[Verse 1]
When will I see you again?
You left with no goodbye, not a single word was said
No final kiss to seal any seams
I had no idea of the state we were in

[Pre-Chorus]
I know I have a fickle heart and bitterness
And a wandering eye, and a heaviness in my head

[Chorus]
But don’t you remember?
Don’t you remember?
The reason you loved me before
Baby, please remember me once more

[Verse 2]
When was the last time you thought of me?
Or have you completely erased me from your memory?
I often think about where I went wrong
The more I do, the less I know

[Pre-Chorus]
But I know I have a fickle heart and bitterness
And a wandering eye, and a heaviness in my head

[Chorus]
But don’t you remember?
Don’t you remember?
The reason you loved me before
Baby, please remember me once more

[Bridge]
Gave you the space so you could breathe
I kept my distance so you would be free
And hope that you find the missing piece
To bring you back to me

[Chorus]
Why don’t you remember?
Don’t you remember?
The reason you loved me before
Baby, please remember me once more

[Outro]
When will I see you again?

21 is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele. It was released on 24 January 2011^[1] in Europe and on 22 February 2011 in North America. The album was named after the age of the singer during its production. 21 shares the folk and Motown soul influences of her 2008 debut album 19, but was further inspired by the American country and Southern blues music to which she had been exposed during her 2008–09 North American tour An Evening with Adele. Composed in the aftermath of the singer’s separation from her partner, the album typifies the near dormant tradition of the confessional singer-songwriter in its exploration of heartbreak, self-examination, and forgiveness.

Adele began writing 21 in April 2009, when still involved in the relationship that subsequently inspired the record. Dissatisfied with once again portraying herself as the musical tragedian of her debut, she had intended to compose a more upbeat and contemporary follow-up. However, studio sessions ended prematurely due to a lack of inspiration. She resumed production immediately after the breakdown of her relationship, channelling her heartbreak and depression into her songs. Adele collaborated with various songwriters and producers, including Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin, Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Jim Abbiss, and Dan Wilson.

Praised by critics for its understated production, vintage aesthetic, and Adele’s vocal performance, 21 defied the modest commercial expectations of her indie record label XL Recordings. The album topped the charts in more than 30 countries and became the world’s best-selling album of the year for 2011 and 2012. In the United Kingdom, it is the best-selling album of the 21st century and fourth best-selling album of all time, while its 23-week tenure atop the UK Albums Chart is the longest by a female solo artist. In the United States, the album held the top position for 24 weeks, longer than any other album since 1985 and the longest by a female solo artist in Billboard 200 history.^[2] As well, it had the most weeks on the Billboard 200 chart of any album by a woman.^[3] It was certified Diamond by the RIAA and was ranked as the “Greatest Billboard 200 Album of All Time.”^[2] It’s also the most certified album ever with more than 400 certifications all over the world.

Five singles were released to promote the album, with “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain” becoming international number-one songs, while “Rumour Has It” charted in the top 20 across Europe and North America. Globally, 21 was the biggest selling musical release for both 2011 and 2012, and helped revitalise lagging sales of the UK and US music industry. With over 31 million copies sold worldwide,^[4] 21 is one of the best-selling albums of all time. Critics hailed the album as a shift from the overtly sexual and musically bombastic status quo, and attributed its success to its deeply autobiographical yet universal songs.^[5] Shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize, 21 won the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year.

Writing and production

Early writing sessions

In April 2009, 20-year-old Adele, who had recently embarked on her first serious relationship with a man 10 years her senior,^[6] began composing the follow-up to her 2008 debut album 19.^[7] In response to the media’s typecasting her as an “old soul” due to the vintage production and sentimental nature of her songs,^[8] Adele decided on a more upbeat and contemporary second album.^[7] However, studio sessions were generally unproductive and, after two weeks, yielded only one song recorded to the singer’s satisfaction—the Jim Abbiss-produced “Take It All,” a lovelorn piano ballad not unlike the songs on 19.^[7][9] Disillusioned with lack of inspiration and the slow progress of the studio sessions, she cancelled the remaining recording session dates.^[10]

Adele had written “Take It All” during a difficult moment in her relationship. When she played the song for her boyfriend, the two got into a bitter argument that culminated in the end of their 18-month relationship.^[11] Heartbroken but musically stimulated, Adele channelled her rush of emotions into her music, crafting songs that examined her failed relationship from the perspectives of vengeful ex-lover, heartbroken victim, and nostalgic old flame.^[12][13][14]

Sessions with Epworth, Smith, and Tedder

Writing for the album began shortly after Adele separated from her lover. Within a day of her break-up, she contacted producer Paul Epworth, intent on capturing her emotion in a song: “We’d had a fuming argument the night before … I’d been bubbling. Then I went into the studio and screamed.”^[7] Although she had initially planned on completing a ballad that she had begun writing with Epworth more than a year ago, the producer suggested that she aim for a more aggressive sound.^[17][18] Together, they restructured the song and re-wrote lyrics to reflect Adele’s recent experience, deciding on the title “Rolling in the Deep.”^[17] The instrumentation evolved organically—after trying out various jazz riffs, Adele attempted the first verse a cappella, inspiring Epworth to improvise a melody on his acoustic guitar. A thumping drum beat was set to mimic her racing heartbeat.^[17] In two days, a demo was recorded to be produced by Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin later that year. However, Adele re-approached Epworth months later to complete production of the song.^[19]

British producer Fraser T Smith recalled following a similar trajectory when he teamed up with Adele to compose the subsequent third single “Set Fire to the Rain” at his MyAudiotonic Studios in London.^[19] After the two had created the demo, Adele revisited her co-writer to record the song with him, instead of the intended producer Rick Rubin. Smith thought Adele’s first attempt superior to subsequent takes, and used the demo as the final production of the song, complete with live drum sounds and an elaborate strings section (arranged by British musician Rosie Danvers).^[19][20]

With the demos to two songs recorded, Adele approached American musician and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, who was in London at the time for a radio show. Tedder had expressed interest in collaborating with the singer after they met at the 2009 Grammy Awards ceremony in February.^[21] He arrived four hours early to their first studio session, buying time to better familiarise himself with some of her previous work.^[19] Although unaware of Adele’s personal predicament, he composed the opening piano sequence and first few lines to what became the lovelorn ballad “Turning Tables“: “Close enough to start a war/All that I have is on the floor.”^[19] Coincidentally, it perfectly captured the experience of the singer, who arrived at the studio moments after another altercation with her former lover. Angry and unfocused, she denounced her ex-lover’s tendency to “turn the tables” on her during their arguments, an expression that Tedder decided to reference in the song’s lyrics.^[21] Adele recorded the demo with Jim Abbiss the following day.

