For Poppyiris, The Grass Isn’t Greener On The Other Side

From the Roman poet Ovid declaring that “the seed’s often more fertile in foreign fields” in 1 B.C. to Ludacris declaring that we’re “always searching for another high” in 2015 A.D., the ‘grass is always greener’ narrative has long captured the imagination of people everywhere. On one hand, it certainly seems true — often, our expectations vastly exceed reality. Yet, there’s another side to the idiom that usually receives no attention… what if the grass isn’t greener?

That’s what Poppyiris is declaring in their new song “Greener Where You Are.” A budding ‘romantic country duo,’ Poppyiris recently burst onto the contemporary country scene with their debut album, Love Just Knows. The duo consists of songwriter Deedee O’Malley and musician Mike Lusk, both of whom spent years as backing musicians for legends such as Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Glen Campbell, Keith Urban, Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert and more. A passionate and heartfelt writer, O’Malley uses her songs as a gateway for self-understanding. 

“Nothing makes me happier than sitting down with a cup of coffee, talking about real-life experiences and turning life’s lemons into lemonade,” she told American Songwriter. “If you can take a punch that life gives you or an obstacle and turn it into an opportunity to touch someone else’s life as a writer, then you are doing something very right!”

This principle, naturally, finds its way into “Greener Where You Are,” which is a heartwarming love song about taking the time to communicate, to make a relationship really work in the long run. The sweet and sentimental tonality of the lyrics are in turn matched by the music — with open acoustics, smooth Americana harmonies and an absolutely killer mandolin part, the song is like an aural depiction of the heartland. 

“People fall in and out of love very easily these days and rather than take the time to work things out, they either leave the relationship or have an affair,” O’Malley said. “Life experience has taught me that once a person handles an upset with the one they love, the affinity and trust in their relationship grows much stronger. Two people that want to be together will make an effort to get through any upset. The greatest couples can see that the ‘grass is greener’ in their own backyard.”

Listen to Poppyiris’ single “Greener Where You Are” below: