Betty Reed is shaking up Nashville with her edgy sound and contemporary take on indie-pop. Her expressive vocals and clever lyrics resonate in every song. Drawing on life experiences, Betty Reed relates stories of everyday life through her music. Struggles. Triumphs. Journeys. “Misunderstood (Acoustic Version)” is just one of those lessons.
The Berklee College of Music graduate is releasing an acoustic version of her EP, Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned (Acoustic Version) on March 25, 2022. The album is produced by Nashville’s Evan Redwine, with acoustic guitar player Nate Dugger and percussionist Josh Hunt. It’s a stripped-down, intimate take on Reed’s brassy pop music.
This version of “Misunderstood” takes on a sense of empowerment while throwing in a good dose of ’90s folk rock. Reed channels Alannis on the bridge, admonishing a would-be assaulter to take responsibility for himself. Like a good ’90s country song, the song is as fun and catchy as it is deadly serious. Reed struck exactly the right balance on this one, which was inspired by true crime podcasts.
“The idea for this song came to me after listening to an episode of My Favorite Murder about how victims of assault are often doubted or in some cases blamed for what happened to them,” Reed tells Adobe & Teardrops exclusively. “We live in a culture of victim shaming and blaming, especially in cases involving women of assault. Many times the aggressor would say they simply misunderstood or misread the situation and it was the victim’s fault for leading them on, or being drunk, or being wishy-washy. And to make matters worse, people in law enforcement and people who hear these stories sometimes question the victim’s motives. But the message should be loud and clear: stop the aggressor and stop blaming the victim. The bridge of the song is the point where I’m laying down the law: So let me break it down for you slowly / the finger you lay on me, is the finger you’ll never see. I love it because it is condescending and assertive. There comes a time when politeness doesn’t work and you’ve got to be rude to be heard.”
Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned (Acoustic Version) will be out on March 25th