Adele and Tedder arranged a second meeting and reconvened at Serenity West Studios in Los Angeles weeks later to write and record “Rumour Has It.” In an interview, Tedder recalled his astonishment at the singer’s musicality and vocal prowess after she completed the main vocals to the song in 10 minutes: “She sang it once top to bottom, pitch perfect, she didn’t miss a note. I looked at the engineer then at her and said, ‘Adele I don’t know what to tell you but I have never had anyone do that in ten years’.”^[19]

Sessions with Rubin, Wells, and Wilson

After working with Smith, Tedder, and Epworth, Adele travelled to the United States for the remainder of the album’s production. At the suggestion of Columbia Records group president Ashley Newton, she met with songwriter Greg Wells at his studio in Culver City, Los Angeles, where they co-wrote the gospel-tinged ballad “One and Only.”^[22] The song evolved from a four-chord piano progression in a 6/8-metre, which Wells had conceived before meeting with the singer.^[19] The lyrics, aimed at the singer’s new love interest, came together quickly and were later completed with Dan Wilson, with whom she also composed “Someone like You.”^[22] In 2008, Adele’s appearance on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live caught the attention of producer Rick Rubin. In the initial stage of the album’s production Rubin had signed on as its sole producer, and was scheduled to produce all of its songs.^[23] The demos she had recorded with Epworth, Smith, and Tedder (including “Rolling in the Deep” and “Set Fire to the Rain”) were subsequently rerecorded by Rubin when she met with him in his Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California in April 2010.^[9][17][24]

Rubin, notorious for his unorthodox production style, pushed the singer beyond her comfort zone, and despite being drawn to his unconventional methods, Adele described working with the producer as daunting.^[13][25] Rubin had attended many of her shows throughout 2008–2009, and after a Hollywood Bowl performance, approached her to compliment her live sound. When they met in Malibu, he attempted to “capture her live show across on [her] record,”^[17] assembling a team of musicians—including drummer Chris Dave, guitarist Matt Sweeney, James Poyser on piano, and Pino Palladino on bass—to contribute live instrumentation to the recording sessions.^[7][26] He also decided against the use of music samples and electronic instruments.^[25] An advocate of a more free-form approach to music-making, Rubin relied on the moods and feelings behind the music itself to guide the instrumental and melodic arrangement of the songs.^[27] He isolated the singer in the studio and encouraged her, as well as his team of musicians, to approach the production process with more spontaneity and less restraint.^[13][25] The singer even recalled moving the musicians and production team to tears while recording some of the songs.^[28] In an interview, he commented on the nature of the recording sessions:

Her singing was so strong and heartbreaking in the studio, it was clear something very special was happening … The musicians were inspired as they rarely get to play with the artist present, much less singing … Today, most things are recorded as overdubs on track. This was truly an interactive moment where none of the musicians knew exactly what they were going to play and all were listening so, so, deeply and completely to figure out where they fitted in … all of the playing was keying off the emotion on Adele’s outrageous vocal performance.^[19]

After recording the album with Rubin, Adele was dissatisfied with many of the songs.^[24] Ultimately, she decided to scrap most work done in favour of the early takes she did with other producers, including Epworth and Tedder, in order for the music to reflect the raw emotion felt immediately after her break-up.^[29] From her collaboration with Rubin, only five songs appeared on the album: “Don’t You Remember,” “He Won’t Go,” “I’ll Be Waiting,” “One and Only,” as well as the U.S-only track “I Found a Boy.” Weeks after her stint with Rubin, Adele learned of her ex-lover’s recent engagement, inspiring the composition of the album’s final track “Someone like You.” Adele’s record label was initially dissatisfied with the song’s sparse production, which comprised Adele’s voice alongside a sole piano, and requested that it be re-recorded with Rubin’s band. However, the singer opted to keep the arrangement, stating that the song was personal to her and that she wrote it to “free herself.”^[30]

Titling

“[21]’s different from 19, it’s about the same things but in a different light. I deal with things differently now. I’m more patient … more forgiving and more aware of my own flaws … Something that comes with age I think. So fittingly this record is called 21 … Like a photo album you see [my] progression and change … throughout the years. I tried to think of other album titles but couldn’t come up with anything that represented the album properly.”– Adele, on her meaning behind the title.^[31]

Adele first intended to title the album Rolling in the Deep,^[32] her adaptation of the slang phrase “roll deep,” which summarises how she felt about her relationship; in her loose translation, the phrase refers to having someone “that has your back” and always supports you.^[33] However, the singer later deemed the title too confusing for some of her audiences.^[32] Although she had wanted to avoid the number motif of her debut, Adele considered “21” the most fitting title as it represented her age at the time of the album’s composition, serving as an autobiographical period piece, and symbolised the personal maturity and artistic evolution since her debut.^[31][32]

Music and influence

21 bears influences of Adele’s extended exposure to the music of the Southern United States during the North American leg of her 2008–2009 tour An Evening with Adele.^[26][34][35] Frequent smoke breaks with her tour bus driver,^[23] a Nashville, Tennessee native, resulted in her introduction to bluegrass and rockabilly,^[23] and the music of Garth Brooks,^[23] Wanda Jackson, Alison Krauss,^[26] Lady Antebellum, Dolly Parton and Rascal Flatts.^[36] Adele developed an appreciation for the countrygenre, praising what she described as the immediacy of the themes and the straightforward narrative structure of many of the songs she listened to.^[35]

She also expressed her enthusiasm at simply learning a new style of music. Although influenced by Adele’s interest in country music at the time, 21 remains faithful to the Motown influences of 19 and exhibits both gospel and soul music inflections.^[36][37][38] Instruments such as the saxophone, harp, banjo and the accordion contributed to its exploration of blues and soul.^{[34][38][not in citation given]} The singer drew from the music of Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Elbow, Mos Def, Alanis Morissette, Tom Waits, and Sinéad O’Connor in the cultivation of the album’s sound, and credited Yvonne Fair, Andrew Bird, Neko Case, and The Steel Drivers with its musical direction.^[31]

Adele’s style on 21 is generally characterised by critics as soul,^[8] although some suggest that the album eschews any distinct stylistic epithet.^[39] John Murphy of musicOMH characterises the album as British soul.^[40] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that the album’s music is a part of a recent British soul revival that “summoned styles dating back to Motown girl groups and Dusty Springfield.”^[41] Ryan Reed of Paste calls Adele a “British alt-soul prodigy” and the album’s music “the stuff of sensual modern pop-noir landscape, heavy on retro textures and relationship drama.”^[42] Danyel Smith of Billboard views that Adele’s music exhibits influences from Northern soul, Aretha Franklin, Sade, and Bette Midler.^[8][43]

