Opening Changes is a thirteen minute R&B/prog opera called “Change.” While unassuming at first, it rapidly develops with many twists and turns, establishing a number of references and setups for the rest of the album.
It starts with verses sung by Stu, featuring a chord progression later used in “Hate Dancin’”. Here, Stu questions the purpose and power of change — specifically calling on listeners to create social change and to bring equality through mobilization. The second section is “Astroturf”/“Short Change”-esque and is sung by Cook. The lyrics question change but rather than focusing on its influence, ask if the change we currently have is actually enough.
Following this is Ambrose’s section with an instrumental similar to “No Body” and “Exploding Suns.” Noticeably darker than the rest, his verse deals with “heroes wearing fake capes” who claim they’re creating change when they’re really searching for power. His answer to this is to expose them, although this is described morbidly, with the lyrics comparing Ambrose to a sniper in a tower picking off targets before they can cover up their lies and make excuses.
Joey’s section is synth-based with touches of “Gondii,” and brings up how what we view as truth can be completely changed based on circumstance and new information, coming to the conclusion that our own significance is in vain.
Following this, we return to Stu’s verse where he proposes a solution: the creation of an ark to take everything good on Earth and protect them, leaving the rest of humanity to die. Stu sings along to the melody after this, with Ambrose adding in the lyrics “burnin’ up,” bringing to mind climate change. The final section continues this with distorted guitars and high energy, referencing the album’s closer “Short Change.”
In its epic runtime, “Change” features all lead vocalists in the band’s discography up to that point, motifs and chord changes found in all the rest of the songs on the album, and also provides a poignant, powerful message about our ability to cause change and to create a better world.

Originally Changes was conceived as a concept album with one long song, but the band ended up abandoning this idea and opting for “Change” instead. In a Stereogum interview, Stu said that “Change” was the heart of everything on Changes. “‘Change’ is the genesis of the whole record. And then ‘Hate Dancin’ is built out of one of the chord progressions from ‘Change.’ And then ‘Astroturf’ is built out of one of the chord progressions in ‘Change’ as well. And so is ‘Short Change,’ the last song. Every song on the album is built out of a section of ‘Change.’ So yeah, it’s funny how it worked like that. ‘Change’ is this sort of big monster, [this] genesis of little ideas, and the shorter songs on the album are like its children that it gave birth to over five years.”
Multiple demos for “Change” have been heard over the years, primarily in Sleeping Monster.
The first heard in the documentary is a slightly faster and brighter version of Stu’s verses with noticeably rougher parts. The full demo was later released on the benefit album Cardinals At The Window as “Change (Demo 4).” On top of the rundown of Stu’s verses, the recording also contains an extended jam of the song’s final section. The second demo heard in Sleeping Monster is similar to Demo 4, but has a bass intro. The third is the only known demo of Ambrose’s section, and has a sound closer to Stu’s verses than the darker vibe of the final version.
The studio version of the song was recorded by Stu and Nico Wilson, and is the only song on the album to have this credit as mostly everything else was done by Stu alone in various locations over five years. The song was performed by Stu (drums/electric guitar/bass/vocals/Mellotron), Cavs (drums), Ambrose (keyboards/vocals/percussion), Cook (synthesizer/keyboard/vocals/guitar) and Joey (synthesizer/guitar/vocals).