Fred Roger Pontare, Swedish musician, born 17 October 1951 in Slagnäs, Arje… Read Full Bio ↴Fred Roger Pontare, Swedish musician, born 17 October 1951 in Slagnäs, Arjeplog Municipality, and currently living in Örnsköldsvik.

He represented Sweden twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, in 1994 (duet with Marie Bergman) with "Stjärnorna" and in 2000 with "When Spirits Are Calling My Name", placing 13th and 7th, respectively.

His singles:
"När vindarna viskar mitt namn" (When spirits are calling my name) (Winner of Melodifestivalen 2000)
"Silverland" (Melodifestivalen 2006)

Eurovision Song Contest 2000 - Stockholm
Entry for Sweden

Performer: Roger Pontare
Song title: When Spirits Are Calling My Name
Song writer(s):
Song composer(s): Thomas Holmstrand / Linda Jansson / Peter Dahl

Sang in Position: 18
Final Position: 7
Total Points: 88

25 participating countries were intended for the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest, but Greece decided not to participate, so only 24 took part as the European Broadcasting Union did not find a replacement in time for the last spot. Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Lithuania, Romania and Bosnia & Herzegovina were not allowed to take part due to their bad average scores. Latvia made its debut this year, and the entry My Star performed by the group Brainstorm did really well, finishing in third position. Estonia finished fourth with Ines' Once In A Lifetime which was the bookmaker's favourite. Internet polls also had the United Kingdom and the Netherlands as favourites but these countries only finished 16th and 13th respectively.

13,000 spectators were at the final in the Globen Arena in Stockholm, which was a new record. This record did not last long, though. Already at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen 2001, the record was exceeded. The Israeli participants caused a stir when members of the group Ping Pong started waving the Syrian flag during their performance. The Netherlands had to use a back-up jury for their votes because of a large fireworks disaster in the city of Enschede, which meant that only half of the song contest was aired live on Dutch television.

Despite the fact that Denmark's song Fly On The Wings Of Love by the Olsen Brothers climbed in the predicted rankings in the week prior to the final, the Scandinavian country was only thought to finish in 18th position. Therefore it came as a huge surprise for many that the charming Olsen Brothers won - and with a large margin to the runner-up, Russia. Fly on the wings of love went on to become a huge hit in Scandinavia and the German-speaking countries. The Russian delegation petitioned the disqualification of the winner, Denmark, because a vocoder had been used to give one of the performers in the Danish duo, Jørgen Olsen, an electronic sound to his voice during one part of their performance.

For the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, an official CD was released which included all 24 songs. Since then, CDs with all entries have been released every year.

Fri
Roger Pontare Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Som I en drцm om en ond demon
Fцrsцkte rдdda mig dдrifrеn
Skrattande sеg han pе
Nдare jag styrde mot en storm

Men du var med mig I natten
Gick genom eld цver vatten
Du tog mig hem I sдkerhet

I sдkerhete igen

Jag дare fri
Du gav mig liv
Jag дare fri
En дngel har rдttat mitt liv

Jag var som fеngad I drцmmen
Det дare fцrst nu jag kan se det sе
Jag trodde jag var odцdlig
Och tеlde vad som helst

Men du var den som tog mig fri
Allt det som vart дare nu fцrbi
Hur skall jag kunna tacka dig
Att du har gjort mig stark

Jag дare fri
Du gav mig liv

Jag дare fri
En дngel har rдttat mitt liv

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Roger Pontare's song "Fri" speak about a person who was trapped in a nightmarish situation, symbolized by an evil demon chasing them. However, they found salvation in the form of a guardian angel, who guided them through the perilous journey and brought them to safety. The singer expresses their gratitude to this angel for giving them a new lease on life, and for freeing them from the clutches of their worst fears.

The song uses metaphorical language to convey its message, employing imagery of demons, storms, fire, and water to represent the various obstacles that the singer faced. The contrast between the darkness of the nightmare and the light of the angel's presence is also emphasized, underscoring the transformative power of hope and faith.

Musically, the song is a powerful ballad with deep, emotional vocals and a sweeping, atmospheric melody. The chorus is especially memorable, with its repeated refrain of "jag дare fri" ("I am free") serving as a cathartic release for the singer's struggles. Overall, "Fri" is a moving tribute to the strength of the human spirit and the power of love to overcome even the most daunting challenges.

Line by Line Meaning

Som I en drцm om en ond demon
In a dream, I faced an evil demon

Fцrsцkte rдdda mig dдrifrеn
I tried to escape from it

Skrattande sеg han pе
The demon laughed at me

Nдare jag styrde mot en storm
As I headed towards a storm

Men du var med mig I natten
But you were with me in the night

Gick genom eld цver vatten
You walked through fire and water

Du tog mig hem I sдkerhet
You brought me home safely

I sдkerhete igen
Once again, I feel secure

Jag дare fri
I am free

Du gav mig liv
You gave me life

En дngel har rдttat mitt liv
An angel has righted my life