Larry Flick of SiriusXM called 21 “a pop record with soul leanings,” while The Washington Post‘s Allion Stewart commented on the album’s eclectic nature: “Everything on [21] is precisely calibrated to transcend genres, to withstand trends … It’s slightly angled toward country, even more toward R&B,” and “informed, but never overwhelmed, by roots music.”^[39] Mike Spies of Slate argues that soul music is inextricably linked to the political, historical, and cultural experience of African Americans, and that Adele and her contemporaries, far removed from this socio-cultural milieu, can offer only a mere duplicate of actual “soul,” despite a capacity to convincingly channel the sound.^[44]

Songs

The sequence of the tracks on the deeply autobiographical album correlate to the range of emotions Adele experienced after the break-up, progressing from themes of anger and bitterness, to feelings of loneliness, heartbreak and regret, and finally acceptance.^[12][14] The revenge song “Rolling in the Deep,” a “dark, bluesy, gospel, disco tune” in the singer’s own words, was written as a “fuck you” to her ex-lover after his disparaging remarks that she was weak and that her life without him would be “boring and lonely and rubbish.”^[15][16] Opening with an understated acoustic guitar strum, the song’s first lines set the foreboding tone of the album.^[45] Pounding martial beats, shuffling percussion, and piano^[37] coalesce into a dramatic, multilayered chorus^[45] over which “Adele’s voice ranges, dramatizing her search for just the right tone and words to express her dismay that a man would dare break her heart.”^[38] The first single from 21, “Rolling in the Deep” is one of the more apparent influences of the bluesy Americana music that framed the album’s sound.^[46]

“Rumour Has It,” the singer’s tongue-in-cheek retort to the hurtful gossip that surrounded her break-up, was aimed at her own friends for their part in spreading these rumours.^[47][48] Fusing elements of doo-wop and Tin Pan Alley blues,^[49] the percussion-driven song is built on girl-group harmonies, piano chords, pounding kick drumand handclaps,^[47][50] and finds the singer “channeling a ’40s, piano-vixen lounge singer.”^[51] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times pointed out the song’s “hollow counterpoint vocals” and slow, “daringly morbid” bridge that veers from the pounding rhythm before once again acceding to it.^[52] In the studio, Tedder experimented with a riff inspired by Radiohead‘s “I Might Be Wrong,” crediting the song’s drop D tuning and American blues vibe as impetus for “Rumour Has It.”^[19] In “Turning Tables,” a song of domestic dispute,^[53] its narrator assumes a defensive stance against a manipulative ex-lover. Reconciling herself with the termination of a contentious relationship, she vows emotional distance to shield herself from future heartbreak. Bryan Boyd of The Irish Times likened the singer to 1980s Welsh rocker Bonnie Tyler in delivering the vocals with a mixture of anger, pain and pathos.^[42][54] According to Paste magazine, cinematic strings “serve as fitting counterpoint to [the song’s] heartbroken, hollowed-out lyrics.”^[42]

The Rick Rubin-produced fourth track “Don’t You Remember,” co-written by Adele and Dan Wilson, marks a shift in the album’s theme, from anger and defensiveness to reflection and heartbreak. A downtempo country music-styled ballad,^[13][15] the song was added late to the production of the album after the singer grew ashamed of her continued negative portrayal of her ex-lover throughout the album.^[35][55] Its lyrics entreat a past lover to remember the happier moments at the beginning of a now broken relationship.^[35] In “Set Fire to the Rain” the singer delineates the conflicting stages of a troubled union and wrestles with her inability to fully let go.^[56] Accentuated by ornate orchestral flourishes, swirling strings, crescendos,^[37] and dramatic vocal effects towards its climactic end,^[34] the song stands in stark contrast to the otherwise understated production of the album, and in reviews, was characterised by critics as a pop rock power ballad.^[37] To achieve a fuller sound, producer Fraser T Smith incorporated the popular “wall of sound” reverberative technique in framing the song’s dense instrumentation.^[34][57]

“Take It All,” the seventh track, written and recorded with Francis “Eg” White and Jim Abbiss before the breakdown of Adele’s relationship, is a piano and vocal ballad that borrows heavily from pop, soul and gospel.^[9][58][59] In his review of 21, Allmusic‘s Matt Collar called the song the album’s centrepiece, “an instant-classic” in the same vein as “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” and “All by Myself,” and a “cathartic moment for fans who identify with their idol’s Pyrrhic lovelorn persona.”^[58] The track precedes “I’ll Be Waiting,” the second of two songs produced by Epworth, which diverges from the scathing “Rolling in the Deep” in its optimistic tone and brisk, lilted melody.^[50] A protagonist’s mea culpa for a relationship gone wrong, she declares to wait patiently for her lover’s inevitable return.^[60][61] The song was compared to the work of Aretha Franklin for its “huge vocal sound on the chorus, rolling piano and boxy snare,”^[62] while Tom Townshend of MSN Music described its brass section as a Rolling Stones-esque “barroom gospel.”^[63]

Although the album predominantly explores the singer’s failed relationship, not all songs were geared towards her ex-lover. “He Won’t Go,” a nod to hip hop and contemporary R&B,^[49] was a tribute to a friend who battled heroin addiction.^[13] The ninth track “One and Only,” noted for its gospel-tinged vocals, organ, and choir,^[62]was directed at a close friend for whom Adele shared romantic feelings.^[64] And “Lovesong” was dedicated to Adele’s mother and friends, in whom she found solace when she grew homesick and lonely while recording in Malibu.^[28]

The album closes with the “heartbreak adagio“^[65] “Someone like You,” a soft piano ballad that pairs Adele’s vocals with a looping piano melody. In interviews, the singer described it as the summation of her attitude towards her ex-lover by the end of the album’s production.^[66] The song’s lyrics describe a protagonist’s attempt at dealing with her heartbreak after she learns of her ex-lover’s recent marriage and happy new life.^[66] Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice praised the singer’s nuanced vocal performance in the song, which ascends “into a near-shrieked whisper” during parts of the chorus, after which she once again regains composure.^[67] One of the more commended songs on the album, “Someone like You” was praised for its lyrical depth and understated simplicity.^[15][65]

Release and promotion

For the North American release of 21 on 22 February, Columbia Records executives used the “‘long tail‘ sales theory”^[68] to shape its marketing campaign, which, according to Columbia senior VP of marketing Scott Greer, entailed “building a critical mass throughout February in order to reach all those people who bought 19.”^[68] Key to this was the record company approaching internet and media partners Vevo, AOL and VH1 to begin promoting Adele’s old and new songs.^[68] In the months leading up to the European release of 21, Adele embarked on a promotional tour across Europe, performing on the UK’s Royal Variety Performance on 9 December 2010, the finale of reality singing competition The Voice of Holland on 21 January 2011, and on BBC Radio 1‘s Live Lounge on six days later. On 24 January 2011, during the week of the album’s UK release, she performed an acoustic set of selected songs from 21 at London’s Tabernacle music hall, which was screened live on her personal website. Adele performed “Someone like You” at the 2011 BRIT Awards ceremony, which was well received and resulted in a sales increase for both 19 and 21.^[68]

