 The song was recorded in December 2007 , when she recognized it applied to more scenarios and had a " bigger meaning " than originally . American television network National Broadcasting Company ( NBC ) had asked Swift to perform at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , China . However , an appearance could not be scheduled because Swift was touring at the time . Instead , Swift 's father suggested using " Change " as a theme for the event . Therefore , " Change " was used during NBC 's daily video highlights in August 2008 , prior to the release of Fearless . " I wrote the song ‘ Change ’ as an underdog story . It ’ s kind of crazy to think that the Olympics chose this as one of the songs to play during the Olympic Games " , Swift commented . It was included on the AT & T Team USA Soundtrack ( 2008 ) . The song was released as a promotional single on the iTunes Store on August 8 , 2008 . All proceeds were donated to the United States Olympic team . 
