Eurovision has on and off required that acts sing in their country’s national language. The idea of the rule is to encourage language diversity and prevent English from becoming the language artists use by default. But the rule also places acts from non-English speaking countries at a disadvantage. Most televoters speak English, whereas many are not likely to understand a song in Serbian. The story of Eurovision’s indecisiveness about the rule is one of trying to balance the values of encouraging cultural diversity and ensuring fairness.
Early Days: The Birth of Eurovision
Initially, Eurovision had no language rule. The limited number of countries participating shared a certain amount of language affinity. French, German, Spanish were all featured– and the first year, the contest didn’t even have the UK participating. So English wasn’t threatening to dominate.
The Language Rule Emerges
Controversy arose in 1965 when Sweden's Ingvar Wigsel performed "Absent Friend"Â in English, sparking debates about language use in Eurovision. Subsequently, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) implemented a rule requiring songs to be in one of the participating country's official languages. This rule inadvertently advantaged countries like the UK and Ireland, whose official language is English.
The ABBA Effect and Repeal of the Language Rule
The language rule was repealed in 1973, a move that immediately led to ABBA's victory in 1974 with "Waterloo," sung in English. This period saw non-English speaking countries more able to win, but also a surge in English songs and a decline in linguistic diversity. However, it also brought creativity, exemplified by entries like the Bendik singers in 1973, who incorporated multiple languages into their song.
The Return and Persistence of the Language Rule
In 1977, the language rule was reintroduced, creating a long period where English-speaking countries held a significant advantage over the others. This was seen most starkly in the ‘90s, when (with the exception of 1995) from 1992-1997, Ireland and the UK won every single contest.
The Modern Era: Flexibility and Diversity
The language rule was again lifted in 1998, leading to a predominance of English in the contest. However, this era also witnessed unique and culturally significant entries, like Jamala's 1944, which combined English with Crimean Tatar to convey a powerful historical message.
Despite the prevalence of English, recent years have seen a resurgence in non-English winners, such as MÃ¥neskin in 2021, singing in Italian. This shift indicates that, with a changing audience more open to non-English songs, Eurovision might be able to maintain its language diversity without resorting to unfair rules.