From September to October 2010, Adele embarked on a mini-promotional tour of the US, which included stops in New York and Minneapolis, as well as an exclusive appearance at the famous Club Largo in Los Angeles.^[69] Although she did not use Twitter at the time, Columbia created an account that redirected followers to the singer’s personal blog.^[68] Throughout February, Adele’s personal site hosted a “21 Days of Adele”^[68] promotion, which featured exclusive daily content, including a live chat and a video of the singer explaining the inspiration for each album track.^[68] The week of release was also accompanied by a spate of television appearances on many American daytime and late-night talk shows, such as the Today Show on 18 February, Late Show with David Letterman on 21 February,^[70] and The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 24 February.^[35][68] Adele performed “Someone like You” at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony.

Adele embarked on her second concert tour Adele: Live in support of 21, scheduling more than 60 shows across Europe and North America. The shows received positive reviews, many of which noted the show’s understated nature, the singer’s vocal performance and her accessible persona.^[71] However, recurring health and vocal problems led to numerous alterations to the tour itinerary. The cancellation of the North American leg of the tour was due to a vocal haemorrhage on her vocal cords.^[72] The singer underwent corrective vocal surgery in November 2011 and cancelled all public appearances until February 2012. Adele performed “Rolling in the Deep” at the 2011 ECHO Awards, 2012 Grammy Awards and 2012 BRIT Awards ceremonies.

21 yielded five singles in total, including four worldwide releases. The lead single “Rolling in the Deep” was released in November 2010, and peaked the charts in the Netherlands,^[73] Germany,^[74] Belgium,^[75] Italy, and Switzerland.^[76] It became a top-ten hit in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand,^[77] and Norway. Released in the UK on 16 January 2011, it peaked at number two.^[78] In the US, the song became “the most widely crossed over song of the past twenty-five years,”^[79][80] appearing on a record 12 different Billboard charts (including the Rock Songs chart, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Latin Songs charts).^[79][81] The song spent seven consecutive weeks at the top of the Hot 100,^[81][82] and was ranked the top song and the best-selling song of the year.^[83][84][85]

“Someone like You” debuted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart due to strong digital sales, and after falling to number 47, it ascended to number one when the singer performed it at the 2011 BRIT Awards.^[86][87] It peaked at number one in Australia,^[88] New Zealand,^[77] Italy, Finland, France, Switzerland,^[76] and the US. “Set Fire to the Rain,”^[89] the third single, topped the singles chart in the US, the Netherlands^[90] and Belgium (Flanders),^[91] and reached the top five in Switzerland,^[76]Italy^[92] and Austria. “Rumour Has It” was confirmed as the fourth and final official US single from the album by Ryan Tedder at the Grammy Awards in 2012, and was released 1 March 2012.^[93] In some countries, “Turning Tables” was released as the fourth single. It was the fifth single to be released to US mainstream stations, although it received limited airplay due to an unofficial release. Even though “I’ll Be Waiting” was never released as a single, it charted at No. 29 on the US Triple Achart.^[94]

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on 34 reviews.^[96] In the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot deemed the music an improvement over 19, writing that “21 beefs up the rhythmic drive and the drama of the arrangements.”^[106] Simon Harper of Clashwrote, “[In] two years … she’s clearly seen the world. Where 19 marked the turbulent swan song to a teenage life, 21introduces the realities of adult life, where grown-up responsibilities collide with heartache and emotional scars run deep.”^[107] John Murphy of MusicOMH said that it shared the themes of “pain, sadness and anger” explored on Amy Winehouse‘s Back to Black (2006), while hailing 21 as “one of the great ‘break-up’ albums, and the first truly impressive record of 2011.”^[40] Sputnikmusic‘s Joseph Viney stated that 21 combined the “best bits of Aretha Franklin’s old-school soul with Lauryn Hill’s sass and sense of cynical modern femininity.”^[108]

Sean Fennessey from The Village Voice wrote that the album “has a diva’s stride and a diva’s purpose. With a touch of sass and lots of grandeur, it’s an often magical thing that insists on its importance … the line here between melodrama and pathos is wafer-thin, and Adele toes it deftly. It’s what separates her from her contemporaries in the mid-’00s wave of British white-girl r&b-dom.”^[67] Q commented that, despite a “slightly scattershot quality … greatness is tantalizingly within reach.”^[102] In The New York Times, Jon Pareles applauded the singer’s emotive timbre, comparing her to Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, and Annie Lennox: “[Adele] can seethe, sob, rasp, swoop, lilt and belt, in ways that draw more attention to the song than to the singer.”^[109] Ryan Reed of Paste regarded her voice as “a raspy, aged-beyond-its-years thing of full-blooded beauty,”^[42] while MSN Music‘s Tom Townshend declared her “the finest singer of [our] generation.”^[63]

Matthew Cole from Slant Magazine was less impressed, believing Adele’s vocals masked the “blandness” of many of the songs, a fault that he said would have been more apparent had they been performed by a lesser talent.^[49] Allison Stewart of The Washington Post claimed that many tracks were remarkable “only because Adele is singing them.”^[39] Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honourable mention in his consumer guide for MSN Music, writing that “part of me likes how many albums this proud white-soul normal has sold, but the part that likes fast ones wins.”^[110][111]

Commercial performance

21 debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on 30 January 2011 with first-week sales of 208,000 copies.^[112] While in its fourth consecutive week at number one, Adele performed “Someone like You” at the 2011 BRIT Awards, resulting in a sales surge of 890 percent on Amazon.co.uk within an hour of the show’s broadcast.^[113] 19 climbed to number four on the UK Albums Chart, making Adele the first living act since The Beatles in 1964 to have two UK top five albums and singles simultaneously.^[114] A week later, 19 rose to number 2 in its 102nd week of release, this made Adele the first act to occupy the chart’s top two spots since The Corrs in 1999.^[115][116] 21 achieved separate consecutive number-one spells during its 2011 chart run on the UK Albums Chart, claiming the top spot for 11 straight weeks between February and April 2011, then for five consecutive weeks between April and June,^[117] and then for another two weeks in July 2011.^[117] It amassed 23 weeks at number one to date.^[118] Midway through 2012, 21 was the best-selling album of the year despite being released in early 2011.^[119] In December 2012, 21overtook Oasis‘ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? to become the fourth best-selling album of all time in the UK.^[120] By December 2012, 21 had spent 101 weeks in the UK Albums Chart Top 75, including 95 weeks in the Top 40, 76 weeks in the Top 10 and 23 weeks at number one. It has sold over 5 million copies as of January 2017, making the biggest selling album since 2000 in the UK, and fourth biggest seller of all time there.^[121]

