The acoustic rendition just hits different.
This past weekend at the ACM Awards, Ella Langley cleaned up and swept all seven categories she was nominated in. The Alabama native was nominated seven times (tied for second-most on the night) as an artist, producer and songwriter, and she ended up winning in every category, in Artist-Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year: “Choosin’ Texas” (as an artist and songwriter), Single of the Year: “Choosin’ Texas” (as an artist and producer), Music Event of the Year: “Don’t Mind If I Do” with Riley Green and Female Artist of the Year.
And during an interview with Katie Neal for her Katie & Company radio show, Ella explained that it while it does have an anthemic, fun sing along feel, it does tackle some pretty deep subject matter, and it’s really an admission of the type of woman she hopes to grow into:
“And that song, what it’s about, truly, is it’s not about being someone else, it’s about being the her you want to be. I think there’s things that every single person on this planet would like to see themselves do better as a human being, you know what I mean?
If you don’t, I do not want to be around you. I do not want to be around you at all. I was just honest, those are all things that I’m looking forward to, in my life, changing about myself a little bit.”
Ella says the lyrics really are her truth, admitting that she knows “a whole bottle of wine is probably too much a lot of the time and “one glass could suffice”:
“I want to stay in my Bible, I want to not have to do a whole bottle of wine, one glass could suffice, you know what I mean? Like, why do you have to go so far? What’s wrong with you? Finding someone to love and to support and to have a safe place in this world.
And those are all things a normal 26-year-old girl or guy, or whoever in your life, whether it be those things specifically, I think everyone can just relate to bettering yourself and wanting to see that version. With that song, you just have to give into that thing, it’s not about we are who we are, yes, we understand that, but give into it… be her. You know what? I’m her tonight. I am her tonight.”
I love the contrast of incredible raw, heartfelt lyrics with such a fun, funky track, but there’s just something about the acoustic rendition that I like so much better… the studio cut is super catchy, but I’ll be really honest, sometimes I can only listen to the chorus so many times before it starts to get a little annoying. Something about it just doesn’t always hit my ear right, and I think the more stripped back arrangement fits the song SO much better.
The lyrics really are heartfelt and meaningful, and when Ella sings it like she did at the ACM Awards, it just resonates so differently and I think the real heart of the song comes across much more effortlessly.
The original is a bop for sure, but I’m pretty sure I will always be partial to an honest country song with a simple production that allows the artistry of a song as good as “Be Her” to shine. I have no idea if Ella has plans to ever put out an official acoustic version, but she really should… this was just perfection:
“Be Her”
