I'd Love to Change the World - 2004 Remaster

This song was written by guitarist Alvin Lee, who was the centerpiece of the group. "I'd love to change the world, but I don’t know what to do and I'll leave it up to you. I'm just saying the world does need changing," he said of the song in Vintage Rock. "I'd love to do it, but I haven't got the talent. I don't think I'm a world changer."

The song is a good look at what were considered the big problems in the world in 1971: overpopulation, economic inequality, pollution, war. Alvin Lee often said in later interviews that the song remained just as relevant despite the passage of time.

The first line in this song throws out a few slurs: Every where is freaks and hairies, dykes and fairies "Freaks" and "hairies" are terms that detractors used to describe the band - after all, they did play Woodstock. The dykes and fairies are likely a reflection on how others might see the world, and it also creates a memorable rhyme. Later in the song, Alvin Lee pulls out a rhyme of convenience in the lyrics: Life is funny Skies are sunny Bees make honey Who needs money?