Each submission must have vocals ; purely instrumental music has never been allowed . In the past , competitors have been required to sing in one of their own national languages , but this rule has been changed several times over the years . From 1956 until 1965 , there was no rule restricting the languages in which the songs could be sung . In 1966 , a rule was imposed stating that the songs must be performed in one of the official languages of the country participating , after Sweden was the first country to not sing in their own language , with opera singer Ingvar Wixell performing Sweden 's 1965 entry in English . The Swedish-language version of the song was originally selected at Melodifestivalen 1965 , but it was later translated into English for the Eurovision contest
Melodifestivalen 1965
Melodifestivalen 1965
Eurovision Song Contest