Change (Taylor Swift Song) - Composition

Composition

The duration of "Change" is four minutes and forty six seconds. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described the song's genre as a "kind of orthodontically perfect pop rock". He said the most country part of the song were lyrics that referenced Catholicism with the word "hallelujah". It is set in common time and has a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute. It is written in the key of F major and Swift's vocals span one octave, from F₃ to B♭₄. They were described to have a nasal tone when using her voice above mezzo forte. It follows the chord progression F–F/E–Dm–B♭. "Change" relies on a string-swathed instrumentation.

The lyrics of "Change" speak of overcoming obstacles and achieving triumph, while instilling hope in oneself. It centers around the concept of surpassing others' expectations and the limitations they set out. The song turns the notion of fearlessness into a movement that is not specified. Dave Heaton of PopMatters noted the lyric "I believe in whatever you do" meant Swift was unconcerned with the specifics of the cause. He presumed it was a universal message or was about changing the traditions of country music sound and defying the expectations of what country artists can achieve with their careers. Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone believed the lyrics addressed political issues.