‘Be Her’ by Ella Langley - Lyrics & Meaning

Rather than resting on her laurels following her historic No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Choosin’ Texas’, Ella Langley decided to celebrate with a brand new single, ‘Be Her’.

The Alabama native had been hinting this might be her next release in the weeks prior, with fans spotting the title on the number-plate in Langley's ‘Dandelion’ music video.

Co-written by Langley with HARDY, Jordan Schmidt and Smith Ahnquist, ‘Be Her’ follows in a similarly traditional-leaning, steel-soaked vein to ‘Choosin‘ Texas’, with the ‘you look like you love me’ hitmaker serving up a reminder as to why her new record is already shaping up to be one of the biggest country albums of the year.

‘Be Her’ finds Langley once again showcasing her charismatic vocals, as she yearns to be someone else across a lush bed of reverb-laden guitars and pining, ethereal steel. The cushioning, layered instrumental gives the track a distinctly retro, ‘90s-inspired feel, consolidating Langley's role as a neo-traditional trailblazer.

At the same time, much like ‘Choosin’ Texas’, there is an addictive, pop-adjacent sensibility about the infectious hook, making this another surefire hit-in-waiting for Langley.

‘Be Her’ follows a despairing protagonist who is longing to emulate a woman who seemingly has it all together. Langley paints an idealistic, rose-tinted picture of this apparent role model, praising how she “drinks wine by the glass, not by the bottle”, “only smokes one on vacation” and “stays talking to Jesus” on a regular basis.

Langley makes it clear that she would desperately love to embody all these qualities, too, stressing that she wants to be this woman so badly that it physically pains her. This leads to the clever lyrical transition from “her so bad” to “hurts so bad”.

The track concludes with Langley emphasising that she would give anything just to spend a day in this woman's pristine, unblemished shoes, “Don't want all this drama, give me something real / Trade a mile high to walk one in her heels / Take all my money, everything I have / I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her so bad”.

It's worth underlining that ‘Be Her’ is part of a broader, overarching narrative on Langley's new album, Dandelion. The intention behind this project is to both be candid and honest with fans about her struggles - as she demonstrates on ’Be Her’ - while also documenting her growth and evolution. Therefore, rather than being a real-time snapshot into Langley's personal state of mind, ‘Be Her’ should be viewed as a chapter in the wider story of Dandelion, with the narrator ultimately realising that the “ideal” that she presents here is unobtainable, limiting and fictitious.

“She drinks wine by the glass, not by the bottle
She ain't stuck on the past, ain't worried about tomorrow
She's a lover, a mother, a sister, and wife
She rolls over in the morning to the love of her life
Only smokes one on vacation, says just what she thinks
She don't need validation or much of anything

I just wanna be her so bad, it hurts so bad, it hurts so
I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her
I just wanna be her so bad, it hurts so bad, it hurts so
I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her so bad
It hurts so bad

She knows being rich is just a state of mind
She stays talking to Jesus, calls her mama all the time
She don't over embellish, if she says it, then it's true
I don't mean to sound jealous, but what could I do 'cause

I just wanna be her so bad, it hurts so bad, it hurts so
I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her
I just wanna be her so bad, it hurts so bad, it hurts so
I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her

Don't want all this drama, give me something real
Trade a mile high to walk one in her heels
Take all my money, everything I have
I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her so bad
It hurts so bad

I just wanna be her so bad, it hurts so bad, it hurts so
I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her
I just wanna be her so bad, it hurts so bad, it hurts so
I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her

Don't want all this drama, give me something real
Trade a mile high to walk one in her heels
Take all my money, everything I have
I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her so bad
It hurts so bad

I just wanna be her, I just wanna be her so bad
Yeah, it hurts so bad”

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Ella Langley

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