diff --git a/src/BackgroundUtil.cpp b/src/BackgroundUtil.cpp
index 6644d1593d..d101be23e1 100644
--- a/src/BackgroundUtil.cpp
+++ b/src/BackgroundUtil.cpp
@@ -68,6 +68,25 @@ RString BackgroundChange::GetTextDescription() const
 	return s;
 }
 
+RString BackgroundChange::ToString() const
+{
+	/* TODO:  Technically we need to double-escape the filename
+	 * (because it might contain '=') and then unescape the value
+	 * returned by the MsdFile. */
+	return ssprintf("%.3f=%s=%.3f=%d=%d=%d=%s=%s=%s=%s=%s",
+			this->m_fStartBeat,
+			SmEscape(this->m_def.m_sFile1).c_str(),
+			this->m_fRate,
+			this->m_sTransition == SBT_CrossFade,		// backward compat
+			this->m_def.m_sEffect == SBE_StretchRewind, 	// backward compat
+			this->m_def.m_sEffect != SBE_StretchNoLoop, 	// backward compat
+			this->m_def.m_sEffect.c_str(),
+			this->m_def.m_sFile2.c_str(),
+			this->m_sTransition.c_str(),
+			SmEscape(RageColor::NormalizeColorString(this->m_def.m_sColor1)).c_str(),
+			SmEscape(RageColor::NormalizeColorString(this->m_def.m_sColor2)).c_str());
+}
+
 
 const RString BACKGROUND_EFFECTS_DIR =		"BackgroundEffects/";
 const RString BACKGROUND_TRANSITIONS_DIR =	"BackgroundTransitions/";
diff --git a/src/BackgroundUtil.h b/src/BackgroundUtil.h
index 80d36b8a92..c4907b590c 100644
--- a/src/BackgroundUtil.h
+++ b/src/BackgroundUtil.h
@@ -64,6 +64,11 @@ struct BackgroundChange
 	RString m_sTransition;
 
 	RString GetTextDescription() const;
+	
+	/**
+	 * @brief Get the string representation of the change.
+	 * @return the string representation. */
+	RString ToString() const;
 };
 /** @brief Shared background-related routines. */
 namespace BackgroundUtil
diff --git a/src/NotesWriterSM.cpp b/src/NotesWriterSM.cpp
index 05863f9af0..4be321e651 100644
--- a/src/NotesWriterSM.cpp
+++ b/src/NotesWriterSM.cpp
@@ -19,31 +19,6 @@
 
 ThemeMetric<bool> USE_CREDIT	( "NotesWriterSM", "DescriptionUsesCreditField" );
 
-/**
- * @brief Turn the BackgroundChange into a string.
- * @param bgc the BackgroundChange in question.
- * @return the converted string. */
-static RString BackgroundChangeToString( const BackgroundChange &bgc )
-{
-	// TODO: Technically we need to double-escape the filename (because it might
-	// contain '=') and then unescape the value returned by the MsdFile.
-	RString s = ssprintf( 
-		"%.3f=%s=%.3f=%d=%d=%d=%s=%s=%s=%s=%s", 
-		bgc.m_fStartBeat, 
-		SmEscape(bgc.m_def.m_sFile1).c_str(), 
-		bgc.m_fRate, 
-		bgc.m_sTransition == SBT_CrossFade,		// backward compat
-		bgc.m_def.m_sEffect == SBE_StretchRewind, 	// backward compat
-		bgc.m_def.m_sEffect != SBE_StretchNoLoop, 	// backward compat
-		bgc.m_def.m_sEffect.c_str(), 
-		bgc.m_def.m_sFile2.c_str(), 
-		bgc.m_sTransition.c_str(),
-		SmEscape(RageColor::NormalizeColorString(bgc.m_def.m_sColor1)).c_str(),
-		SmEscape(RageColor::NormalizeColorString(bgc.m_def.m_sColor2)).c_str()
-		);
-	return s;
-}
-
 /**
  * @brief Write out the common tags for .SM files.
  * @param f the file in question.
@@ -155,7 +130,7 @@ static void WriteGlobalTags( RageFile &f, Song &out )
 			f.Write( ssprintf("#BGCHANGES%d:", b+1) );
 
