I Am Changing
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (February 2008) |
| "I Am Changing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jennifer Holliday | ||||
| from the album Dreamgirls: Original Broadway Cast Album | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:01 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | David Foster | |||
| Jennifer Holliday singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"I Am Changing" is a song from the second act of the long-running Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Written by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen, the song was performed by the character Effie White, originally portrayed on Broadway by Jennifer Holliday.
History
[edit]"I Am Changing" tells the story of a woman who wants to leave behind the mistakes of her past and "change her life"—she sings, "I need you, I need a hand" and "I need a friend to help me start all over again". After the unexpected success of Holliday's first single, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", "I Am Changing" was released as the second single from the Dreamgirls cast album.
However, the song didn't perform as well as "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", peaking at #22 on Billboard's Black Singles Chart and failing to chart on Billboard's Pop Singles Chart.
Cover versions
[edit]"I Am Changing" has been covered several times. Whitney Houston performed the song at the 10th Anniversary of Arista Records ceremony in 1984. This performance is included on her 2010 CD/DVD reissue of Whitney Houston – The Deluxe Anniversary Edition. She also performed the song during the duration of her Greatest Love World Tour in 1986 in a slower, soulful version, influenced by gospel music.
Ex-Supreme Mary Wilson included it in her album Walk the Line, and in a compilation of her solo singles.
Lillias White, who was Holliday's original understudy, has performed the song in concert. Jennifer Hudson performs the song as Effie White in the 2006 DreamWorks/Paramount Dreamgirls motion picture adaptation.
The song was performed by Bianca Ryan on the first season of NBC's America's Got Talent, a reality show which Ryan became the winner of that year. The eleven-year-old's performance of "I Am Changing" prompted show judge (and onetime teen star) Brandy to shake her head and proclaim that Ryan "makes me want to go practice … that's how good you are."[1]
In 2014, the song was performed in the Glee episode "New Directions" by Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) and Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley).[2]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[3] | 22 |
References
[edit]- ^ Mahan, Colin. "Talent shines in finale". tv.com. Retrieved on 20 August 2006.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 24, 2014). "Glee's 100th Episode Song List Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ "Jennifer Holliday Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.