#here you go Sea here's my dollarstore analysis of changes

[bayrut]

Themes in Habit (Louis Tomlinson) vs CHANGES (blackbear) 

Both songs have very similar themes, Louis wrote on both songs, but Habit was written in 2018, and CHANGES in 2019. Even though the topics are the same, it’s interesting how they are discussed in different ways. 

Both songs discuss leaving a relationship, and the singer (i’m referring to them as ‘the narrator’) feels guilty and responsible for the falling out, 

I always said that I'd mess up eventually I told you that, so what did you expect from me? It shouldn't come as no surprise anymore

[...] I'm sorry I let you down

It's sad but true, can't be in love with you

And I worry [...]

while the other person (i’m referring to them as ‘the s/o’ does not feel guilty, even though they have been lying in this relationship.

I know you said that you'd give me another chance But you and I knew the truth of it in advance 

You tell lies and you cry just a little Don't feel bad you shouldn't know that

The s/o is framed by the narrator as being ready and willing to forgive the narrator, to give them a second chance, but those second chances are actually conditional, and false. The s/o has already made up their mind.

I know you said that you'd give me another chance But you and I knew the truth of it in advance That mentally, you were already out the door

On the phone like it's now or it's never

It seems that the narrator was almost passive about the relationship ending, when it happened. They did not fight for the s/o to give them the promised second chance.

That mentally, you were already out the door

Never thought that giving up would be so hard 

I told lies could've tried just a little Could've tried didn't fight for you

The narrator expresses they look back on the relationship and think about it: how hard it was, and they question what happened.

Never thought that giving up would be so hard

Guess that I know what I already knew I was better with you, and I miss you now

It's sad but true, can't be in love with you [...] And it's been on my mind, way too often I can't understand, where we went wrong 

In both, the narrator mentions that they ‘changed’, which is what eventually led to the falling out. But it is clear to the narrator that the change is good, and ‘changing’ is actually what they wanted and needed all along. In Habit, the narrator, doesn’t ‘have to choose anymore’ about being someone they’re not, they decide to be truthful to themself. Also, notice how in CHANGES, the sentence goes from ‘you’ll wake up and you won’t know me’ which refers to the s/o physically waking up, an action, to ‘I’ll wake up and you won’t know me’, here ‘wake up’ does not refer to the physical action of waking up, but rather to ‘realise’ something. I think this distinction is important to make, because it emphasises that the narrator is changing.

[To explain my point above a bit more, it’s like in Walls: ‘nothing wakes you up, like waking up alone’: the first wake up means, ‘to realise something about oneself’, while the second is the physical action of waking up.]

I took some time 'cause I've ran out of energy Of playing someone I heard I'm supposed to be But honestly, I don't have to choose anymore

But I've been going through changes [...] Going through changes without you [...] And I worry one day you'll wake up and you won't know me And I worry one day I'll wake up and you won't know me, anymore

The reason why the narrator feels guilty seems to be that they made a mistake.

I was out of control

You went left, I was wrong and I know that I I did you dirt Couldn't fix this with just words

In Habit, the narrator is ready to take the full blame for the falling out. The narrator is mistaken/illusioned to think that the s/o is innocent, as they are claiming to be. The narrator puts the s/o on a pedestal, and makes it seem that the s/o is not capable of making mistakes. The s/o was the solution for the narrator, they ‘fixed’ the narrator, who was better when part that relationship than alone. In CHANGES, although the narrator feels guilty, they make sure to note that both them and their s/o should take blame for the falling out.

I always said that I'd mess up eventually I told you that, so what did you expect from me?

You gave me the time and the space I was out of control and I'm sorry, I let you down Guess that I know what I already knew I was better with you 

I can't understand, where we went wrong

In Habit, there’s this sense that the narrator really misses the s/o, and keeps coming back to them, even though the relationship depicted in this story seems rather toxic [I think this is a good moment to remember Back To You]. Vs, in CHANGES, there are no regrets about leaving this relationship. Sure, the narrator thinks about the relationship, but it’s only to make sense of it, to understand what happened. The narrator is fully aware that the relationship was toxic, and that both them and the s/o are responsible for the falling out. The narrator has changed, does not mention wanting to go back to this relationship, and is still changing. Whereas in Habit, the narrator mentions that they’ll always need the s/o, despite having changed. 

Never thought that giving up would be so hard God, I'm missing you and your addictive heart

I'll always need ya In front of me, in front of me

You're the habit that I can't break You're the feeling I can't put down You're the shiver that I can't shake You're the habit that I can't break You're the high that I need right now You're the habit that I can't break

Guess that I know what I already knew [...] I miss you now 

And it's been on my mind, way too often I can't understand, where we went wrong

But I've been going through changes Going through changes without you

In summary, both songs are about a break-up. The narrator has realised some things about themself and the relationship, which led them to change and decide to become truer to themself. The main difference is that, in Habit, the narrator thinks that they are fully guilty, and sings about wanting to go back to this toxic relationship; whereas, in CHANGES, the narrator realises that both them and their s/o were guilty, and does not express wanting to go back to this toxic relationship. It’s interesting the changes (pun intended) that a person can go through in the span of a year.

[One final slightly unrelated note, maybe the ‘side girl’ from CHANGES and the ‘second wife’ in Louis’ Fearless refer to similar things...]