Changes (Black Sabbath song)


"Changes" is a song by Black Sabbath. It first appeared on Vol. 4 which was released in 1972. Pitchfork author Stephen Deusner labeled it as one of Black Sabbath's best songs.

Overview

The song's piano melody was composed by guitarist Tony Iommi, who was experimenting with the instrument in the studio. The lyrics were by bassist Geezer Butler, 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. It was inspired mainly by Bill Ward's breakup with his first wife.
"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."
The song was performed live in 1973 but very seldom in years following.
The song was covered by soul artist Charles Bradley on his 2016 album called Changes. Bradley’s version has since been featured as the theme song of the Netflix animated series Big Mouth. That version also appeared in the first season of the HBO series "Big Little Lies", and is included on that soundtrack as well.
"Changes" was ranked the 12th best Black Sabbath song by Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check.

Personnel (original version)

Three decades later, Ozzy recorded 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 number one on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 20 in Germany, Ireland and Norway.
According to the Ozzy Osbourne official website, the single sold over one million copies.
This version of the song was number 27 on the "50 Worst Songs of the '00s" list in a 2009 Village Voice article.

Track listing

  1. "Changes"
  2. "Changes"
  3. "Come Dig Me Out"
  1. "Changes"
  2. "Changes"
  3. "Changes"

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
UK Singles 35

Certifications

Charles Bradley version

recorded a cover of the song in a soul music style. It was first released as a Record Store Day Black Friday single in 2013, and would later be released as the title track of Bradley's 2016 album Changes.
The following year, Bradley's cover received increased exposure when it was used as the theme song to the Netflix-produced adult animated sitcom Big Mouth. The series' cast members Maya Rudolph and Jordan Peele also performed a version of the song for the series' soundtrack.

Eminem Sample

"Going Through Changes", which samples Black Sabbath's "Changes", depicts Eminem's sorrow and shows himself trapped within fame in his 2010 album "Recovery".