Looking For Changes

Written by Paul McCartney

Album This song officially appears on the Off The Ground Official album.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 1993

Master release


Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions


"Off The Ground" sessions #1

December 1991 - July 1992


Off The Ground sessions #2

September - October 1992


Related interviews


And It Happened Like This

Mar 01, 1993 • From Club Sandwich

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Song facts

Looking For Changes” is a track from 1993 album “Off The Ground“. From songfacts:

This song is about cruel treatment of test animals used for science experiments. McCartney has been a vegetarian for nearly 40 years and a very active member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). This song was inspired by a montage video McCartney saw of animals being treated cruelly in test labs.

A more abbreviated version appeared at the end of McCartney’s concerts in 1993. This shocked many fans and critics because the video was very gruesome and graphic. For his 1994 VHS release Off The Ground Tour 1993, he put the disturbing montage at the end of the tape. The tape even came with a disclaimer on the back warning people of disturbing images. McCartney later commented, “I showed this clip because people need to see the truth as disturbing as it may be. To me what’s more disturbing is people trying to pretend this isn’t happening.

From Club Sandwich 65:

When Linda and I met we discovered that we’d both been nature lovers as kids, and still were. Then we became vegetarians, which makes you even more aware of animals and their rights, and makes you want to explain to other people how you feel about seeing animals being carted off to the slaughterhouse. Protest songs are quite hard to do. Love songs come easier, at least to someone like me, but in this case I’d been looking through magazines like The Animal’s Voice and Animal Agenda, pretty heavy magazines that show some of the experim entation that goes on in the name of cosmetics, and started to write the song after I saw a picture of a cat with a machine implanted in its head. They just took off the top of its skull and plugged in a machine to find some data. I’m not sure what they were expecting to find inside a cat’s head. So I started to write the song and came up with the line “I saw a cat -with a machine in his brain” and just made it up from there – how the bloke who fed him didn’t feel any pain so I’d like to see him take out the machine and stick it in his own brain. You know, if you need the information so badly, do it to yourself. 

The rest came quite easily. I had another couple of verses about rabbits and then used a bit of poetic licence about monkeys being taught to smoke. They normally use beagles for smoking experiments but it doesn’t matter -it’s still some poor defenceless animal with no rights in the world. Then I got the hook looking for changes, which sort of sums it up in my mind. It really is my feeling that we are all here on this little ball in the universe, humans are the dominant species and we tend to despise everything else. I think it’s “change or die” time for this planet. 

I don’t usually use swear words in a song because it can sometimes seem a bit gratuitous, like you’re just trying to shock, but then again I don’t normally go for songs about animal experiments and when you’re in that hard area these words start to creep in. I’m certainly not a great user of swear words in front of the kids but occasionally – like in ‘Looking For Changes’ – it’s essential to the plot. 

Paul McCartney

From the “New World Tour” tour book:

I thought I’d better try to write a protest song. And that’s not easy. I’ve shied away from it. Rock’n’roll’s much easier, the straight ahead thing like I’m Down way back. But I thought I’d try something more pointed. I looked at animal experiments and took three of them — using a bit of poetic licence, I’m not sure the lyrics are technically accurate.

The first verse is about a cat with a machine in its brain. The image comes from a photo I’d seen of a perfectly ordinary tabby cat with the top of its head removed and this piece of metal stuck in it for the purposes of some scientific experiment.

Then there’s rabbits with tears in their eyes — which is about those companies who are testing perfumes and cosmetics by dropping the stuff in animals’ eyes. When the animals go blind they say, Oh that’s enough, and draw their scientific conclusions. These Belsen/Auschwitz experiments on animals are going on in our name.

Then the final image is of a monkey smoking — I think it’s normally beagles the labs use, but that doesn’t matter. I thought at least I could play that one to me mates at PETA and they’d say, Right on, man. I mean, the worst thing is that animals can’t speak, they can’t say, I want a lawyer.