 		FOREACH_CONST( BackgroundChange, out.GetBackgroundChanges(b), bgc )
-			f.PutLine( BackgroundChangeToString(*bgc)+"," );
+			f.PutLine( (*bgc).ToString() +"," );
 
 		/* If there's an animation plan at all, add a dummy "-nosongbg-" tag to indicate that
 		 * this file doesn't want a song BG entry added at the end.  See SMLoader::TidyUpData.
@@ -171,7 +146,7 @@ static void WriteGlobalTags( RageFile &f, Song &out )
 		f.Write( "#FGCHANGES:" );
 		FOREACH_CONST( BackgroundChange, out.GetForegroundChanges(), bgc )
 		{
-			f.PutLine( BackgroundChangeToString(*bgc)+"," );
+			f.PutLine( (*bgc).ToString() +"," );
 		}
 		f.PutLine( ";" );
 	}
diff --git a/src/NotesWriterSSC.cpp b/src/NotesWriterSSC.cpp
index 8d9434e10f..8ca8140231 100644
--- a/src/NotesWriterSSC.cpp
+++ b/src/NotesWriterSSC.cpp
@@ -16,31 +16,6 @@
 #include "Song.h"
 #include "Steps.h"
 
-/**
- * @brief Turn the BackgroundChange into a string.
- * @param bgc the BackgroundChange in question.
- * @return the converted string. */
-static RString BackgroundChangeToString( const BackgroundChange &bgc )
-{
-	// TODO: Technically we need to double-escape the filename (because it might contain '=') and then
-	// unescape the value returned by the MsdFile.
-	RString s = ssprintf( 
-		"%.3f=%s=%.3f=%d=%d=%d=%s=%s=%s=%s=%s", 
-		bgc.m_fStartBeat, 
-		SmEscape(bgc.m_def.m_sFile1).c_str(), 
-		bgc.m_fRate, 
-		bgc.m_sTransition == SBT_CrossFade,		// backward compat
-		bgc.m_def.m_sEffect == SBE_StretchRewind, 	// backward compat
-		bgc.m_def.m_sEffect != SBE_StretchNoLoop, 	// backward compat
-		bgc.m_def.m_sEffect.c_str(), 
-		bgc.m_def.m_sFile2.c_str(), 
-		bgc.m_sTransition.c_str(),
-		SmEscape(RageColor::NormalizeColorString(bgc.m_def.m_sColor1)).c_str(),
-		SmEscape(RageColor::NormalizeColorString(bgc.m_def.m_sColor2)).c_str()
-		);
-	return s;
-}
-
 /**
  * @brief Turn a vector of lines into a single line joined by newline characters.
  * @param lines the list of lines to join.
@@ -292,7 +267,7 @@ static void WriteGlobalTags( RageFile &f, const Song &out )
 			f.Write( ssprintf("#BGCHANGES%d:", b+1) );
 
 		FOREACH_CONST( BackgroundChange, out.GetBackgroundChanges(b), bgc )
-			f.PutLine( BackgroundChangeToString(*bgc)+"," );
+			f.PutLine( (*bgc).ToString() +"," );
 
 		/* If there's an animation plan at all, add a dummy "-nosongbg-" tag to
 		 * indicate that this file doesn't want a song BG entry added at the end.
@@ -308,7 +283,7 @@ static void WriteGlobalTags( RageFile &f, const Song &out )
 		f.Write( "#FGCHANGES:" );
 		FOREACH_CONST( BackgroundChange, out.GetForegroundChanges(), bgc )
 		{
-			f.PutLine( BackgroundChangeToString(*bgc)+"," );
+			f.PutLine( (*bgc).ToString() +"," );
 		}
 		f.PutLine( ";" );
 	}