To celebrate five years of Hozier’s sophomore album “Wasteland, Baby!” — the Irish singer-songwriter released a rustic, acoustic version of the track “Be” on March 1, 2024. As not just a musician but a poet, Hozier took the meaning behind “acoustic” seriously, delivering rhythmic and atmospheric alterations to “Be.”
“Be” is a musical exploration of persistence, hope and love in the face of adversity and challenge. The song was written by Hozier to reflect the pursuit of embracing oneself. The difference between the two versions of the song isn’t the meaning, but the way the meaning is conveyed.
Structurally, the acoustic version differs from the original. It starts with the chorus of the original song as the first verse of the acoustic version, whose second version is completely new. This distribution of verses and rhythmic patterns changes everything. It makes the tone more solemn and calm, rather than the forcefulness and aggressiveness of the first version.
In the first verse of the acoustic version, Hozier sings:
“Be, be as you’ve always been / Be like the love that discovered the sin / That freed the first man and will do so again / And, lover, be good to me”
Those lines contradict the nature of the original’s first verse:
“When all the worst we fear let‘s fall its weight / When the gyre widens on and when the wave breaks / When St. Peter loses cool and bars the gates”
Lyrically, the original version conveys a sense of urgency and consequence, while the acoustic rendition provides more playful and positive poetry. Instead of having a consequence-and-action styled song, Hozier wrote this version in a do-this-just-because style, which not only reveals his inner heart and current perspective but compels listeners to believe him that love should not be forced or persuaded.
The acoustic version is also much softer than the original, which brings out a positive yet playful tone rather than the original’s consequential and desperate nature. Hozier is known to scream-sing as he did in “Northern Attitude” with Noah Kahan, “Unknown / Nth,” and “Take Me to Church.” However, he kept this track peaceful and temperate.
All of these differences, the structure of the verses, ingenious lyricism and intensity of the volume sung, contribute to the song’s atmospheric persuasion. Listeners can picture the original version as a setting of death and destruction, fear and isolation, whereas the acoustic version fulfills quite the opposite, embracing a sense of freedom.
Hozier notes in his Instagram post of the song release, that he would be releasing a deluxe album of “Wasteland, Baby!” which “will contain a few songs that have not been heard,” one of them being this acoustic version of “Be” — Hozier’s personal “favorite version of the song, too.”
But which one would fit into his original, sophomore album better? Although the acoustic version is Hozier’s favorite, there are other songs within “Wasteland, Baby!” that logically explain the electrifying placement of “Be” in the album: “Movement,” “No Plan” and “Dinner & Diatribes.” But at the same time, the acoustic version could have fit in the album as well, with the inclusion of “Would That I” and “Wasteland, Baby!” However, because the album is more focused on a rock-style over a folk-style, the original version of “Be” was a better fit for the album; it might even be a better choice overall. Nonetheless, Hozier has yet to disappoint his listeners with his new music.
Rating: 3.5/5
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