Globally, 21 is the best-selling album of the past decade according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry,^[122] and topped the charts in more than 30 countries.^[123][124] In July 2012, the album was certified decuple platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, denoting sales of ten million copies across Europe, making it the highest-certified album in Europe since the IFPI Platinum Europe award was launched in 1996.^[125] The album lodged 35 weeks atop the Irish Albums Chart,^[126] the longest in the chart’s history,^[127] and sold over 270,000 copies.^[126] Charting 124 weeks in Finland from early 2011 to summer of 2013 (with 11 weeks atop) and re-entering in early 2014, 21 became the second-longest-charting album of all time in the country behind Keskiviikko… 40 ensimmäistä hittiä by Leevi and the Leavings.^{[128][129][130]} 21 spent 32 weeks at number-one on the Australian ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart, 10 of which were consecutive. Adele also replicated her UK chart record when she achieved two titles in the top five of the ARIA Album and Singles chart simultaneously.^[131] In December 2012, it was announced that 21 was nearing sales of one million in Australia. This makes 21 only the seventh album to ever achieve this feat in Australia and the first to do so since Delta Goodrem‘s Innocent Eyes.^[132] On the New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart, 21 debuted at number-one in January 2011, and spent 28 weeks at the summit in 2011.^[133][134] Except for a single week at number six on the week ending 21 November 2011, the album remained in the top five for 70 consecutive weeks. Its 38 accumulated weeks at the top is the longest in New Zealand chart history.^[77]

Released 22 February in the US, 21 debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 352,000 copies.^[135][136] The album remained in the top three for its first 24 weeks,^[137] the top five for a record 39 consecutive weeks, and the top 10 for a total of 84 weeks, That staggering sum ties the album with Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. for the second-most weeks in the region.^{[138][139][140]} 21 became the best-selling digital album of all time in the US, selling 6 million copies by January 2012.^{[141][142][143]} On 17 May 2012, 21 became the 29th album since 1991 to sell over 9 million copies in the United States and became the first album in the United States to sell that amount since Usher‘s Confessions reached sales of 9 million in 2005.^[144] By November 2012, it had sold 10 million copies, a feat achieved in 92 weeks, making it the fastest album to sell 10 million since ‘N Sync‘s No Strings Attached in 2001.^[145][146] In February 2015, it was announced that the album had spent 208 straight weeks, or four years, on the Billboard 200 chart, spending only 24 of those weeks outside the Top 100.^[147]

As of October 2017, 21 has sold 11.87 million copies in the United States, becoming the ninth largest-selling album since Nielsen Music started tracking sales in 1991.^[148] The album’s performance on the Billboard 200 chart earned 21 the distinction of all-time number one album on the chart, according to a summary performed by Billboard in November 2015.^[2] In Spring 2017, the album broke the record for the longest-charting album by a female artist on the Billboard 200, surpassing Tapestry by Carole King.^[149] In Canada, 21 spent 28 weeks at number one, and was certified diamond in January 2012 by Music Canada for shipment of 800,000 copies of the album.^[150][151] 21 had sold over 1.489 million copies by January 2013, making it the third best-selling album in Canada, since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales.^[152]

Accolades

The album was nominated for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize.^[153] In November 2011, Adele won three American Music Awards including Favorite Pop/Rock Album for 21.^[154] Adele has seven Grammys for 21, in February 2012 she won the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 21, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video for “Rolling in the Deep,” and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Someone like You.”^[155] Her producer, Paul Epworth won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. In February 2013, a live rendition of the album’s third single “Set Fire to the Rain,” included on Live at the Royal Albert Hall, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance. On 21 February 2012, 21 won the British MasterCard Album of the Year at the 2012 BRIT Awards.^[156] It also won the 2012 Juno Award for International Album of the Year.^[157]

21 appeared on many year-end best-of lists. The album was ranked the best album of the year by the Associated Press,^[158] The Austin Chronicle, Entertainment Weekly,^[159] Star Tribune,^[160] Digital Spy,^[161] MSN Music,^[162] New York Daily News,^[163] Rolling Stone,^[164] TIME magazine,^[165] and editors of USA Today.^[166] Critics at Billboard voted the album number-one of the year,^[167] while Scottish newspaper the Daily Record,^[168] editors of Amazon^[169] and the editors at Rhapsody^[170] also ranked the album at number one. The album appeared in the runner-up spot on MTV’s list of the Best Albums of 2011^[171] as well as lists produced by The Boston Globe,^[172] The Hollywood Reporter^[173] and Toronto Sun.^[174] It placed within the top 10 on lists produced by American Songwriter,^[175] Q,^[176] Los Angeles Times,^[177]Clash,^[178] and The Washington Post.^[179] “Rolling in the Deep” consistently placed high on various year-end critics’ list, and was ranked the best song of the year in The Village Voice‘s Pazz and Jop mass critics’ poll.^[180] In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked the album number six on its list of Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time.^[181] As of January 2015, Billboard named 21 as the third best album of the 2010s (so far).^[182] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[183]

Impact and response

The album’s success has been attributed to its cross-cultural appeal,^[139][185] which has catered to fans of various genres of pop, adult contemporary and R&B,^[139] as well as various generations and musical timelines.^[186][187] According to Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker the album’s success in the US can be attributed to its target audience—that is, “middle-aged moms … the demographic that decides American elections.”^[188] Critics also suggest that the album’s understated musical production and relative lack of artifice are striking deviations from the “bombastic theatrics” of the mainstream music industry.^[187][189] Ethan Smith of The Wall Street Journal found that Adele’s “deliberately unflashy” nature, full figure, and “everywoman” appeal gave her a lucrative niche in the market,^[36][190] while her tendency to emphasise “substance over style” made her the “Anti-Lady Gaga.”^[36] Guy Adams of The Independent argued that 21‘s success signals the re-emergence of the more traditional approach to commercial success:

There are two approaches to the business of being noticed by today’s record-buying public. The first … revolves around oodles of hype and ever-more preposterous wardrobe selections. The second … requires … the confidence to let your music do the talking… Amazingly, given preconceived notions about America’s supposed preference for style over substance, it is the second of these two sales techniques which appears to be working better.^[190]

