View source for What I Cannot Change

{{Infobox song
| name       = What I Cannot Change
| type       = single
| cover      = WhatICannotChange2008.jpg
| artist     = [[LeAnn Rimes]]
| caption    = Remix EP artwork
| album      = [[Family (LeAnn Rimes album)|Family]]
| released   = {{start date|2008|08|25}}
| genre      = [[Country music|Country]]
| length     = 5:14 (album version)
4:00 (radio edit)
| label      = [[Curb Records|Asylum-Curb]]
| writer     = {{hlist|[[Darrell Brown (musician)|Darrell Brown]]|LeAnn Rimes}}
| producer   = [[Dann Huff]]
| prev_title = [[Good Friend and a Glass of Wine]]
| prev_year  = 2008
| next_title = When It's Good
| next_year  = 2009
| misc       = 
}}
"'''What I Cannot Change'''" is a song written by [[Darrell Brown (musician)|Darrell Brown]], and co-written and recorded by American [[country music|country]] artist [[LeAnn Rimes]]. The song was released to country radio in August 2008 as the third and final single from her ninth studio album, ''[[Family (LeAnn Rimes album)|Family]]'' (2007). The song was later supported by a set of [[dance music|dance]] remixes, released in November 2008. The song reached number one on the [[Dance Club Songs]] chart.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/dance-club-songs-leann-rimes-long-live-love/|title=LeAnn Rimes Rules Dance Club Songs with 'Long Live Love'|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=23 February 2017}}</ref>

"What I Cannot Change" was praised by critics for Rimes's restrained vocal performance, however the song failed to enter the country charts following its release. The single received a nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance|Best Female Country Vocal Performance]] at the [[51st Annual Grammy Awards|2009 Grammy Awards]], her second consecutive nomination in the category.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/Grammy_awards/51st_show/list.aspx#08 |title=51st Grammy award nominess |publisher=[[Grammy Awards|Grammy.com]] |access-date=February 21, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207085806/http://www.grammy.com/Grammy_Awards/51st_Show/list.aspx |archive-date=February 7, 2009 }}</ref>

The song inspired Rimes to release a book of the same name and launch a "What I Cannot Change" website where fans could share stories of moments where they came to terms with what they could or could not change in their life.<ref>{{cite news |title=LeAnn Rimes: Music, marriage and self-love |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/leann-rimes-music-marriage-self-love-wbna30156100 |access-date=July 7, 2018 |work=[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]] |date=April 10, 2009}}</ref>

==Content==
{{listen
| pos         = right
| filename    = What I Cannot Change.ogg
| title       = "What I Cannot Change" (2008)
| description = A 30 second sample of LeAnn Rimes' "What I Cannot Change", featuring the chorus.
| format      = [[Ogg]]
}}

"What I Cannot Change" is a [[sentimental ballad|ballad]], revealing examination of love relationships and choosing acceptance instead of conflict.<ref name="billboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/singles/e3i4bd22674ba7598a82159d521101d41e1 |title=What I Cannot Change |last=Evans Price |first=Deborah |work=[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] |access-date=September 20, 2009 |date=September 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125032932/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/singles/e3i4bd22674ba7598a82159d521101d41e1 |archive-date=January 25, 2009 }}</ref> The song's chorus is a play on the first line of the [[Serenity Prayer]].<ref name="roughstock">{{cite news |last1=Bjorke |first1=Matt |title=Top 40 Singles of 2008: LeAnn Rimes - "What I Cannot Change" (#4) |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2008/12/21188-top-40-singles-of-2008-leann-rimes-what-i-cannot-change-4 |access-date=July 7, 2018 |work=Roughstock |date=December 29, 2008}}</ref> According to the digital sheet music published by Hal Leonard Music Publishing, the song was composed in the key of [[G major]] and set to a "slow" tempo of 72 [[Tempo#Measurement|BPM]].<ref name="sheet music">{{cite web |title=Leann Rimes "What I Cannot Change" Sheet Music in G Major |url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0061930 |website=Musicnotes.com |date = 21 January 2008|publisher=Hal Leonard Music Publishing |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> Rimes's vocals in the song range from a low note of G{{sub|3}} to a high note of D{{sub|5}}.<ref name="sheet music"/>

