Singer Gives Black Sabbath Song A Reboot For His Ailing Mother

Feb 01, 2020

The late Charles Bradley, who passed in 2017, is a noted soul singer from Florida. Before his death, he recorded a cover of the Black Sabbath song “Changes” except he gave a unique twist to the heavy metal song and turned it into soul music. The performance has a powerful emotional impact on everyone who has listened to it.

The song is a heavy metal version of a ballad by William “Bill” Thomas Ward, a member of the Black Sabbath, who was mourning his breakup with his wife.

Bradley wasn’t very familiar with the history of the song, and when he heard it, the emotional response it invoked reminded him of the traumatic experience of caring for his dying mother. He said he was in denial that she was dying until she took her last breath, and at that moment, the words of “Changes” popped into his head, as reported here by Rolling Stone. 

He didn’t rehearse for his soul performance of “Changes” and just belted it out, the music coming straight from his breaking heart. His raspy, angelic voice and facial expressions throughout the performance powerfully reveal the emotions he is experiencing and evoke similar ones in everyone who watches.

Although Bradley passed from gastric cancer before he could release the video, the Toronto Star posted it on Youtube, where it has attracted 7.8 million views so far. Many viewers have posted emotional comments about the song.

Why not take a look at this powerful performance and invite others to do so too?