''The Changeling'' is a studio album by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

new wave band Toyah, fronted by

Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...

, released in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

Safari Records Safari Records was a British independent record label based in London, England, and operating between 1977 and 1985. Safari Records was formed early in 1977 by Tony Edwards (former co-manager of Deep Purple), Andreas Budde (the son of German musi ...

. The album peaked at number 6 in the UK where it was certified silver for sales exceeding 60,000 copies. It included the Top 40 single "

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarch ...

Background

The album continued the new wave sound of the band's previous release, ''

Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

'', taking it into a darker, almost

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

direction. Willcox wrote the song lyrics in isolation and the material was recorded at the Roundhouse Recording Studios in the

Chalk Farm Chalk Farm is a small urban district of north London, lying immediately north of Camden Town, in the London Borough of Camden. History Manor of Rugmere Chalk Farm was originally known as the Manor of Rugmere, an estate that was mentioned in ...

area of

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

in early 1982. The album was produced by

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Big ...

using early digital studio recording equipment. Some overseas editions, such as the Dutch release, featured an additional 'Digital Recording' logo on the cover sleeve. Original vinyl issues of the album came complete with a lyric insert, the background of which featured drawings of circuit boards. Around the lyrics of each song were sections of poetry written by

, which were not included on the album. The front cover features a photo by

Bob Carlos Clarke Robert Carlos Clarke (24 June 1950 – 25 March 2006) was a British-Irish photographer who made erotic images of women as well as documentary, portrait and commercial photography. Carlos Clarke produced six books during his career: ''The ...

reflected that ''The Changeling'' "wasn't easy to make, in fact it was the unhappiest of all the album experiences, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good album. Not everything has to come effortlessly for it to be right". "I was quite depressed at the time. (...) I was so angry and so anxious to get away from everything that ''The Changeling'' came out as quite a dark piece. (...) I was coming into the studio in very dark moods and incredibly emotional and I cried my way through that album, but in retrospect I think that it's quite a remarkable record". Similarly,

Phil Spalding Philip Spalding (born 19 November 1957, London, England) is an English bass player. He is best known as a session musician and player of Fender Precision Bass guitars. He has played and appeared with performing artists such as Mick Jagger, Sea ...

described it as "an album recorded with great challenges, difficulties and tensions, but a great album nonetheless and overall, my favourite Toyah band album". ''The Changeling'' placed at number 15 in the ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' readers' poll of the best albums of 1982.

Lyrical content

"Street Creature" was written during Toyah's journey from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. The singer explained that it is "a song about being on a street and being real. (...) I'm going back to my roots and nothing is gonna stop me from achieving my goals, doing what I believe in". "The Druids" tells about the ancient

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

s. "What they used to do was strip off naked, they would paint themselves completely blue, (...) and they would have belts around their waists with the severed heads of their enemies on. And they would charge the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. (...) They were known as the

shock troops Shock troops or assault troops are formations created to lead an attack. They are often better trained and equipped than other infantry, and expected to take heavy casualties even in successful operations. "Shock troop" is a calque, a loose tra ...

. They deliberately shocked their enemy and terrified their enemy," Toyah explained. "Angel & Me" was influenced by seeing

Jacob Epstein Sir Jacob Epstein (10 November 1880 – 21 August 1959) was an American-British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British subject in 1911. He often produc ...

's sculpture ''The Archangel Lucifer'' in the

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BM&AG) is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, natural history, archaeology, ethnography, local ...

. Referring to the line "Why do you always cry when you come to see me? I always die to see you smile", Toyah revealed that the person she is talking to is her mother: "I was in hospital and my mum visited me, she'd always start crying. I am now lose to my mother I didn't use to be. I always loved her very much, but she had a weird way of loving me back. I can never remember kissing and cuddling mummy and daddy when I was small. But I love them both, my father is one of my heroes". Toyah has described "The Packt" as "a very dark song and it came from a very dark place. (...) It's often said within the deep, old, medieval scriptures of

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

and

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

that when the end of the world comes you will see twin suns. So, I wanted to write something about this woman meeting the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...

and I wanted her to be a match for the Devil, (...) about using man's most sinister creation to fight the Devil back and that is kind of using the

atom bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

to destroy the Devil. (...) It's about the power of femininity, it's about the Devil destroying femininity, but also I think it's quite a winning song, even though in the

middle eight The 32-bar form, also known as the AABA song form, American popular song form and the ballad form, is a song structure commonly found in Tin Pan Alley songs and other American popular music, especially in the first half of the 20th century. A ...

