Growing up in a suburb of Montréal called LaSalle, Lisa loved music so much that she would spend hours holed up in her room listening to her favorite singer, Mariah Carey, as well as Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight.
Lisa didn't have to go far to find musical heroes; they were right at home. Her brother Danny built a strong following in Montreal as DJ Devious, and Michael was a respected hip hop dancer on the streets.
Lisa had her aha! moment as a child. She was 10. "The teacher wanted everyone to audition for our school play. Everybody was supposed to sing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.' I was hiding because I did not want to sing. I started singing and when I stopped, the teacher said, 'Continue.' I did, and when I finished he said, 'You got the part.' I ran home saying, 'Mom, I can sing!'"
Fueled by encouragement and her passion for music, Lisa landed her first real music gig at 15. Danny got her an audition to perform as a backup vocalist on the tour of the landmark French-Canadian hip hop group Dubmatique. She nailed it, and spent months touring Canada with one the country's most popular groups.
"It was amazing," she says of the experience. "Every night, we're playing for thousands and thousands of people." She was hooked. "I knew this was what I wanted to do full time, however I didn't know what avenues to take to make that happen."
Lisa was out of a job when the tour ended, but it wasn't enough to keep her away from her true love. She recorded a demo with the $5,000 she'd saved from working as a cashier. Then, at just 19, Lisa became co-owner of Montreal's then-biggest karaoke company "Harmony Karaoke," even supervising a staff of 12. "I loved it! I loved the great singers and the terrible singers and the what-the-hell singers."
And here's where the fairy tale gets good.
A copy of Lisa's demo exchanged hands until it landed in the palms of songwriter and producer Ben Margulies. Margulies is well-known for his contributions to the debut project of a Mariah Carey, who -- yup -- just happened to be Lisa's musical idol. Impressed with Lisa's emotional, smoky voice, Margulies began reaching out to her, but she figured it had to be a hoax. "I ignored the phone calls. Everybody knew I grew up listening to Mariah, and now somebody is calling me saying Mariah's producer wants to work with you? I thought it was bull." Three months later, Ben -- calling from a private number -- finally got through. She sang her song "Guys Are All The Same" from her demo over the phone to him while at a mall; when she was done, asked her to come to California so they could record. "I Googled him to make sure he was legit. Then I looked up my cousin Lyne and said, 'Pack your bags -- we're going to California tomorrow."
That was roughly three years ago -- Lisa has been in Santa Barbara ever since, immersing herself in the crafts of songwriting, singing and recording. Early reaction has been so favorable that two songs have appeared in major motion pictures: "Mockingbird" and "If I Only Knew," were in "The Guardian" with Kevin Costner and "Stick It" with Jeff Bridges, respectively. In spring of 2007, Lisa began posting videos online. She got 1.5 million hits in a week. Today, her videos have received over 3.5 million hits.
Armed with a stimulating album, the Internet phenomenon is plotting her next musical move.
"The great thing about MySpace and YouTube is that it's kind of a test. We know people like it. People are recording versions of my song back to me, and when that happens, you know you've got something."
So if you think you overhear someone say "C'est la vie" -- listen closely. He or she may not be speaking French, but telling you about the Internet's breakout new star. Say Lavie!
--Malcolm Venable
Falling for You
Lisa Lavie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You see I’m caught up in a notion that you’ll make my soul cry
Don’t lend yourself to what I said
But know that these words run through my head
I can’t believe I’m falling for, Still I
I’m shield with wings prepared to break open and fly
Don’t lend yourself to what I said
But know what I’m going through
Maybe I’m scared of all the pain
And if I let you in, I fear it would rain on me
You seem to numb your pain away
Maybe we need to break away from our broken chains
Away from the life that we came
Baby I need for you to know, that I’m falling
I can’t believe I’m falling for you, Baby I’m
I’m Scared of feeling these feelings fearing I’d waste my time
Don’t lend yourself to what I said
But know that these words run through my head
I can’t believe I’m falling, can you sway my mind
From thinking what we started would somehow end in good-bye.
