Change (Pale Waves song)
| "Change" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art for digital download | ||||
| Single by Pale Waves | ||||
| from the album Who Am I? | ||||
| Released | 10 November 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2020 | |||
| Genre | Emo pop | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Dirty Hit | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Pale Waves singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Change" on YouTube | ||||
"Change" is a song by indie pop band Pale Waves. Released 10 November 2020, it served as the lead single from their second studio album, Who Am I?
Music and lyrics
[edit]Performed in the key of G Major and played at 97 beats per minute,[1] "Change" was written by Pale Waves's guitarist and lyricist, Heather Baron-Gracie along with Sam de Jong; it was produced by Rich Costey, with de Jong serving as co-producer.[2] The track is a partially acoustic alternative rock song that has been compared to pop music from the turn of the millennium,[3][4] with Steffanee Wang of Nylon arguing that the song possesses "Avril Lavigne-levels of grunge-pop cathartic release".[5] The track marked a sonic break from the band’s previous synth-pop sound – a decision that was deliberate. "The aesthetic is completely different," Baron-Gracie emphasized in an interview with Atwood Magazine. "I feel like I've really just flipped the world upside-down. ... I just couldn't do another [80s-inspired] record."[6]
Because "Change" was both the lead single from Who Am I? as well as its opening track, Pale Waves wanted the track to "let them know [the band was] back."[7] Baron-Gracie thus wrote lyrics that were "unapologetic", with references to cunnilingus that were included to "shock people".[7] In terms of writing, "Change" was actually one of the last tracks to be written.[7] The impetus for what would eventually develop into the chorus of "Change" was a sense of frustration that Baron-Gracie felt towards certain people in her life, as she explained to Atwood Magazine:
When I wrote "Change," I was feeling really frustrated with a few people in my life because they weren't giving me what I needed or what I expected from them. That’s how the concept came about ... That, as humans, we set expectations [for people] that are too high ... which leads them unable to reach them. It's partially my fault, but on that particular day I was feeling this emotion more than ever and that's how the chorus came about.[6]
Around this time, Baron-Gracie also noticed that the album did not have any songs about heartbreak. Although she wanted to touch upon this emotional experience, she herself had never before experienced severe heartbreak.[7] To overcome this creative roadblock, Baron-Gracie "spoke to various people in [her] life about their experiences of heartbreak and put their stories into the song as well."[6] The end result was thus "not just [Baron-Gracie's] story, [but] other peoples' stories, too".[6]
Music video
[edit]
The music video for "Change" was directed by Johnny Goddard. It was released on 10 November 2020, alongside an announcement about the album itself.[8]
At various times throughout the video, Heather Baron-Gracie is shown laying supine in the grass, playing an acoustic guitar as she stares at the camera. During these scenes, Baron-Gracie is shown in a white dress with angel wings. This fashion choice was a break from the look of previous Pale Waves videos (in which Baron-Gracie usually donned dark "gothic" clothing) and was a deliberate attempt to visualize the song's titular concept.[9] In an interview with Nylon Baron-Gracie expanded upon this creative choice, explaining that it also reflected her own musical evolution: "I really want[ed] to make a conscious decision to broaden the aesthetic and push myself and the boundaries that I gave myself to feel comfortable. ... Last [album] it was heavily dependent on the dark side. I feel like this time, I'm sort of trying to push it in the middle, just for fun and to keep things exciting."[10]
As of April 2024[ref], the video has been viewed over 1.3 million times on YouTube.[11]
Release and reception
[edit]"Change" was the first single to be released from Who Am I?, and it debuted on BBC Radio 1 on 10 November 2020.[8] As of May 2024[ref], "Change" has been streamed 10.9 million times on Spotify.[12]
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from the liner notes of Who Am I?[2]
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Pale Waves
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Technical
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Release history
[edit]| Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 10 November 2020 | Digital download, streaming | [8] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Pale Waves – Change". Tunebat. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ a b Pale Waves (2021). Who Am I? (Vinyl record liner notes). London, UK: Dirty Hit.
- ^ Gurduiala, Dimitra (2 December 2020). "Interview: Pale Waves' 'Change' Anticipates an Album We've All Been Waiting For". Retrieved 9 June 2022.
'Change' has started a revolution in Pale Waves' musical and visual style, bringing us back to the charm of the early 2000s.
- ^ Scolforo, Carli (12 February 2021). "Pale Waves Come into Their Own on Who Am I?". Paste. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
Who Am I? opens with 'Change,' a track that trades the '80s glam synths of Pale Waves' debut album My Mind Makes Noises in for a '90s-inspired acoustic guitar.
- ^ Wang, Steffanee (2021). "Pale Waves' Heather Baron-Gracie Is Ready To Let You In". Nylon. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d Gurduiala, Dimitra (2 December 2020). "Interview: Pale Waves' "Change" Anticipates an Album We've All Been Waiting For". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d Williams, Sophie; Baron-Gracie, Heather (12 February 2021). Pale Waves – 'Who Am I?' | Track By Track. NME. YouTube. Event occurs at 0:33–2:30.
- ^ a b c Skinner, Tom (10 November 2020). "Pale Waves announce second album 'Who Am I?' and share nostalgic first single 'Change'". NME. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021.
- ^ dela Cruz, Ai; Baron-Gracie, Heather (20 November 2020). "Pale Waves on MYXclusive". MYXclusive. Retrieved 3 July 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ Wang, Steffanee (2021). "Pale Waves' Heather Baron-Gracie Is Ready To Let You In". Nylon. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021.
- ^ Pale Waves (2020). "Pale Waves – Change". Vevo. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Spotify – Pale Waves". Spotify. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024.