Girl You Need a Change of Mind

In 1971, Eddie Kendricks discovered The Young Senators, a band that had recently gained attention with their debut single, "Jungle," which topped local and regional R&B charts. After meeting with the band’s leader, Jimi Dougans, Kendricks invited them to be his backing band, and they soon began touring with him and recording his next album.{{sfn|Lornell|Stephenson|2009|pp=74–75}}{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/culture/2014/05/eli-meir-kaplan-photographs-soul-and-funk-musicians-in-washington-d-c-in-his-series-soul51-photos.html|title=Legends of Soul and Funk in the Nation's Capital |website=Slate|date=May 12, 2014|author=Teicher, Jordan G.}} They recorded it in January of 1972, and according to Dougans himself, Kendricks, the engineer, producers, and band members were up at three o'clock in the morning to record the song, driven by the high energy in the studio.{{cite web|url=https://downbeat.com/news/detail/eddie-kendricks-people-was-no-accident|title=Eddie Kendricks' 'People' Was No Accident|date=February 11, 2020|author=Contreras, Ayana|website=DownBeat}}

The instrumental of the song consists of a kick drum on a midtempo beat, a deep bassline, horns, and a piano melody. Kendricks' falsetto vocals are over this arrangement.{{sfn|Fletcher|2009|pp=285}} The song is noted for its gospel influence, with Frank Wilson's production featuring strings, and a dramatic breakdown and buildup.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/06/04/726180343/searching-for-discos-cro-magnon|title=Searching For Disco's Cro-Magnon|date=June 4, 2019|website=NPR|author=Heller, Jason}} The lyrics of "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" explore themes of love and relationships, emphasizing the idea that love is a formless entity where power dynamics between men and women were not present.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9935-the-200-best-songs-of-the-1970s/|title=Eddie Kendricks: "Girl, You Need a Change of Mind" (1972)|website=Pitchfork|series=The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s|author=Nelson, Brad}} Kendricks also addresses the women's rights movement and the women's liberation movement in North America, expressing concerns by questioning why women marched in picket lines.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-motown-songs-1139063/eddie-kendricks-girl-you-need-a-change-of-mind-1972-1142742/|title=The 100 Greatest Motown Songs|author=Leight, Elias|date=March 30, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone}}

Lindsay Planer of AllMusic described it as "nothing short of an epic precursor to the extended four-on-the-floor numbers that would soon be christened as "disco.""{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/peoplehold-on-mw0000691647|title=People...Hold On|author=Planer, Lindsay|website=AllMusic}} Andrew Hamilton called it as having "wicked rhythms and urgent singing by Kendricks".{{sfn|Bogdanov|2003|pp=387}} "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" was included in Pitchfork's list of the top 200 best songs of the 1970s, ranking at number 173. Author Brad Nelson described the track as "decidedly unpsychedelic," but noted that it also had "something hallucinatory" in its feel. It was also featured in UDiscoverMusic's list of the Best 70s Songs, and while the site noted that the lyrics "may not be lyrically PC," they praised the track for its "dramatic approach and steady-rolling beat."{{cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/top-70s-songs/|title=Best 70s Songs: 200+ Tunes From Rock Music, Soul, And More|website=UDiscoverMusic|date=January 31, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/overlooked-70s-motown-albums-need-to-know/|title=70s Motown Albums You Need To Know: Overlooked Soul Classics Rediscovered|date=February 5, 2024|author=McCann, Ian|website=UDiscoverMusic}}

Although the single never became a commercial hit, "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" persisted as an underground dance anthem, particularly in New York City clubs.{{sfn|Fletcher|2009|pp=286}} According to Tim Lawrence, American DJ David Mancuso, known for hosting parties at "The Loft," attracted a diverse crowd including many gay men of color who reportedly "bellowed out the chorus" when the song was played.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/01/arts/music/queer-disco-playlist.html|title=15 Songs That Shook New York's Queer Dance Floors in the 1970s and '80s|author=Lawrence, Tim|date=July 1, 2020|website=The New York Times}} It has been described as a prototype for the disco genre.{{sfn|Echols|2010|pp=14}}{{cite web|url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/413206/remembering-leroy-fleming-soul-searchers-member/|title= Remembering Leroy Fleming, Former Member of Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers |date=March 21, 2013|author=Kiviat, Steve|website=Washington City Paper}} The song was listed at number 92 on Rolling Stone's list of The 100 Greatest Motown Songs.{{Cite magazine|last1=Browne |first1=David |last2=Conteh |first2=Mankaprr |last3=Dolan |first3=Jon |last4=Grow |first4=Kory |last5=Harris |first5=Keith |last6=Hoard |first6=Christian |last7=Leight |first7=Elias |last8=Martoccio |first8=Angie |last9=Newman |first9=Jason |last10=Sheffield |first10=Rob |last11=Shteamer |first11=Hank |last12=Spanos |first12=Brittany |date=2021-03-30|title=The 100 Greatest Motown Songs|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-motown-songs-1139063/|access-date=2022-01-08|magazine=Rolling Stone}}

In 1996, the song was covered by American singer D'Angelo for the film Get on the Bus, which was produced by James Mtume.{{cite web|url=https://www.al.com/erry-2018/02/e061b287d4/25_covers_of_songs_by_alabama.html|title=25 covers of songs by Alabama artists that are almost as good as their originals|website=Al.com|date=February 28, 2018|author=Boyd, Jared}}{{cite web|url=https://andscape.com/features/from-miles-davis-to-biggie-james-mtume-was-a-renaissance-man-of-music/|title=From Miles Davis to Biggie, James Mtume was a Renaissance man of music|author=Murphy, Keith|website=Andscape|date=January 12, 2022}} In July 2017, it was featured in the PBS mini-series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution, which highlighted the proto-disco era. The song was showcased alongside other influential tracks like "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango and "The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.{{cite web|url=https://decider.com/2024/07/17/disco-soundtrack-of-a-revolution-pbs-review/|title=Stream It Or Skip It: 'Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution' on PBS, A Docuseries That Digs Into The Underground Origins And Lasting Legacy Of A Groove |author=Loftus, Johnny|date=July 17, 2017|website=Decider}} The song was also featured in the 2019 Netflix television series She's Gotta Have It, directed by Spike Lee.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/shes-gotta-have-it-season-2-soundtrack-songs-8513022/|title=Frank Ocean, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Madonna & More Will Soundtrack Netflix's 'She's Gotta Have It' Season 2|date=May 24, 2019|author=Kaufman, Gil|magazine=Billboard}}

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;Sources

• {{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xiELEQAAQBAJ&pg=PT1874|title=All Music Guide to Soul|chapter=Eddie Kendricks|pages=|last=Bogdanov|first=Vladimir|year=2003|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-61713-496-8 }}
• {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DzrvOAA2tvAC|title=Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture|last=Echols|first=Alice|date=March 29, 2010|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-07701-8 }}
• {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-koGlfLp7DcC|title=All Hopped Up and Ready to Go: Music from the Streets of New York 1927-77|date=October 26, 2009|last=Fletcher|first=Tony|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-07671-4 }}
• {{cite book|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2tvm04|title=The Beat: Go-Go Music from Washington, D.C.|last1=Lornell|first1=Kip|last2=Stephenson|first2=Charles C.|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|year=2009|jstor=j.ctt2tvm04 |isbn=978-1-60473-241-2 }}

{{Eddie Kendricks}}

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Category:1972 songs

Category:Eddie Kendricks songs

Category:Songs written by Leonard Caston Jr.

Category:Songs written by Anita Poree