Changed the Locks

"Changed the Locks"
Single by Lucinda Williams
from the album Lucinda Williams
B-side	"Goin' Back Home"
Released	1989
Recorded	June 1988
Studio	Mad Dog (Venice, Los Angeles)
Genre	Blues folk world country
Length	3:39
Label	Rough Trade
Songwriter	Lucinda Williams
Producers	Williams Dusty Wakeman Gurf Morlix
Lucinda Williams singles chronology
"Happy Woman Blues/I Lost It" (1981) "Changed the Locks" (1989) "The Night's Too Long" (1989)

"Changed the Locks" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. It was released in 1989 as the lead single from her eponymous third album (1988).

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers covered the song for the soundtrack album to the 1996 film She's The One, and it reached No. 20 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

Critical reception

Country music website Holler listed "Changed the Locks" as No. 3 of the best Lucinda Williams songs; "Over the course of this slow burner from her self-titled release, Lucinda rises from the depths of debilitation of abuse to finally face her offender. With surmounting strength, the artist reclaims her power with every boot-stomping verse. Contagious rock tones spur solidarity for listeners who have struggled to take the steps detailed throughout the anthem." LA Weekly ranked it at No. 11 on their list of Williams' best 11 songs, calling it "one of her most hard hitting numbers", writing "Her sneering vocal performance fits the song's ill-tempered mood." NPR described it as a "barn burner", while music website Return of Rock ranked it No. 1 on their list of Williams' 12 songs.

Track listing

7" single

• "Changed The Locks" – 3:39
• "Goin' Back Home" – 3:22

Charts

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers version

"Change the Locks"
Promotional single by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
from the album Songs and Music from "She's the One"
Released	1996
Genre	Rock
Length	4:56
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter	Lucinda Williams
Producers	Rick Rubin Tom Petty Mike Campbell
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers singles chronology
"Walls (Circus)" (1996) "Change the Locks" (1996) "Free Girl Now" (1999)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their cover of the song as a single from the soundtrack album Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996). AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it an "excellent cover, performed with affection and vigor."