==Critical reception==
Writing for ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', Deborah Evans Price called the song a "gorgeous ballad" on which Rimes has never sounded "more emotionally riveting or vulnerable," resulting in her "finest performance ever."<ref name="billboard"/>
''Country Universe'' also praised "What I Cannot Change," calling the ballad, "the finest single of LeAnn Rimes' career."<ref name="CU">{{cite web|url=http://www.countryuniverse.net/2008/08/08/review-leann-rimes-what-i-cannot-change/|title=LeAnn Rimes, "What I Cannot Change"|last=J. Coyne|first=Kevin|date=8 August 2008|publisher=Country Universe|access-date=February 20, 2009}}</ref> Reviewer Kevin Coyne praised the singer's "nuance," using "all of the shades of her voice to communicate the complicated mess of emotions that she is feeling."<ref name="CU"/>
''The 9513'' also reviewed the single and praised Rimes's vocal performance, calling her vocals, "a tremendously sensitive vocal performance that is easily one of the most nuanced of Rimes’ career."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the9513.com/leann-rimes-what-i-cannot-change/|title=LeAnn Rimes - "What I Cannot Change"|publisher=The 9513|date=July 1, 2008|access-date=February 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609162110/http://www.the9513.com/leann-rimes-what-i-cannot-change/|archive-date=June 9, 2009}}</ref> In a review of ''Family'', Jonathan Keefe of ''[[Slant Magazine|Slant]]'' praised the "lovely" song as "the most subtle, understated performance of her career."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Keefe |first1=Jonathan |title=LeAnn Rimes Family {{!}} Album Review |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/leann-rimes-family |access-date=July 7, 2018 |work=[[Slant Magazine|Slant]] |date=October 16, 2007}}</ref> Matt Bjorke of ''Roughstock'' ranked "What I Cannot Change" as the fourth-best country single of 2008 and expressed disappointment at the song's lack of chart success. "No song she's recorded has quite matched this single," writes Bjorke, calling it, "a mature single from a mature album by a mature artist."<ref name="roughstock"/>

==Chart performance==
"What I Cannot Change" failed to enter the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Country Songs]] chart after being released to radio in August 2008.<ref name="roughstock"/> A few months later, however, the song was given several [[electronic dance music]] [[remix]]es and debuted on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot Dance Club Play]] chart in late 2008.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Dance Club Songs: The Week Of December 6, 2008 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs/2008-12-06 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> "What I Can't Change" reached #1 on the chart dated February 28, 2009.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Dance Club Songs: The Week Of February 28, 2009 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs/2009-02-28 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> It became the first country song to top the ''Billboard'' dance chart, surpassing [[Reba McEntire]]'s previous record-best peak of two on the Dance Club Play chart with her cover of [[The Supremes]]' "[[You Keep Me Hangin' On]]".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Betts |first1=Stephen L. |title=LeAnn Rimes Brings 'Change' to Dance Chart |url=http://theboot.com/leann-rimes-brings-change-to-dance-chart/ |access-date=July 7, 2018 |work=The Boot |date=February 20, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Coyne |first1=Kevin John |title=LeAnn Rimes Takes "What I Cannot Change" to No. 1 |url=http://www.countryuniverse.net/2009/02/21/leann-rimes-takes-what-i-cannot-change-to-no-1/ |website=Country Universe |access-date=July 7, 2018 |date=February 21, 2009}}</ref>

==Usage in media==
The song was used in the 2010 release of the film, ''[[Like Dandelion Dust]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Like Dandelion Dust (2010) - Soundtracks |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0981042/soundtrack?ref_=tt_trv_snd |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref>