With the release of 21, critics began to tout Adele as the new torchbearer for the British soul music that ascended to the American mainstream via Duffy, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen. Although the initial popularity of these artists in the early 2000s incited the media to declare a “new wave of British invasion,”^[191]Joseph Viney of Sputnikmusic saw their subsequent absence as an opportunity for Adele to “stake her claim as the UK’s leading solo female artist.”^[108] John Murphy of MusicOMH declared the album “a timely reminder that British soul hasn’t lost its mojo.”^[40] Indie label XL Recordings founder Richard Russell discussed what be believed to be the quasi-subversiveness of 21‘s chart dominance. Characterising the success of 21 as “almost political and sort of radical,”^[192] Russell stated that the lack of gimmicks in Adele’s music undermined the widespread perception that female performers have to conform to specific body-types, or imbue their music with gratuitous sexual imagery, in order attain success.^[192]

Legacy

In September 2011, Adele claimed Guinness World Records for becoming the first female artist to have two singles and two albums in the UK top five simultaneously. 21 also became the first album in UK chart history to reach sales of three million copies in a calendar year, and set records for the most consecutive weeks with a UK number-one album (solo female) with 11 weeks (overtaking Madonna‘s 1990 compilation The Immaculate Collection^[123]), and the most cumulative weeks at number one (solo female) in the UK.^[193][194]

“21” sold 4 million copies by February 2012 and by March, it had been certified 16-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industryfor shipments of 4,500,000 units, the highest ever certified album in the UK.^[118][195] It is also the most downloaded album in UK history,^[196] the biggest-selling album of the 21st century in the UK,^[197] and the 4th best selling album in the UK of all time.^[198][199]Sales of 21 helped increase XL Recordings‘, Adele’s record label, bank balance from £3million to £32million in the space of 12 months.^[200] In late November 2012, 21 fell out of the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart for the first time since its release in January 2011.^[201]

With 21, Adele became the first female to have three singles simultaneously in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist.^[202]In the week ending 23 February 2012, she also became the first female artist to place two titles in the top five of both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 concurrently, with 21 and 19 occupying number one and number four on the Billboard 200 respectively, and “Set Fire to the Rain” and “Rolling in the Deep” at number two and five respectively.^[202]

On 14 June 2012, 21 scored its 24th week atop the US album charts, the longest since Prince‘s Purple Rain finished a non-consecutive 24-week run in 1985. The album is also the longest-running number-one by a UK studio album (excluding soundtracks and group acts),^[203] the longest-running number-one album by a female solo artist ever in the US,^[204] and the longest-running number-one in the SoundScan era.^[142][204] The album also spent 24 non-consecutive weeks at number 2.^[205]

21 is credited with saving the first quarter album sales of 2012 in the United States. Without 21, the first quarter of 2012 would have been down 3.4% compared to the first quarter of 2011. 21 sold more copies in the first quarter of 2012 than any album since 2005 and is the oldest album to be the best-selling album in the first quarter of the year since No Doubt‘s Tragic Kingdom in 1997. On 28 November 2012, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it Diamond after having sold more than 10 million copies in the United States alone; it is the first album released in the 2010s to achieve Diamond certification.^[206] In December 2012, it was announced that 21 was the best-selling album on iTunes for two years in a row.^[207]

21 was the best-selling album of both 2011 and 2012 in the United States and Canada despite being over a year old.^[208][209] It is the first album to be the best-selling album two years in a row since Michael Jackson‘s Thriller was the best-selling album of 1983 and 1984. Despite being over a year old, 21 sold more copies in 2012 than the best-selling albums of 2006 through 2010 sold in their respective years. It is also one of only four albums in the Nielsen SoundScan era to sell over 4 million copies in each of two calendar years. Due to these successes, Billboarddeclared Adele the Artist of the Year for the second year in a row, making her the first artist to receive the honour twice.^{[210][211][212]}

In February 2013, it was announced that 21 had spent two full years on the Billboard 200, never charting lower than number 35 on the chart. This makes 21 the best-selling album of the past 10 years and the fifth best-selling album released since January 2000.^[213] In March 2013, after Adele won an Academy Award for “Skyfall,” the album reentered the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. This marked the album’s 81st week in the Top 10. Only two other albums have spent as much time in the Top 10: Born in the U.S.A. and The Sound of Music.^[214] In November 2013, it was announced that 21 had become the first album to sell three million digital copies in the United States and that the album is the 13th best-selling overall in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.^[215]

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic and 21‘s liner notes.^[220]

Production

Music

Charts

Weekly charts

Yearly charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

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End

[Pre-Chorus]
I can’t keep up with your turning tables
Under your thumb, I can’t breathe

[Chorus]
So I won’t let you close enough to hurt me
No, I won’t rescue you to just desert me
I can’t give you the heart you think you gave me
It’s time to say goodbye to turning tables, to turning tables

[Verse 2]
Under haunted skies I see you
Where love is lost, your ghost is found
I braved a hundred storms to leave you
As hard as you try, no, I will never be knocked down

[Pre-Chorus]
I can’t keep up with your turning tables
Under your thumb, I can’t breathe

[Chorus]
So I won’t let you close enough to hurt me
No, I won’t rescue you to just desert me
I can’t give you the heart you think you gave me
It’s time to say goodbye to turning tables, to turning tables

[Bridge]
Next time I’ll be braver
I’ll be my own saviour when the thunder calls for me
Next time I’ll be braver
I’ll be my own saviour, standing on my own two feet

[Chorus]
I won’t let you close enough to hurt me, no
I won’t rescue you to just desert me
I can’t give you the heart you think you gave me
It’s time to say goodbye to turning tables, to turning tables
Turning tables, yeah, turning, no

“Turning Tables” is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, 21. Conceived after an altercation with her former lover, the song was co-written by Adele and singer-songwriter Ryan Tedder, whilst the production was completed by Jim Abbiss. “Turning Tables” is a pop ballad with a soulful sound; its instrumentation consists of piano, “Broadway-worthy” strings and guitar.^[1] Lyrically, the song describes a domestic dispute in which its narrator assumes a defensive stance against a manipulative ex-lover. XL Recordings sent the song to UK mainstream radio on 5 November 2011 as the fifth single from 21 along with “Rumour Has It“.

“Turning Tables” received acclaim from music critics, who praised Adele’s vocals and its production. The song reached the top-twenty of the singles charts in four countries, including Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. It also peaked at number 62 on the UK Singles Chart and 63 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over 500,000 digital downloads. Adele performed “Turning Tables” on television shows such as Late Night with David Letterman in the US and The Jonathan Ross Show in the UK and included it on the Adele Live concert tour. American actress and singer Gwyneth Paltrow performed a cover of the single in the Glee episode “A Night of Neglect“.

Background

Ryan Tedder co-wrote “Turning Tables” alongside Adele.