Paul McCartney

In 2019, the song was used by PETA to support its campaign against experimentation on animals ; and an animated video was produced. From PETA’s site:

To support PETA’s campaign against experimentation on animals, rock ‘n’ roll legend and longtime PETA supporter Paul McCartney has generously given us the rights to use his song “Looking for Changes,” which was inspired by this very issue decades ago. McCartney wants you to know that experiments on animals are cruel and pointless. […]

Last updated on October 28, 2019

Lyrics

I saw a cat with a machine in his brain
The man who fed him said
He didn't feel any pain
I'd like to see that man take out that machine
And stick it in his own brain
You know what I mean

I saw a rabbit with its eyes full of tears
The lab that owned her had
Been doing it for years
Why don't we make them pay for every last eye
That couldn't cry its own tears
Do you know what I mean

When I tell you that we'll all be
Looking for changes
Changes in the way we treat our fellow creatures
And we will learn how to grow

Well I tell you that we'll all be
Looking for changes
Changes in the way we treat our fellow creatures
And we will learn how to grow,
When we're looking for changes

I saw a monkey that was learning to choke
A guy beside him gave him cigarettes to smoke
And every time that monkey started to cough
The bastard laughed his head off
Do you know what I mean

When I tell you that we'll all be
Looking for changes
Changes in the way we treat our fellow creatures
And we will learn how to grow

When we're looking for changes
We're looking for changes
We're looking for changes
We're looking for changes in the way we are

Officially appears on


Off the Ground - The Complete Works

Official album • Released in 1993

2:49 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
Linda McCartney :
Backing vocals
Robbie McIntosh :
Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Hamish Stuart :
Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Paul Wickens :
Backing vocals, Clavinet
Blair Cunningham :
Backing vocals, Drums
Julian Mendelsohn :
Producer
Bob Kraushaar :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
December 1991 - July 1992
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
September - October 1992
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


All Time Favourites

Official album • Released in 1993

Studio version


Off The Ground

Official album • Released in 1993

2:46 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
Linda McCartney :
Backing vocals
Robbie McIntosh :
Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Hamish Stuart :
Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Paul Wickens :
Backing vocals, Clavinet
Blair Cunningham :
Backing vocals, Drums
Julian Mendelsohn :
Producer
Bob Kraushaar :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
December 1991 - July 1992
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
September - October 1992
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


Paul Is Live

Official live • Released in 1993

2:41 • LiveL1

Performed by :
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartneyRobbie McIntoshHamish StuartPaul WickensBlair Cunningham
Paul McCartney :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Engineering, Mixing engineer
Julian Mendelsohn :
Recording engineer
Bob Kraushaar :
Recording engineer

Concert From the concert in Kansas City, USA on May 31, 1993

Session Recording:
July 1993
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Oobu Joobu - Ecology

Official album • Released in 1997

Studio version


Paul Is Live (2019 remaster)

Official live • Released in 2019

2:41 • LiveL1.2019 • 2019 remaster

Performed by :
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartneyRobbie McIntoshHamish StuartPaul WickensBlair Cunningham
Paul McCartney :
Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Engineering, Mixing engineer
Julian Mendelsohn :
Recording engineer
Bob Kraushaar :
Recording engineer
Alex Wharton :
Remastering

Concert From the concert in Kansas City, USA on May 31, 1993

Bootlegs




Lumpy Trousers

Unofficial live

2:41 • Studio version


219 W. 53 Street

Unofficial live • Released in 1993

2:47 • Live • Recorded Live at The Ed Sullivan Theatre, New York 10 December, 1992 - for the "Up Close" TV show

Paul McCartney :
Bass guitar, Piano, Vocals
Linda McCartney :
Background vocals, Keyboard
Robbie McIntosh :
Guitar
Hamish Stuart :
Bass guitar
Paul Wickens :
Keyboard
Blair Cunningham :
Drums

Viva Las Vegas

Unofficial live • Released in 1993


Films


Looking For Changes

2019 • For Paul McCartney

Videos

Album • Off The Ground

Live performances

“Looking For Changes” has been played in 67 concerts and 7 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where Looking For Changes has been played


PETA's 35th Anniversary Party

Sep 30, 2015 • USA • Hollywood • Hollywood Palladium






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