Justin Bieber has released ” Change Me,” the ninth single from his “Music Monday” series.
It’s a radical change of pace from last week’s uptempo , that sees the 19-year-old slow things down again and exploring jazz chordings anchored in R&B served up with an intimate vocal and mature lyrics.
Taking to Twitter intermittently before the premiere, which came early, Justin described his latest song as “very personal.”
To that end, the Canadian is accompanied by piano only until the first chorus when a bass creeps in.
Thematically, “Change Me” centers on a personal relationship. But unlike the majority of his Journals — “Heartbreaker,” “Bad Day,” “All Bad,” “Recovery,” and “Roller Coaster” — Bieber isn’t mourning a lost love.
This time he appears to be telling a potential or current female interest he is ready for, and willing, to change to make their connection work.
“Girl, I’m ready if you’re ready now / Ooh, is it ever gonna be? / If you’re with it then I’m with it now/ To accept all responsibility / I’d go out of my way to live by the words that you say / I don’t wanna be the same,” he sings in the first verse.
It’s not necessarily clear whether the song odes the heartthrob’s ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez , or is a window into a conversation Bieber is having with a new amour about his hang-ups.
The chorus slinks in atop darker notes: “Maybe you could change me / Maybe you could change me / Maybe you could be the light that opens up my eyes / Make all my wrongs right / Change me, change me.”
A scorcher lyric drops in the second verse when Justin sings:
“Don’t fight fire with fire / If I’m screaming, talk quieter / Understanding and patience / Feel the pain that I’m facing / Be like serenity help me position my mind / Take a chance make a difference in my life.”
A light, percussive beat and a cowbell kick in on the second chorus before a stripped back repeat of the first verse lyric in the coda.
With just one song left to go in Bieber’s “Music Mondays” kitty and increasing quality in play, if the last single is as outstanding as the penultimate the teen star is on target to graduate as a young, adult artist with honors.
To view “Change Me” lyrics in full click here . The song is now available on iTunes .
