Throughout her career, in which it is clearly traced and expressed a deep respect, understanding and humbleness before Fado, Mísia developed a new style: she stripped the Fado off the shawl of the "amalian" type, and adds to the traditional instruments (bass guitar, classical guitar and Portuguese guitar) the sensuality of the accordion and the violin, and borrows from the best Portuguese poets their finest verses. The piano was often used in fado before, and this she also uses.
Her 2003 album "Canto" may be considered her masterpiece. Mixing pieces of the best works of the Portuguese guitarist Carlos Paredes with poems of Vasco Graça Moura (and some of Sérgio Godinho and Pedro Tamen), Mísia has built a piece of music that she would describe as belonging to her "gallery of impossible things". Mísia is also known for covering other artists' songs in a very "fadoish" way. The classic "As time goes by", and some of the songs of Luis Eduardo Aute ("De Alguna Manera", for instance) are some of the examples.
Mísia is a polyglot. Despite singing mostly fado (which is sung in Portuguese), she sings some of her themes in Spanish, French, Catalan or even English. One of the examples is her last album "Drama Box", a collection of tangos, boleros and fados, sung in Portuguese and Spanish. In "Drama Box", Mísia depicts herself as a cabaret dancer living in the "Drama Box Hotel" with her musicians. It's a very personal album, simultaneously a tribute to her mother and a real description of her life: travelling through the world, taking fado everywhere.
In spite of being famous in Portugal, her music has from the beginning been greatly appreciated in foreign countries: France and Japan for example.
Discography
1991 — Mísia
1993 — Fado
1995 — Tanto menos, tanto mais
1998 — Garras dos Sentidos
1999 — Paixões Diagonais
2001 — Ritual
2003 — Canto (music by Carlos Paredes)
2005 — Drama Box
2009 — Ruas
Naranjo En Flor
Mísia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Era mas fresca que el rio, naranjo en flor.
Y en esa calle testigo, calle perdida.
Dejo un pedazo de vida... y se marcho.
Primero hay que saber sufrir,
Despues amar, despues partir,
Y al fin andar sin pensamiento,
Promesas vanas de un amor
Que se escaparon con el viento.
Despues?, Que importa del despues?
Toda mi vida es el ayer que se detiene en el pasado,
Eterna y vieja juventud que me ha dejado acobardado, como un pajaro sin luz.
Que le habran hecho a mis manos?
Que le habran hecho?
Para dejarme en el pecho, tanto dolor,
Dolor de vieja arboleda,
Cancion de esquina,
Con un pedazo de vida,
Naranjo en flor.
Primero hay que saber sufrir,
Despues amar, despues partir,
Y al fin andar sin pensamiento,
Pefume de naranjo en flor,
Promesas vanas de un amor
Que se escaparon con el viento.
Despues?, Que importa del despues?
Toda mi vida es el ayer que se detiene en el pasado,
Eterna y vieja juventud que me ha dejado acobardado, como un pajaro sin luz.
The lyrics to Mísia's song, Naranjo En Flor, describe the pain and heartbreak that comes with losing a love. The subject of the song is described as being softer than water, fresher than a river, and a beautiful orange blossom on a lost street. However, despite her beauty, she left a piece of her life behind and departed, leaving the singer with an unfathomable amount of pain. The chorus emphasizes the need to know how to suffer, love, and leave, and to eventually move on without thinking of the past. The second verse addresses the "after," but the singer dismisses it as unimportant, as all they have is their past, which has left them feeling afraid and alone.
The imagery in the song is poignant and romantic, with references to the floral scent of the orange blossom and lost promises of love that have been carried away by the wind. The lyrics are about love and loss, but they also seem to celebrate the beauty of life despite its pain. The repetition in the chorus drives home the idea that it is essential to learn to let go of love and continue with our lives, even though it can be difficult.
Line by Line Meaning
Era mas blanda que el agua, que el agua blanda.
She was softer than water, even softer than soft water.
Era mas fresca que el rio, naranjo en flor.
She was fresher than the river, like a blooming orange tree.
Y en esa calle testigo, calle perdida.
And on that street, as a witness, a lost street.
Dejo un pedazo de vida... y se marcho.
She left a piece of her life behind...and she left.
Primero hay que saber sufrir,
First, one must learn to suffer,
Despues amar, despues partir,
Then love, then leave,
Y al fin andar sin pensamiento,
And finally walk without thought,
Pefume de naranjo en flor,
The scent of the blooming orange tree,
Promesas vanas de un amor
Empty promises of love
Que se escaparon con el viento.
That escaped with the wind.
Despues?, Que importa del despues?
Then what? What does the future matter?
Toda mi vida es el ayer que se detiene en el pasado,
All my life is yesterday, halted in the past,
Eterna y vieja juventud que me ha dejado acobardado, como un pajaro sin luz.
Eternal and aged youth that has left me cowering, like a bird without light.
Que le habran hecho a mis manos?
What have they done to my hands?
Para dejarme en el pecho, tanto dolor,
To leave me with so much pain in my chest,
Dolor de vieja arboleda, Cancion de esquina,
Pain from an old tree, a song from a street corner,
Con un pedazo de vida, Naranjo en flor.
With a piece of life, blooming orange tree.
Contributed by Madelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.