Don’t lend yourself to what I said
But know what I’m going through
Maybe I’m scared of all the pain
And if I let you in, I fear it would rain on me
You seem to numb your pain away
Maybe we need to break away from our broken chains
Away from the life that we came
Baby I need for you to know, that I’m falling
With no more tears in my eyes, I’m falling
I think I need a little time, I’m falling
All these Fears to my demise
I need to throw them all away, I’m falling
With no more tears in my eyes, I’m falling
No more rain falling from the sky
Into these dark thoughts of mine
Maybe I’m scared of all the pain
And if I let you in, I fear it would rain on me
You seem to numb your pain away
Maybe we need to break away from our broken chains
Away from the life that we came
Baby I need for you to know, that I’m falling
The lyrics to Lisa Lavie's song "Falling For You" tell the story of someone who is falling in love but is afraid of the pain that might come along with it. The singer is conflicted between allowing themselves to love and potentially getting hurt, or closing themselves off and avoiding pain altogether. The chorus repeats the line "maybe I'm scared of all the pain, and if I let you in, I fear it would rain on me," emphasizing the singer's fear and reluctance to fully give themselves to this new love.
The second verse suggests that the other person in the relationship also has their own pain and issues to deal with, and that maybe together they need to break away from the "broken chains" of their past and start anew. The bridge repeats the phrase "with no more tears in my eyes, I'm falling," possibly indicating a decision to let go of past hurt and take the risk to fall in love.
Line by Line Meaning
I can’t believe I’m falling for you, Should I
Despite my reservations, I'm starting to develop feelings for you.
You see I’m caught up in a notion that you’ll make my soul cry
I'm afraid that if I get too close to you, it might lead to heartache.
Don’t lend yourself to what I said
But know that these words run through my head
Don't take my words too seriously, but understand that I'm struggling with my emotions.
Maybe I’m scared of all the pain
And if I let you in, I fear it would rain on me
I'm afraid of getting hurt and opening up to you might make me vulnerable to pain.
You seem to numb your pain away
Maybe we need to break away from our broken chains
Away from the life that we came
It seems like you deal with your own pain in unhealthy ways, maybe we both need to start fresh and move away from the past.
Baby I need for you to know, that I’m falling
I want you to understand that, despite everything, I'm falling in love with you.
With no more tears in my eyes, I’m falling
I think I need a little time, I’m falling
All these Fears to my demise
I need to throw them all away, I’m falling
With no more tears in my eyes, I’m falling
No more rain falling from the sky
Into these dark thoughts of mine
I'm ready to take a chance on love, but I need time to let go of my fears and move beyond my past hurts.
I can’t believe I’m falling, can you sway my mind
From thinking what we started would somehow end in good-bye.
I'm worried that our relationship might not work out, but I'm willing to give it a chance if you can help alleviate my doubts.
Baby I need for you to know, that I’m falling
I want you to understand that, despite everything, I'm falling in love with you.
Contributed by Sophia W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@viktorsan5695
I cannot believe Im 20 now, and still listening to this song ! 8 years gossh !! :)
@annaedwardsiskind
I can't even remember when I heard this...so many years...and I still look for it. It's so powerful and full of emotion. She's so amazing. Wish I knew her personally.
@aliy4823
Well, it's been an age - I'm 32 now, a working professional with a house, car and partner...so different from the first comment my anxious 17 year old self made when I discovered you...it feels like a lifetime ago. But I still keep coming back to this, still as sublime as when I first heard it, and still tugs at the heartstrings the same way. Literally a timeless classic.
@dlouise64
2019 and I found your vid again. This is unforgettable.
@Insain55
14 years since my last comment. Its 2021 and this still hits deep, love it👌🏾
@tigrekc
Seriously...how do you not have a record deal? You make music what it is supposed to be...instruments and your voice. Simply beautiful.
@LisaLavieMusic
Thank you so much for all of your comments! I can't wait for you to hear the new album I'm working on! :) Please join me on my facebook fan page to stay updated. Love you guys xox
@jdawg69jkt
We are waiting anxiously!
@vixenand1
Lisa Lavie 10 years on and this is still one of my favourite songs xxx
@CookiePie00
you were my favorite singer when i was 10 and 10years later i have never seen anyone sing live better than you.im so greateful to know you.thank you for sharing your art with us