the nuclear bomb goes off and skin melts from our bones. (...) We are not skin and bones, we are much more. And we go beyond the physical, we go beyond the body, and I believe we are eternal. And I think the Devil is fixated with the flesh. So, we can conquer the Devil eventually". Discussing "Life in the Trees", Toyah said that she "wanted to write a song about the fact that nature is the all-seeing, all-controlling organism, (...) has the power to completely control and reinvent new species. (...) The

pecking order In biology, a dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social animal , social groups interact, creating a ranking system. A dominant higher-ranking i ...

within nature is exactly what we mirror within our interactive lives. (...) We had TV and we had huge corporates, such as

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

and

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

, and they were all running our lives. It's just as dog eat dog as our normal lives are". "Run Wild, Run Free" is about "that 'break loose' moment when you realize if you don't cut ties you are never ever going to cope emotionally. (...) To survive and be the person you are you have to cut yourself free". The singer explained that the closing track "

" "is a sad love song, because I wrote most of it (...) after a tremendous row with my boyfriend. (...) I think everyone goes through the phase when they think no one in the world knows how hurt they are – experiencing a loneliness that no one knows, but everyone knows it".

Release and promotion

Released in June 1982, the album peaked at number 6 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

and was certified silver in 1982 for selling more than 60,000 copies in the UK. It has spent twelve weeks on the UK charts. The album also charted in Norway, peaking at number 22. "

" was the only single taken from the album and was a Top 40 success in the UK. Although further single releases from the album were mooted, none appeared. Toyah promoted ''The Changeling'' with a 25-date concert tour which resulted in the live album '' Warrior Rock: Toyah on Tour''. In 2012, the singer embarked on two legs of the Changeling Resurrection Tour, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the album. ''The Changeling'' was re-released on CD in 1999 and included six bonus tracks, four of which were previously unavailable on CD, as well as the video for "

Thunder in the Mountains "Thunder in the Mountains" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1981 by Safari Records. It was one of Toyah's biggest hits, reaching number 4 in the UK chart. Background The song was wr ...

". One of the bonus tracks was a completed out-take from the recording sessions named "Warrior Rock" which had also appeared as the B-side of the single "Brave New World". Another out-take entitled "Paradise Child" later surfaced on the

collectors album ''

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dra ...

''. A rarer version entitled "Silly Little Girls" using a similar music track but with alternative lyrics (featuring Toyah Willcox improvising 'mild obscenities'), appeared on preparatory demos for the album which have since surfaced on bootleg releases. Several other instrumental tracks from the same demo sessions have never been commercially used.

Track listing

All songs by

and

Joel Bogen Joel Bogen (born 3 September 1958) is an English rock and punk guitarist. He worked with Toyah Willcox from the late 1970s to 1983 as the guitar player in her eponymous band and was the co-writer on nearly all of the material they recorded. B ...

, except where indicated. ;Side one # "Creepy Room" – 3:20 # "Street Creature" – 4:01 # "Castaways" – 3:57 # "The Druids" – 3:31 # "Angel & Me" – 4:47 ;Side two #

"The Packt" – 4:52 # "Life in the Trees" – 3:17 # "Dawn Chorus" (Willcox, Bogen,

) – 3:53 # "Run Wild, Run Free" – 4:02 # "

" – 5:31 ;1999 CD edition bonus tracks #

"Warrior Rock" (Willcox, Bogen, Spalding) – 3:30 #"

" (Willcox,

Adrian Lee Adrian Lee (born 9 September 1957, London, England) is an English musician, known especially for his brass instrumentation work with several well-known acts of the 1980s. Career Lee was first signed to Phonogram Records in the late 1970s as g ...

, Nigel Glockler) – 3:50 #"Voodoo Doll" (Willcox, Bogen, Spalding) – 4:00 #"Good Morning Universe" – 3:38 #"In the Fairground" – 3:14 #" Ieya 1982" (Willcox, Bogen, Pete Bush) – 3:48 ::"Thunder in the Mountains" (video) On the CD reissue, the ending of "Angel & Me" has been edited. After the song has faded out, the original vinyl version featured an echoed drum roll that resembled the sound of a door being locked – this is absent on the CD.

Personnel

;Band members *

– vocals and noises *

– guitar, additional keyboards, vocals *

Andy Clark Andy Clark, (born 1957) is a British philosopher who is Professor of Cognitive Philosophy at the University of Sussex. Prior to this, he was at professor of philosophy and Chair in Logic and Metaphysics at the University of Edinburgh in Scotl ...

– keyboards *

– bass, vocals * Simon Phillips – drums and percussion ;Additional musicians * Simon Darlow – additional keyboards * Nigel Bennett – backing vocals * Phil Smith, Vince Sullavan, Dave Lord – brass ;Production *

– producer * Mark Dearnley – engineer * Ashley Howe – additional engineering * Neil Hutchinson – assistant engineer, tape operator

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Official audio stream
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

The official Toyah website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Changeling, The 1982 albums Toyah (band) albums Albums produced by Steve Lillywhite