whom he shared stages and studios, and also with other singer-songwriters such as Sérgio Godinho, Fausto – who passed away this Monday, aged 75 – helped define the contours of modern Portuguese original music throughout a discography full of memorable songs such as ‘Marcolino’, ‘Atrás Os Outro Tempos Vêm’, ‘ If You Go to See the Sea’, ‘O Coça Barriga’ or, among many others, ‘O Barco Vai de Ãda’, ‘War is War’ and ‘ ˜It was in the Time of Tamarinds’.