"Changes"
Song by Black Sabbath
from the album Vol. 4
Released25 September 1972[1]
Recorded1972
GenreSoft rock
Length4:43
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Changes" is a ballad 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.[2] The lyrics were by bassist Geezer Butler,[2] 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.[3] It was inspired mainly by drummer Bill Ward's breakup with his first wife.[2]

Notably, "Changes" was not recorded with a real string ensemble. Instead, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi used a Mellotron to create the sound of an orchestra. The ballad is generally an outlier in the band’s discography as it does not feature guitar or drums. To alleviate concerns about the band departing their well-known heavy sound, Osbourne promised in a 1972 interview "We're certainly not going to get any less heavy, we will probably do 'Changes' on stage with a Mellotron, but we'll never take strings on stage with us or anything like that."[4]

The band first performed the song live in 1973.[5]

"Changes" was ranked the 12th best Black Sabbath song by Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check.[6]

Personnel (original version)

Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne version

"Changes"
Single by Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne
from the album Shut Up
Released8 December 2003 (2003-12-08)
Length4:07
LabelSanctuary
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mark Hudson
Ozzy Osbourne singles chronology
"Stillborn"
(2003) 		"Changes"
(2003) 		"In My Life"
(2005)
Kelly Osbourne singles chronology
"Shut Up"
(2003) 		"Changes"
(2003) 		"One Word"
(2005)

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 on 8 December 2003, reflect the moments of their life together. The single reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the second father-daughter duet to top the chart after Frank and Nancy Sinatra did so with "Somethin' Stupid" in 1967.[7] "Changes" also reached the top 20 in Germany, Ireland, and Norway.

According to the Ozzy Osbourne official website, the single sold over one million copies.[8] This version of the song was ranked number 27 on the "50 Worst Songs of the '00s" list in a 2009 Village Voice article.[9]

Track listings

  1. "Changes" – 4:07
  2. "Changes" (Felix da Housecat's dance mix) – 6:11
  3. "Come Dig Me Out" (live) – 3:54
  1. "Changes" – 4:07
  2. "Changes" (Who's the Daddy dub mix) – 5:41
  3. "Changes" (enhanced video) – 4:07

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Gold 400,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom 8 December 2003 (2003-12-08) CD Sanctuary [27][28]
United States 19 January 2004 (2004-01-19)
[29]

Charles Bradley version

Charles Bradley 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,[30] 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.[31] The series' cast members Maya Rudolph and Jordan Peele also performed a version of the song for the series' soundtrack in character as Connie the Hormone Monstress and the Ghost of Duke Ellington, respectively.

Charles Bradley's version of the song is featured in the 5th episode of the 4th season of the show Black-ish.[citation needed]

Bradley's version of the song also appeared in an episode of the HBO series Big Little Lies, and was featured on the soundtrack album of the show's second season.[32]

This version saw further use in an April 2022 promo for Turner Classic Movies.[33]

In popular culture

References

  1. ^ "Black Sabbath – Changes". Genius.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Osbourne, Ozzy (2011). I Am Ozzy. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-0446569903.
  3. ^ Hoskyns, Barney (2009). Into The Void: Ozzy Osbourne And Black Sabbath. London, England: Omnibus Press. p. 104. ISBN 9780857121066.
  4. ^ "Sabbath – Clocking on in the States". Sounds. 30 September 1972.
  5. ^ Thompson, Grant (4 September 2015). "Devil worship and four-letter words: Black Sabbath in Sydney, 1973". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  6. ^ Rehe, Christoph (2013). Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check: alle Alben, alle Songs. Ein eclipsed-Buch (in German). Sysyphus Sysyphus Verlags GmbH. ISBN 978-3868526462.
  7. ^ Masterton, James (14 December 2003). "Week Ending December 20th 2003". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Official Website - Biography". Ozzy.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  9. ^ Johnston, Maura (3 December 2009). "The 50 Worst Songs of the '00s, F2K No. 27: Kelly Osbourne and Ozzy Osbourne, "Changes" | Village Voice". Blogs.villagevoice.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  10. ^ Changes (UK CD1 liner notes). Ozzy Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne. Sanctuary Records. 2003. SANXD234.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Changes (UK CD2 liner notes). Ozzy Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne. Sanctuary Records. 2003. SANXD234X.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne – Changes" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Hits of the World – Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. 27 December 2003. p. 147. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne – Changes" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Changes". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  16. ^ "Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne – Changes". VG-lista. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne – Changes". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Ozzy Osbourne Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Songs of 2003". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2003. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  24. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  25. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2004" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  26. ^ "British single certifications – Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne – Changes". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  27. ^ "Osbournes team up for Christmas". BBC News. 27 October 2003. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  28. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 6 December 2003. p. 27.
  29. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1538. 16 January 2004. p. 24. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  30. ^ Blistein, Jon (8 December 2015). "Charles Bradley Preps 'Changes' LP With Powerful Black Sabbath Cover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  31. ^ Miller-Gould, Dodie (4 October 2017). "Art of the cover: Charles Bradley performs Black Sabbath's "Changes"". Lemonwire.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  32. ^ Yoo, Noah (28 March 2017). ""Big Little Lies" Soundtrack Coming This Friday". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  33. ^ "April 2022 on TCM: It's About Time, Errol Flynn, and More Soundtrack Coming This Friday". YouTube. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  34. ^ Smile, Chelsea (4 September 2019). "12 Rappers Who Are Inspired By Rock Music". Loudwire. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
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