==Track listings==
'''Remixes EP'''
# What I Cannot Change <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Kaskade]] Radio Mix] &ndash; 3:41
# What I Cannot Change [Jody Den Broeder Radio Mix] &ndash; 4:43
# What I Cannot Change [Scotty K Radio Mix] &ndash; 4:19
# What I Cannot Change [Bronleewe & Bose Radio Mix] &ndash; 4:01
# Good Friend And A Glass Of Wine [Wideboys Electro Radio Mix] &ndash; 3:33
# Good Friend And A Glass Of Wine [Soul Seekerz Radio Mix] &ndash; 3:32
# Headphones [Almighty Radio Mix] &ndash; 3:37

'''Extended Mixes EP'''
# What I Cannot Change [Kaskade Extended Mix] &ndash; 5:08
# What I Cannot Change [Jody den Broeder Extended Mix] &ndash; 8:03
# What I Cannot Change [Scotty K Klub Mix] &ndash; 8:12
# What I Cannot Change [Bronleewe & Bose Extended Mix] &ndash; 6:25
# Good Friend And A Glass Of Wine [Wideboys Electro Mix] &ndash; 5:49
# Good Friend And A Glass Of Wine [Soul Seekerz Extended Mix] &ndash; 8:54
# Headphones [Almighty Extended Mix] &ndash; 8:01

'''What I Cannot Change Exclusive CD''' <small>Released with the book of the same name by LeAnn Rimes and Darrell Brown</small><ref>{{cite book | title=Amazon.com: What I Cannot Change: LeAnn Rimes, Darrell Brown: Books|via=Amazon |date=14 April 2009 |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042P59BE |access-date=June 26, 2011}}</ref>
# What I Cannot Change {{small|(Live)}} &ndash; 4:34
# Spoken Words &ndash; 23:17

'''Promo CD single'''
# What I Cannot Change {{small|(Radio Edit)}} &ndash; 3:40

==Charts==
===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Chart (2009)
!Peak<br>position
|-
{{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|1|artist=LeAnn Rimes|accessdate=October 7, 2011}}
|}

===Year end charts===
{| class="wikitable"
! Chart (2009)
! Position
|-
| US Dance Club Songs (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Dance/Club Songs - Year-End 2009 |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2009/dance-club-songs |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 33
|}

==Release history==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! Country
! Date
! Format
! Version
! Label
! {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! scope="row"| United States
| August 25, 2008
| Country radio
| Original
| rowspan="3"| [[Curb Records|Curb]]
| <ref>{{cite magazine |title=R&R :: Going For Adds :: Country |url=http://gfa.radioandrecords.com:80/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=08/25/2008&Format=4 |magazine=[[Radio & Records]] |access-date=July 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910062825/http://gfa.radioandrecords.com:80/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=08/25/2008&Format=4 |archive-date=September 10, 2008 |date=August 25, 2008}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Worldwide
| rowspan="2"| November 18, 2008
| rowspan="2"| [[Music download|Digital download]]
| Extended mixes [[Extended play|EP]]
| <ref>{{cite web |title=What I Cannot Change (Extended Mixes EP) by LeAnn Rimes on Amazon Music |url=https://www.amazon.com/What-Cannot-Change-Extended-Mixes/dp/B001KKVQP2 |publisher=[[Amazon Music]] |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref>
|-
| [[Remix]]es EP
| <ref>{{cite web |title=What I Cannot Change (Radio Mixes EP) by LeAnn Rimes on Amazon Music |url=https://www.amazon.com/What-Cannot-Change-Radio-Mixes/dp/B001KKQTBS |publisher=[[Amazon Music]] |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{LeAnn Rimes singles}}

[[Category:2008 singles]]
[[Category:LeAnn Rimes songs]]
[[Category:Curb Records singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Darrell Brown (musician)]]
[[Category:Songs written by LeAnn Rimes]]
[[Category:2008 songs]]