In April 2009, 20-year-old Adele, who had recently embarked on her first serious relationship with a man 10 years her senior,^[2] began composing the follow-up to her 2008 debut album 19.^[3] In response to the media’s typecasting her as an “old soul” due to the vintage production and sentimental nature of her songs,^[4] Adele decided on a more upbeat and contemporary second album.^[3] However, studio sessions were generally unproductive and, after two weeks, yielded only one song recorded to the singer’s satisfaction—the Jim Abbiss-produced “Take It All”, a lovelorn piano ballad not unlike the songs on 19.^[3][5] Disillusioned with her lack of inspiration and the slow progress of the studio sessions, she cancelled the remaining recording dates.^[6] Adele had written “Take It All” during a difficult moment in her relationship. When she played the song for her boyfriend, the two got into a bitter argument that culminated in the end of their 18-month relationship.^[7] Heartbroken but musically stimulated, the singer channelled her rush of emotions into her music, crafting songs that examined her failed relationship from the perspectives of vengeful ex-lover, heartbroken victim, and nostalgic old flame.^[8][9][10] After several recording sessions with writers and producers like Paul Epworth, Fraser T Smith and Rick Rubin, Adele got enough material for creating a full LP. She released her second studio album on 19 January 2011 under the title 21. Adele first intended to title the album Rolling in the Deep,^[11] her adaptation of the slang phrase “roll deep”, which summarises how she felt about her relationship; in her loose translation, the phrase refers to having someone “that has your back” and always supports you.^[12] However, the singer later deemed the title too confusing for some of her audiences.^[11] Although she had wanted to avoid the number motif of her debut, Adele considered “21” the most fitting title as it represented her age at the time of the album’s composition, serving as an autobiographical period piece, and symbolised the personal maturity and artistic evolution since her debut.^[11][13]

Writing, production and release

“Turning Tables” was written by American singer-songwriter and frontman of pop-rock band OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder and Adele herself. The production of the song was helmed by Jim Abbiss.^[14] When the demos to two songs were completed, Adele approached Tedder, who was in London at the time for a radio show. Tedder had expressed interest in collaborating with the singer after they met at the 2009 Grammy Awards ceremony in February.^[15] He arrived four hours early to their first studio session held at Sphere Studios in London, buying time to better familiarise himself with some of her previous work.^[14][16] Although unaware of Adele’s personal predicament, he composed the opening piano sequence and first few lines of “Turning Tables”.^[16]

Coincidentally, it perfectly captured the experience of the singer, who arrived at the studio moments after another altercation with her former lover. Angry and unfocused, she denounced her ex-lover’s tendency to “turn the tables” on her during their arguments, an expression that Tedder decided to reference in the song’s lyrics.^[15] Adele recorded the demo with Abbis the following day. “Turning Tables” was mixed by Abbiss and Ian Dowling. Neil Cowley played the piano in the song, while the string arrangement was made by Chris Elliot. The strings were played by Patrick Kernan, Stephen Morris, Tom Pigott-Smith, Julian Leaper, Boguslaw Kostecki, Bruce White, Peter Lale, Rachel Stephanie Bolt, David Danels, Caroline Dale, Warren Zelnski, Jackie Shave, Chris Laurence, Rita Manning, Cathy Thompson, Emlyn Singleton and Chris Worsey.^[14] XL Recordings serviced the song to UK mainstream radio on 5 November 2011 as fifth single from 21 alongside “Rumour Has It“.^[17] On 14 December 2011, the song was sent for airplay to Italian radio stations.^[18]

Composition:

“Turning Tables” is a pop ballad with a soulful sound that lasts for four minutes and 10 seconds.^[1][19][20] John Murphy of musicOMH recognized the single as a fragile piano ballad which shows off Adele’s voice to its best effect.^[21] Sputnikmusic‘s Joseph Viney described the song as a delicate ballad that possesses an astonishing beauty.^[22] Its instrumentation consists of piano, “Broadway-worthy” strings and guitar.^[1][23] According to the digital sheet music published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, “Turning Tables” is written in the key of C minor and set in common time, with 78 beats per minute. Adele’s vocal range spans from the low note of G₃ to the high note of C₅.^[23]

Lyrically, “Turning Tables” is a song of domestic dispute,^[24] where its narrator assumes a defensive stance against a manipulative ex-lover. Reconciling herself with the termination of a contentious relationship, she vows emotional distance to shield herself from future heartbreak. Bryan Boyd of The Irish Times likened the singer to 1980s Welsh rocker Bonnie Tyler in delivering the vocals with a mixture of anger, pain and pathos.^[1][25] According to Paste magazine, cinematic strings “serve as fitting counterpoint to [the song’s] heartbroken, hollowed-out lyrics.”^[1] “Turning Tables” opens with a piano sequence after which Adele sings the first lines: “Close enough to start a war/All that I have is on the floor”.^[16] The chorus consists of the lyrics: “So I won’t let you / Close enough to hurt me / No, I won’t rescue / You to just desert me / I can’t give you / The heart you think you gave me / It’s time to say goodbye / To turning tables.”^[19]

Reception

Critical

“Turning Tables” received acclaim from music critics. Ian Walker of the website AbsolutePunk commented that the song “contains some of the album’s greatest vocal moments, further cementing Adele’s reputation as a competent vocalist showing no signs of stopping.”^[26] A writer from the Daily Herald said that Adele sounds “epic” on the song.^[27] Entertainment Weekly‘s Leah Greenblatt found a “scorned-woman balladry” in the song.^[28] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune found a “piano-based melancholy” in the song.^[29] A reviewer of HauteThought wrote that “Adele’s natural ease and original tone shines in Turning Tables. The song allows her to explore her upper register without ignoring the lower, soulful sound she always seems able create.”^[19] Lily Moayeri stated that on the “barely contained ‘Turning Tables’, Adele lets forth her formidable lungpower.”^[30] Ryan Reed of Paste called the single “tearjerking”,^[1] while Margaret Wappler of Los Angeles Times labeled the song as “softly sentimental”.^[31]

Commercial

“Turning Tables” debuted at its peak of number 63 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the issue dated 7 May 2011.^[32] The next week, the song dropped 21 places to number 85 and became the biggest fall of the week.^[33] The single stayed on the chart for total of three weeks and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over 500,000 digital copies.^[34] As of May 2015 “Turning Tables” has sold 883,000 digital downloads in the US alone.^[35] On the Canadian Hot 100, the song debuted at number 60 for the issue dated 7 May 2011.^[36] It fell to number 91 the next week becoming the biggest fall of the week.^[37]“Turning Tables” was certified gold by Music Canada for selling over 40,000 digital copies of the song. In the UK, it entered the singles chart at its peak of number 62 on 14 May 2011.^[38] On 21 May 2011 “Turning Tables” dropped to number 80, before falling of the chart the next week. On 17 September 2011 the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 68.^[38] It was more successful on Belgium Ultratip singles chart where it reached number two in Wallonia^[39] and number four in Flanders.^[40]“Turning Tables” debuted at number nine on the Italian Singles Chart on 19 January 2012. After three weeks on the chart, the song reached its peak of number eight on 16 February 2012.

