Change (Taylor Swift song)

When Taylor Swift first signed to Big Machine Records, it was the smallest record label in Nashville, Tennessee. At some point, Swift realized that it would be more difficult for her to achieve success through a small label, than in a larger label, She then completed the track the day after she won the Horizon Award at the 2007 Country Music Association Awards and saw Scott Borchetta, the president of Big Machine Records, crying. American television network National Broadcasting Company (NBC) had asked Swift to perform at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. However, an appearance could not be scheduled because Swift was touring at the time. Instead, Swift's father suggested using "Change" as a theme for the event. "I wrote the song 'Change' as an underdog story. It's kind of crazy to think that the Olympics chose this as one of the songs to play during the Olympic Games", Swift commented. After its digital release, "Change" was included on the track list of Swift's second studio album, Fearless, released on November 11, 2008. Following a masters dispute, Swift released the re-recorded version of Fearless, subtitled ''Taylor's Version, on April 9, 2021; Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' includes the re-recorded "Change", also subtitled "Taylor's Version". "Change (Taylor's Version)" was produced by Swift and Christopher Rowe. ==Composition and reception==

At 4 minutes and 46 seconds long, "Change" is a power pop song instrumented by distorted electric guitars and swelling strings. The lyrics of "Change" speak of overcoming obstacles and achieving triumph, while instilling hope in oneself. Heaton compared "Change" and Swift's "Long Live", both which ended Fearless and Speak Now (2010), respectively. He stated, "There's something really generic about the song[s], but that quality becomes the cornerstone of an anthem." Heaton also commented that the song was appealing to multiple audiences, as long as they felt restrained by any scenario. On the week ending August 30, 2008, "Change" debuted at its peak position of number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, selling over 131,000 digital downloads, making it Swift's best-charting song at the time and first top-10 appearance. In the following week, the song descended to number 39 and then number 100 on the Hot 100, marking its third and last week on the chart. The song is one of 13 tracks from Fearless charted within the top-40 of the Hot 100, breaking the record for the most top-40 entries from a single album. "Change" also peaked at number 57 on the Hot Country Songs chart on the week ending August 30, 2008. The track also peaked at number 21 on the now-defunct Pop 100 chart. ==Music video==

The accompanying music video for "Change" was directed by Shawn Robbins. It was filmed at the ballroom in the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis, Indiana. The video commences with a shot of a stained glass window. It then transitions to Swift, clothed in a white cocktail dress and black cowboy boots, performing alongside her backup band in an empty ballroom. The band members are dressed semi-casual and play the instruments: bass, drums, and various guitars. As the video progresses, Swift is seeing singing and dancing. Cut-scenes feature close-ups of Swift in another setting, clothed by another white cocktail dress and surrounded by hot pink, white, and blue twinkling lights in a black background. The video concludes with Swift turning back and walking toward the backup band. An alternate version of the video features footage from United States Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Both versions of the music video premiered on NBC.com in August 2008. ==Live performances==

Swift has performed the track on the AOL Sessions. Since, Swift has performed the track at the Studio 330 Sessions, the 2009 CMA Music Festival, the 2009 V Festival, and the Australian charity concert Sydney Sound Relief. Swift's first televised performance of "Change" was at the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards, where she, donning a sparkly evening gown, sang on an elevator suspended from the crowd. She then did a quick outfit change to a black ensemble, came down, where she was joined by a teenage choir, and finished the performance by surfing the crowd. Craig Rosen of The Hollywood Reporter attended the May 22, 2009 concert in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center and commented, "It was overly simplistic and a bit naive, but still hard not to be moved." She performed the song in 2013 during the performance in Greensboro on her Red Tour, at the second show in Foxborough on her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018, and at the seventh show in London on her The Eras Tour, in 2024 in a mashup with "Long Live" (2010). ==Charts==