Absent Friend
"Absent Friend" (original Swedish title: "Annorstädes vals" - "Elsewhere Waltz") was the Swedish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1965, performed in English by opera singer Ingvar Wixell.[1] This was the first time that the country had not sung in Swedish in the Contest, and also the first time that any country in the contest did not sing in its own national language. This led to a rule being introduced for the next 1966 Eurovision, that meant all participant countries had to perform their songs using one of their national languages.[2]
 "Absent Friend" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 1965 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist(s) | |
| Language | |
| Composer(s) | |
| Lyricist(s) | |
| Conductor | William Lind |
| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 10th |
| Final points | 6 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "En gång i Stockholm" (1963) | |
| "Nygammal vals" (1966) ► | |
"Absent Friend" was performed 10th on the night, following Monaco's Marjorie Noël with "Va dire à l'amour" and preceding France's Guy Mardel with "N'avoue jamais". At the close of voting, it had received 6 points, placing 10th in a field of 18.
It was succeeded as Swedish representative at the 1966 contest by Lill Lindfors and Svante Thuresson with "Nygammal vals".
References
- Leif Thorsson. Melodifestivalen genom tiderna ["Melodifestivalen through time"] (1999), p. 50-55, 257. Stockholm: Premium Publishing AB. ISBN 91-89136-29-2
- "Eurovision Song Contest 1965". EBU. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
| Preceded by "En gång i Stockholm" by Monica Zetterlund and Carli Tornehave |
Melodifestivalen winners 1965, performed by Ingvar Wixell |
Succeeded by "Nygammal vals" by Lill Lindfors & Svante Thuresson |