Love Changes Everything Lyrics - Aspects of Love

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Some theatre songs swell to fill a stage; this one stepped off it and took over radio. Andrew Lloyd Webber keeps the architecture simple - a clean chord frame, a steady climb, then that final held line that made commuters miss their stops. Michael Ball gives it a tenor glow without fuss. The lyric by Don Black and Charles Hart trades in plain speech - “love makes fools of everyone” - and that’s precisely why it lands. Out of context it reads like a diary entry; with orchestra it turns into a vow and a warning at once.

Creation History

Written for Aspects of Love, adapted from David Garnett’s 1955 novel, the song opens the show and introduces Alex Dillingham - the role Ball originated in London and on Broadway. Released as a single in January 1989, it lived on the UK chart for 15 weeks and peaked at No. 2, a rarity for a cast recording cut in that era.

Highlights - Key takeaways

1. Anthem built from modest parts - direct lyric plus stepwise melody equals instant recall.
2. Ball’s studio single crossed over - 15 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 2.
3. The duet credit you sometimes see pairs Ball with Kathleen Rowe McAllen on the cast album’s live “Railway Station at Pau” cut.
4. Its afterlife includes gala performances and collaborations, including a 2013 version with Il Divo.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Alex has just fallen headlong for Rose. Before anyone beds anyone or betrays anyone - and in this musical, they do - he lays out the rulebook he’ll keep breaking: once love walks in, nothing stays still. The song sets the compass for every decision that follows.

Song Meaning

On paper it’s a credo. In performance it’s a dare. The hook circles around a small harmonic loop while the vocal line climbs - that upward pressure mirrors how infatuation turns into conviction. The language is uncluttered, which lets the music carry the heat. Structurally it’s theatre craft: establish the idea, test it in later scenes, then let the reprise sting.

Annotations

“Love, love changes everything”

“Love will turn your world around”

“Yes, love, love changes everyone”

Style and instrumentation

Pop-ballad bones with musical theatre musculature - piano and strings carry the line, percussion stays discreet, brass saves its weight for the payoff. The arrangement favors breath and diction, since the lyric works like a thesis more than a love letter.

Emotional arc

Starts reflective, swells into certainty, ends like a pledge held just long enough to feel risky. That final sustain is where audiences usually decide whether they trust the narrator - or not.

Cultural touchpoints

1989 Britain had a rare pop appetite for theatre voices; this track sat on playlists beside Simple Minds and Marc Almond, yet kept its stage DNA intact. Its Tony telecast cameo helped cement the song’s status as the show’s public face.

Key Facts

• Artist: Michael Ball
• Featured: Michael Ball & Kathleen Rowe McAllen on the live “Railway Station at Pau: Love Changes Everything” cast track
• Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Lyricists: Don Black, Charles Hart
• Producer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Release Date: January 1989 single; album released 1989
• Genre: Pop ballad, musical theatre
• Instruments: piano, strings, woodwinds, light percussion, brass pads
• Label: Really Useful (single, UK chart); Polydor for album distribution
• Mood: ardent, declarative
• Length: 3:01 on OLC track listing
• Track #: Opens the recording - often labelled “Railway Station at Pau: Love Changes Everything”
• Language: English
• Album: Aspects of Love - Original London Cast Recording
• Music style: through-composed pop aria with reprise potential
• Poetic meter: mixed conversational iambs with anaphora-led chorus
• © Copyrights: © 1989 The Really Useful Group Ltd.

Questions and Answers

Who produced the original hit recording?

Andrew Lloyd Webber produced Ball’s single and the cast album.

When did the single come out and how did it chart?

January 1989 in the UK - it spent 15 weeks on the Official Singles Chart and peaked at No. 2.

Who wrote the song?

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart.

Why is the track sometimes credited to Michael Ball & Kathleen Rowe McAllen?

That duet credit is for the live “Railway Station at Pau: Love Changes Everything” cut on the Original London Cast album.

Which notable artists have covered it?

Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Hayley Westenra, John Barrowman, Jonathan Antoine, Il Divo with Michael Ball, among others.

Awards and Chart Positions

The track itself didn’t take home trophies, but it carried Aspects of Love into the 1990 Tony conversation - nominations included Best Musical and Best Original Score, plus featured acting nods for Kevin Colson and Kathleen Rowe McAllen. On the UK Singles Chart, Ball’s single peaked at No. 2 and logged 15 weeks.

How to Sing Love Changes Everything

Vocal type and range: Tenor lead sits in the middle and climbs to A4 or A#4 depending on key choice. Many arrangements sit around A major; transpositions abound.

Breath strategy: Treat the opening as a single paragraph - release tension on “love changes everything” then save air for the final sustained “the same.”

Diction: Keep consonants dry and forward. The lyric is everyday language - clarity beats croon.

Tempo feel: Moderate, with a patient crescendo. Don’t rush the stepwise climb - let the harmony do the lifting.

Performance note: If you’re duetting the cast-album live version, trade the melodic spotlight rather than doubling the whole chorus.

Additional Info

Memorable later moments include gala versions at the Royal Albert Hall and a 2013 collaboration with Il Divo. In 2023, a West End revival put Michael Ball back onstage - now as George - and even let that character take a turn with the song, a neat loop for longtime fans.