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The great songs are more than the sum of their facts. They are canvases, spaces for musicians to express themselves, and for listeners to draw their own conclusions. For me, it’s all in that line about ‘all the changes you put me through’. ‘Changes’ strikes an odd note. You’d expect ‘trouble’ - and when the verse is reprised, you get it. Why ‘changes’? Because this song was going to be all about transformation. It marked Al Green’s conversion from heart-throb to pastor. It marked Talking Heads’ graduation from a cool white sound to a warm black one. The message is clear: if this song doesn’t change you, you won’t get much change out of it.
