“Change of Heart”
The Judds
Written by Naomi Judd
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
December 9, 1988
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
January 14, 1989
The easiest take on “Change of Heart” is to observe how it captures Wynonna’s growth as a vocalist.
Originally recorded for their debut EP four years earlier, “Change of Heart” was one of those should’ve been hits that got a second chance with a re-record for the duo’s first hits project. As good as the 1984 recording was, it pales in comparison to the newer take. Wynonna’s early promise as a singer has blossomed into a once in a generation talent, giving this song the showcase that it deserved.
What’s too easily overlooked is how fully realized Naomi’s talent already was as a songwriter when they recorded that EP. Judd’s composition is a bridge between the plainspoken romantic truths of Tammy Wynette and the urbane contemporary perspective of K.T. Oslin. The woman in this song is very much of her time, working and independent with a strong group of girlfriends. We learn those details while she’s dragging herself through the mud, recalling how “I had my boss lie for me, and say I was working late. And my friends alibi’ed for me, when I slipped out to meet a date.”
Wynonna soars on this track, but it is Naomi’s words that give her so much height. It’s long past time that Naomi was given her due for the power of her pen.
“Change of Heart” gets an A.
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I only vaguely remember this song from the 80s and don’t recall hearing it at all in more than 30 years. I certainly had no idea it was a rerecording from The Judds’ first early 80s EP. The vocals, the songwriting, and the shifting tempo made for a very enjoyable listen, hewing closer to the sound I preferred from The Judds after their recent extended dalliance into a half-assed blues groove. I’ve always admired how Wynonna’s vocals can “awaken” within a song, blossoming from a melancholy opening verse to a vibrant chorus. Her performance is helpful for this song to channel the narrator’s passion and confidence in trying to win back the guy she cheated on, albeit without the requisite sense of atonement to where I think she deserves to be given a second chance. Not sure if that’s what she’s going for, but if I was the guy on the receiving end of this confession, I don’t think I’d buy it.
By the way, the review for “A Tender Lie” disappeared after you added this one.
Grade: B+
I love the bluesy coyness of this performance.
Wondering just how big a change of heart the narrator has actually had does add a slippery sense of uncertainty about her pleading for her lover to have a similar change of heart.
There is an unexpected sexy and teasing playfulness about this song.
Maybe this relationship is less about a relationship and more about a recurring moment they share.
She sounds like she is still playing at the song’s end.