Samara Joy only started her musical career four short years ago, but she has given us gem after gem ever since. Not only has she recorded three full-length albums in that short period of time, but she’s also brought us a bevy of one-off singles as well. She adds one more to the many with her take on “Flor De Lis (Upside Down).”
The song, originally written and performed by Brazilian singer-songwriter Djavan in 1976, is a haunting song about love and heartbreak. Samara takes on the song thanks to an arrangement by her drummer Evan Sherman. With piano, horns, brushed snare and hi-hats, the songstress first offers the lyrics in their original Portuguese, comparing a dying love to a withering garden where plant life no longer exists.
She then gives the song a twist with an English translation of the song’s second half, painting a picture of the longing that lost love can bring. She begs for her lover to reveal their true feelings and end the pain of uncertainty before launching into the chorus, singing, “And then you’ll see me flying so high up in the sky / Be who you are, but please let me believe that you are mine.”
“Although it’s a heartbreaking story, the poetic lyrics and beautiful melody resonated with me immediately,” the singer said of the song in a press release. “I got the chance to sing ‘Flor de Lis’ in Rio during my first trip there over a year ago and hearing the audience join in harmony only cemented how important this song is to the fabric of Brazilian music and culture.”
With her breathtakingly beautiful voice and this stunning arrangement, Samara Joy does the song justice and brings it to a whole new audience generations later. Take a listen to her take on “Flor De Lis (Upside Down)” when you press play.
