lifeblood: songs: backgrounds: change my heart

2020-03-13: behind the song: indigo girls, "change my heart", american songwriter:

an offhand comment led emily saliers of the indigo girls to write the famed folk duo's latest single, "change my heart," premiering on march 13. "what happened was, i was coming out of a meeting, and i heard a guy say that gravity actually isn't that strong of a force," she says, calling from her atlanta home. "i thought that was so interesting because i'd always thought that gravity was a really strong force."

her curiosity sparked, saliers began doing research into gravity and its role in the universe, and she discovered that, in many respects, gravity isn't as powerful as she'd always believed. the discovery got her songwriter mind spinning.

"i started thinking about all the different forces that make an impact on my life, both in terms of the metaphysical as well as the physical. in its essence, the song explores the intersections between the physical and spiritual realms. it is a metaphysical trip."

saliers came to the conclusion that some things are, like gravity, not as strong as believed - "like trump, he's a weak force," she says firmly - but other things, like our close connections to other people, are the truly important influencers in our lives.

"change of heart," with its lyrics about our own power (individual and shared) to change our world, is intended to convey this conviction. as she sings, "gravity doesn't stand a chance against magnetism." in true indigo girls fashion, the song is at once a call to action, yet ultimately uplifting.

beyond the lyrical content, saliers also put extra power behind the music with the way she composed the high-energy track. "i wrote it on an electric guitar, which i don't normally do, so it has more of a 'big' sound, which was different from how amy [ray] and i usually produce or arrange one of my songs." the song's expanded feel is also enhanced by the full sonic production on the track.

in keeping with the song's message of collective empowerment, the indigo girls brought in several close collaborators to assist them with recording the song, including producer john reynolds (who previously worked with them on 1999's come on now social) and lucy jules (who sang with george michael). jules provides the full-throated howl that kicks off "change my heart" on a soaring, soulful note.

"change my heart" is the second single (after the equally energetic "shit kickin'") from the duo's album look long, which will be released on april 24 on rounder records. listeners may be surprised at the more rock approach they've taken on some of these tracks, but there's still plenty of their familiar folk material to satisfy their diehard fans of that more laid-back style.

the indigo girls' continued commitment to creating spirited, introspective songs provide proof that saliers and ray remain as inspired (and inspiring) as they were when they first debuted in atlanta 35 years ago.

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2020-03-13: indigo girls offer a spiritual tune-up in new song 'change my heart', rolling stone:

indigo girls amy ray and emily saliers have unveiled a second track from the duo's forthcoming album look long, which comes out next month. "change my heart," written by saliers, is a thoughtful take on spiritual well-being and the physical and metaphysical universe. a propulsive folk-rocker swirling in a psychedelic sixties-pop pastiche, the tune's lyrics offer pointed reminders of potential barriers to clearer, more reasoned thinking. "we've been herded and stalked, we've been buckshot into tiny factions," they sing. "all the apparent power plays turned out to be weak interactions."

"the phrase 'weak interactions' in the chorus represents trump, or any other person who appears strong, and yet is very weak spiritually and metaphysically," says saliers. "it's a reminder for me to be humble in the face of mysteries i can't understand, or even human behavior i can't understand."

the lyrics also reference electromagnetism and the nature of humans as, in saliers' words, "vibrating beings." "the 'force field' is the realm of spiritual awakening," she explains. "we can evolve to vibrate at higher frequencies. gravity and being 'grave' are not as powerful as we may think."

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2020-03-13: indigo girls release "change my heart" ahead of 16th album, nashville.com:

indigo girls, amy ray and emily saliers are sharing "change my heart," (listen above) from their upcoming album, look long (april 24).

written by saliers, the psych-rock "change my heart" is indigo girls' take on physical and spiritual universes. "it's a reminder for me to be humble in the face of mysteries i can't understand, or even human behavior i can't understand. the "forcefield" is the realm of spiritual awakening. we are all vibrating beings. we can evolve to vibrate at higher frequencies. gravity and being "grave" are not as powerful as we may think."

"we're still a bar band at heart," says emily, ahead of indigo girls' 16th album. "today, we joke about being old, but what is old when it comes to music? we're just as inspired by younger artists, and the passionfeels the same as it did when we were 25 years-old."

produced by john reynolds at peter gabriel's real world studios in bath, england, look long was born from a need to sing songs and bolster each other. "people can feel lost in these times," saliers explains. "let's lament our limitations, but let's also look beyond what's right in front of us, take the long view of things, and strive to do better."

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2020-06-06: indigo girls make history, discuss new album 'look long,' riots and spokane, the spokesman-review:

"change my heart" is inspired by the great divide in america. the gap between the haves and have-nots is wide as ever, and the riots are a reminder of how far we're apart. since you both have made contributions as human rights activists, how disturbing is it to see that america still has a long way to go?

saliers: it's really disturbing. how can you not be fed up with over 400 years of racism in this country? the peaceful protests have been hijacked by people not in it for the same reason. i'm worried that people will be scared and believe that we need a commander in chief who is a law and order president. i was feeling optimistic about the presidential election, but so much depends on who he (democratic presidential candidate joe biden) selects as his running mate. we're at a pivotal point. we have to come together.

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2020-07-21: indigo girls share video for 'change my heart,' announce livestream, rolling stone:

indigo girls have released "change my heart," the first music video from the duo's latest album look long.

band member emily saliers wrote the track after watching the documentary inner worlds outer worlds, by canadian meditation teacher daniel schmidt. "'change my heart' is about the intersection between spirituality and the physical world," she tells rolling stone. "we can draw from and use the mind-bending power of love, but we are not the ones who create that power. still, if we are in relationship with love and justice, we can accomplish the utmost in human endeavor. it is the power behind social movements and spiritual freedom."

in the accompanying visual, saliers and amy ray soundtrack a small group of rebels who fight back against a totalitarian regime. "the video was filmed in north georgia in an old mill space," saliers explains. "the video was directed by sozo bear, and we asked them to reflect modern american struggles. we think they did a great job."