Changes (Tupac Shakur song)

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"Changes"
Greatest Hits
ReleasedOctober 13, 1998 (1998-10-13)
Recorded
  • 1992
  • 1998 (remix)
Genre
Length
  • 4:43
  • 4:30 (remix)
  • 4:54 (remix) (with longer piano intro)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Big D The Impossible, Trackmasters (Remix)
2Pac singles chronology
"Do for Love"
(1998)
"Changes"
(1998)
"Unconditional Love"
(1999)
Music video
"Changes" on
YouTube

"Changes" is a song by American rapper

2Pac featuring R&B group Talent. It was recorded in 1992 before being remixed and released as a single from Shakur's Greatest Hits
compilation on October 13, 1998 . The song makes references to the many
African American culture, and the difficulties of life in the ghetto
.

"Changes" samples

Far Out
ranked the song number six on their list of the 10 greatest Tupac Shakur songs.

Production and recording

The song was originally recorded during his tenure at Interscope Records in 1992 and was produced by Big D The Impossible (Deon Evans). "Changes" was later remixed in 1998 by Poke from Trackmasters.

The song re-uses lines from "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" which was recorded during the same year, and samples the 1986 hit "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. The chorus of "The Way It Is" was slightly reworded and sung by Talent and was used for this song. At times Tupac re-used lines from other unreleased songs because he planned to make an updated version at a later date. However, since his death many of the unreleased and unmastered songs have been officially released.

The remixed version released in 1998 has notably different percussion, and a few minor changes to the musical elements. The chorus on the original track features a notable difference in a vocal sample of the line, "It's like that and that's the way it is", from

B-boy
-style chant with an unknown person repeating, "Clap your hands and feel it, clap your hands and feel it!" until the song ends.

Samples

The song is an interpretation of the 1986 hit "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, and samples the drum loop from the 1984 song "Set It Off" by Strafe. Bay Area rapper E-40 had interpreted the song already on his track, "Things'll Never Change", for his album Tha Hall of Game. The Tupac "Changes" instrumental was used by Insane Clown Posse in "Mom Song", a Mother's Day song. Nas sampled the song for his song "Black President". Polo G interpolated "Changes" on his 2020 song "Wishing for a Hero".

Overview

The song was a number-one hit in Norway and the Netherlands and reached the top ten in the singles charts of several other countries, including number three in the United Kingdom, which gained Tupac a broader audience.

Released

gang violence. The "Huey" that 2Pac mentions in the song ("two shots in the dark, now Huey's dead") is Huey P. Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party.[2] The song refers to the possibility of a black president
of the United States, claiming "we ain't ready". Further, the last verse of the song refers to Tupac's imagining himself being shot to death, mimicking the sound of the gun with the phrase "rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat".

The Chris Hafner-directed music video is a compilation of a number of previous music videos Tupac released in addition to home videos and never-before-seen pictures, similar to the format of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Dead Wrong", also released in 1999.

Critical reception

MySpace music playlist.[4]

"Changes" is widely regarded as one of Shakur's greatest songs. In 2017,

Far Out ranked the song number six on their list of the 10 greatest Tupac Shakur songs.[6]

Accolades

"Changes" was nominated for

MTV Video Music Award
for Best Editing in a Video & Best Rap Video in 1999.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[45] Gold 25,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[46] Platinum 90,000
Germany (BVMI)[47] Gold 250,000^
Italy (FIMI)[48] Gold 50,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[49] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[50] Gold 5,000*
Sweden (GLF)[51] Platinum 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[52] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] 2× Platinum 1,200,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Ascap entry for song[permanent dead link] ASCAP, accessed May 1, 2011
  2. ^ "2Pac | Universal Music Publishing Group". Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  3. ^ Taylor, Chuck (December 12, 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 21. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  4. ^ Tupac song selected for Vatican playlist, archived from the original on 2022-08-04
  5. ^ Graves, Wren (June 14, 2017). "Tupac Shakur's Top 20 Songs". Consequence. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  6. Far Out
    . Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  7. ^ "2Pac – Changes". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  8. ^ "2Pac – Changes" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. ^ "2Pac – Changes" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. ^ "2Pac – Changes" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  11. ^ "2Pac Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-04-26. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7495." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7478." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  14. ^ "2Pac – Changes". Tracklisten.
  15. ISSN 0006-2510
    . Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  16. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "2Pac". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 6. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  17. Les classement single
    .
  18. ^ "2Pac – Changes" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  19. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Changes". Irish Singles Chart.
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – 2Pac" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  21. ^ "2Pac – Changes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ^ "2Pac – Changes". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ^ "2Pac – Changes". VG-lista.
  24. ^ "Major Market Airplay - Week 11/1999" (PDF). Music & Media. 13 March 1999. p. 27. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  26. ^ "2Pac – Changes". Singles Top 100.
  27. ^ "2Pac – Changes". Swiss Singles Chart.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  29. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  30. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  31. ^ "2Pac Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  32. ^ "2Pac Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  33. ^ "2Pac Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1999". Ultratop. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  35. ^ "Rapports Annuels 1999". Ultratop. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  36. GfK Entertainment
    . Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  37. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1999". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  38. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  39. ^ "End of Year Charts 1999". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  40. Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original
    on January 22, 2005.
  41. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1999" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  42. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1999". hitparade.ch. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  43. ^ "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. January 22, 2000. p. 27.
  44. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  45. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1999". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  46. ^ "Danish single certifications – 2Pac feat. Talent – Changes". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  47. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (2 Pac; 'Changes')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  48. ^ "Italian single certifications – 2Pac – Changes" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 11, 2023. Select "2023" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Changes" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  49. ^ "Dutch single certifications – 2 Pac – Changes" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved August 24, 2020. Enter Changes in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1999 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  50. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – 2Pac – Changes". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  51. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  52. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Changes')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  53. ^ "British single certifications – 2Pac ft Talent – Changes". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 16, 2023.

External links