Changes (Black Sabbath song)

"Changes"
Song by Black Sabbath
from the album Vol. 4
Released September 1972
Recorded 1972
Genre Soft rock
Length 4:43
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Changes" is a song by Black Sabbath. It first appeared on Vol. 4 which was released in 1972.

Overview

The song's piano melody was composed by guitarist Tony Iommi, who was experimenting with the instrument in the studio.[1] The lyrics were by bassist Geezer Butler,[1] and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne has referred to the song as "heartbreaking". Quite different from Sabbath's previous work, the song was described as a "forlornly pretty" ballad by critic Barney Hoskyns.[2] It was inspired mainly by Bill Ward's breakup with his first wife.[1]

"We're certainly not going to get any less heavy," Ozzy promised in 1972. "We will probably do 'Changes' on stage with a Mellotron but we'll never take strings on stage with us or anything like that."[3]

The song was performed live in 1973[4] but very seldom in years following.

Personnel (original version)

Other versions

The song has been covered by numerous artists, including the Cardigans, Fudge Tunnel and Overkill. In 1993, Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath's lead vocalist) re-recorded the song himself as a single (taken from the Live & Loud album). The single peaked at number 9 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart,[5] but failed to chart in the UK. The opening track from UNKLE's second album Never, Never, Land featured a prominent sample from the chorus and loops of the mellotron.

Eminem samples this song for his track "Going Through Changes" from his 2010 album Recovery.

Nashville garage rock band JEFF the Brotherhood covered "Changes" on their 2012 album Hypnotic Nights.

American soul singer Charles Bradley covered "Changes" on a 2013 single released on Daptone Records' Dunham label.[6] Bradley's version became the title track of his 2016 album Changes, served as the opening titles song for the 2017 Netflix animated series Big Mouth, and was featured on HBO's 2017 drama series Big Little Lies.

"Changes"
Single by Ozzy Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne
from the album Changes
Released 30 September 2003
Format CD single
Recorded 2002
Length 4:07
Label Sanctuary
Songwriter(s)

Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne version

Three decades later, Ozzy recorded yet another version of the song, this time with his daughter, Kelly Osbourne as a duet. The revised lyrics for this version, released in 2003, reflect the moments of their life together. The single reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart.[7] It also reached No. 1 on the Kerrang! UK Download Chart.

According to the Ozzy Osbourne official website, the single sold over one million copies.[8]

This version of the song, was named #27 of the "50 Worst Songs of the '00s" in a 2009 Village Voice article.[9]

Tracks

  1. "Changes"
  2. "Changes" (Felix Da Housecat Remix)
  3. "Come Dig Me Out" (live)

Charts

Year Single Chart Peak position
2003 "Changes" (Felix Da Housecat Remix) U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play 43
"Changes" Irish Singles Chart 7
UK Singles Chart 1

Sales accomplishments

BPI certification[10] (United Kingdom)

Date Designation Total sales
23 January 2004 Silver 200,000
23 January 2004 Gold 400,000

References

  1. 1 2 3 Osbourne, Ozzy (2011). I Am Ozzy. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-0446569903.
  2. ↑ Hoskyns, Barney (2009). Into The Void: Ozzy Osbourne And Black Sabbath. Omnibus Press. p. 104. ISBN 9780857121066.
  3. ↑ "Sabbath – Clocking on in the States". Sounds. 30 September 1972.
  4. ↑ "Devil worship and four-letter words: Black Sabbath in Sydney, 1973". smh.com.au. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  5. ↑ "Billboard single chart history-Ozzy Osbourne". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  6. ↑ Charles Bradley - "Changes" Archived March 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. DaptoneRecords (YouTube)
  7. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 693. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  8. ↑ "Ozzy Osbourne Official Website - Biography". Ozzy.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  9. ↑ Johnston, Maura (2009-12-03). "The 50 Worst Songs of the '00s, F2K No. 27: Kelly Osbourne and Ozzy Osbourne, "Changes" | Village Voice". Blogs.villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  10. ↑ "BPI certified awards". Archived from the original on 2017-10-12. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
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