Air Dance - Black Sabbath

Artist: Black Sabbath
Song: Air Dance
Year: 1978
Album: Never Say Die!

This was the last original studio album with Black Sabbath's classic lineup on it. Sabbath chooses this album to really explore the sounds. They start to veer away from the really heavy metal sound. They end up sounding like Santana.

This is not bad though. The tracks on this album are outstanding, but none of them would be as well received as their previous work. The band is breaking apart and the album is the one that benefits.

Some songs were re-written to fit Ozzy's tastes, after he left the band for a short time. Ozzy refused to sing any of the songs written for his replacement, so the band had to tinker until they were only reminiscent of the previous versions.

Lyrics:
She sits in silence, in her midnight world
Her faded pictures, of her dancing girls
Her, distant dreamer, on the seas of time
Her happy memories, dancing through her mind

In days of romance
She was the queen of dance
She'd dance the night away

And as the seasons turn the days to years
She holds her pictures, hears the silent cheers
The days grow lonely for the dancing queen
And now she dances only in her dreams

In days of romance
She was the queen of dance
She'd dance the night away, away, away, away

Changes - Black Sabbath

Artist: Black Sabbath
Song: Changes
Year: 1972
Album: Volume 4

I grew up knowing the basic Black Sabbath songs that everyone has to know before graduating onto other music in the genre. It wasn't until I found a Black Sabbath box set called the Ozzy Osbourne Years that I got to hear the best of the rest. Songs like "Planet Caravan" and "Changes" absolutely floored me when they first pierced my ears. They were beautiful. They had melody. They were not typical heavy metal affair.

Eventually, I found the rest of the rest and was equally impressed on what the box set left out. That was an amazing find at a used CD store. I've regretted many CD purchases that I've made, but this wasn't one of them. I can honestly say that I got my money's worth from that lucky find.

For some reason the piano against a young Ozzy's voice and some ethereal sounding background music made "Changes" captivating. The song almost makes you want to cry. The melody is haunting. The background gives the right balance of uneasiness and sweet grieving. The voice captures the right amount of sadness to be effective, without being sappy.

Sure, the lyrics are super simple. Sometimes the simplest thing can hit home the hardest. Not everything has to have complexity to convey complex emotion. This song is a release. It is cathartic. It still stands the test of time as a rarely uncovered gem.

Lyrics:
I feel unhappy
I feel so sad
I lost the best friend
That I ever had

She was my woman
I loved her so
But it’s too late now
I've let her go

I’m going through changes
I’m going through changes

We shared the years
We shared each day
In love together
We found a way

But soon the world
Had it’s evil way
My heart was blinded
Love went astray

I’m going through changes
I’m going through changes

It took so long
To realize
That I can still hear
Her last goodbyes
Now all my days
Are filled with tears
Wish I could go back
And change these years

I’m going through changes
I’m going through changes