Music Review // Ava Della Pietra Happy For You (acoustic)

 Something about music going from electric to acoustic feels like magic.  It’s within that soul of the song which the melody and purpose can still shine through and that’s exactly what happens for Ava Della Pietra with the new acoustic version of “Happy For You”.  This is a heavily requested fan favorite that makes me wish there was still music on MTV.  While there are outlets which still have artists perform like Unplugged did, perhaps this is a sign that needs to happen.  

By the end of this song there are some added upbeat sounds but overall this is just the bare essentials of acoustic guitar + vocals.  For much of “Happy For You” the vocals and notes seem to blend together so well that it begins to feel like the guitar is singing.   It just goes to show how well this all fits together.   At the same time there can be times when Ava Della Pietra sings for an extended time which just goes to show more of her vocal range and talent.  

As this is on Spotify with the original version, you can hear the difference in tone.  The original has those beats and even though the song has the word “happy” in its title the lyrics are about not being able to be happy for someone else.   To think of the original as this pop anthem that you can get up and move to shifts when you feel that tone of this acoustic version which feels more solemn, less happy. 

I’m all for artists releasing songs that are acoustic if they are electric before that as long as they can do a good job of it.  Some songs out there on the radio right now just aren’t meant to be turned into acoustic versions.  Ava Della Pietra excels at seemingly everything and having this song in a variation can make it feel like it is an entirely new song altogether.   Some artists just have acoustic songs which sound lighter but the bands I hear acoustic on the radio, like Nirvana and Alice In Chains, they just create whole new sounds, as Ava Della Pietra does here.