Live performances and covers

Adele performed “Turning Tables” at Live at Largo in Los Angeles on 9 February 2011. Robie Daw of Idolator recognized the performance as “intimate” and commented that it featured Adele’s soulful vocals simply accompanied by “haunting” piano chords.^[41]She performed the single on VH1 Unplugged on 3 March 2011.^[42] Adele performed the song at Late Night with David Letterman; the performance was later uploaded to her Vevo account on YouTube.^[43] On 4 September 2011, the singer performed “Turning Tables” at the premiere of The Jonathan Ross Show and was also interviewed.^[44] “Turning Tables” was part of the set list on Adele’s second concert tour entitled Adele Live (2011).^[45] On 22 November 2011, Adele unveiled a video of her performance of the song from the concert held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The performance was later included in her first video album Live at the Royal Albert Hall which was released on 25 November 2011. Adele described the concert as the most special show that she would ever play.^[46]Adele performed the song on 27 January 2012 at Live from the Artists Den. During the performance the singer stated: “Nothing in life moves me as much as being on stage does. I love the closeness of playing in small rooms, and this room was lovely and simple, just beautiful.”^[47]

“Turning Tables” was covered by American actress and singer Gwyneth Paltrow, in the “A Night of Neglect” episode of the Fox Broadcasting Company television show Glee. Her performance of the song was considered inferior to the original. Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone named it her least-favorite of Paltrow’s covers to date and said that her vocals “lacked the texture that made Adele’s version so heartbreaking.”^[48] Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly gave it her lowest grade of the episode, a “B–”,^[49] and Aly Semigran of MTV opined that while Paltrow is “a nice enough singer,” she “in no way has the chops” the song requires.^[50] Whilst The Wall Street Journal‘s Raymund Flandez called it a “scene-stealing turn” and commended it visually and vocally, he noted that Paltrow lacks Adele’s veracity.^[51]Released as a single, this version peaked at number 66 on US Billboard Hot 100^[32] and Canadian Hot 100.^[36] As of 2 July 2012, the Glee version had sold 113,000 paid downloads in the US alone.^[52] Co-writer of the song Ryan Tedder performed the song at Denver’s Acoustic Christmas (a charity concert hosted by all Colorado artists) with his band OneRepublic in 2011.^[53]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of 21, XL Recordings.^[14]

Recording

• Recorded at Sphere Studios, London, United Kingdom

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[66]	Gold	35,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[67]	Gold	50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[68]	Platinum	80,000^
Italy (FIMI)[69]	Platinum	50,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[70]	Silver	200,000
United States (RIAA)[71]	Platinum	1,200,000[35]
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

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End

“Make You Feel My Love” is a song written by Bob Dylan from his album Time Out of Mind (1997). It was first released commercially by Billy Joel, under the title “To Make You Feel My Love“, before Dylan’s version appeared later that same year. It has since been covered by numerous performers and has proved to be a commercial success for recording artists such as Adele, Garth Brooks, Bryan Ferry, Kelly Clarkson and Ane Brun. Two covers of the song (one by Garth Brooks and one by Trisha Yearwood) were featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 film Hope Floats.^[1] Dylan eventually released the song as a single.

Adele version

In 2008, British singer Adele recorded “Make You Feel My Love” for her debut studio album 19 (2008). It was released as the album’s fourth and final single on October 27, 2008, both on CD and vinyl, originally peaking at number 26.^[13] The largest sales of her recording, however, came during 2010–11 when it peaked at number 4.

After the song was performed on the seventh series of The X Factor, it re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 24. The song then surged to number four after a second performance. Following a third X Factor performance and heavy use in the Comic Relief 2010 television, it spent three more non-consecutive weeks in the top 10. In early 2011 the song returned to the top 40 again, at number 34, after it appeared in the 2011 series of Britain’s Got Talent.

Adele’s version features in the soundtrack of the 2010 romantic comedy film When in Rome. Her cover version was also featured in the compilation album for the benefit of those affected by Supertyphoon Haiyan in the Philippines entitled Songs for the Philippines.^[14] In October 2013 the song was used in the third week of Strictly Come Dancing as part of the “Love Week” theme. In January 2013, Heart Radio listed Adele’s recording as the UK’s number one song of all time in its Hall of Fame Top 500.^[15]

At a concert at London’s O2 Arena on March 22, 2016, the day of the Brussels bombings, Adele dedicated a performance of the song to the victims of the attacks.^[16]

Arrangement[edit]

According to Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy, the version expresses Adele’s affection for the song, “with just piano as backing, her dreamy, passionate vocals are allowed to shine”.^[17] According to The Guardian‘s Dave Simpson, with her “hushed delivery”, Adele makes the song “her own”.^[18]

Music video[edit]

The song’s music video features Adele singing the song in her apartment.

Certifications[edit]

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Belgium (BEA)[33]	Gold	15,000*
Italy (FIMI)[34]	Gold	10,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[35]	2× Platinum	1,200,000
United States (RIAA)[36]	Gold	500,000^
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Video Directed by Mat Kirkby.
Written by Bob Dylan

End

[Produced by Fraser T Smith]

[Verse 1]
I let it fall, my heart
And as it fell you rose to claim it
It was dark and I was over
Until you kissed my lips and you saved me

My hands, they’re strong
But my knees were far too weak
To stand in your arms
Without falling to your feet

[Pre-Chorus]
But there’s a side to you
That I never knew, never knew
All the things you’d say
They were never true, never true
And the games you play
You would always win, always win

[Hook 1]
But I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Well, it burned while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name

[Verse 2]
When I lay with you
I could stay there
Close my eyes
Feel you here forever
You and me together
Nothing is better

[Pre-Chorus]
‘Cause there’s a side to you
That I never knew, never knew
All the things you’d say
They were never true, never true
And the games you play
You would always win, always win

[Hook 1]
But I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Well, it burned while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name

[Hook 2]
I set fire to the rain
And I threw us into the flames
Where I felt something die
‘Cause I knew that there was the last time, the last time!

[Bridge]
Sometimes I wake up by the door
That heart you caught must be waiting for you
Even now when we’re already over
I can’t help myself from looking for you

[Hook 1]
I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Well, it burned while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name

[Hook 2]
I set fire to the rain
And I threw us into the flames
Where I felt something die
‘Cause I knew that there was the last time, the last time!

[Outro]
Oh oh ohhhh
Let it burn
Oh oh ohhhh
Let it burn
Let it burn

“Set Fire to the Rain” is a song by British singer Adele from her second studio album 21. Written by Adele along with her producer Fraser T Smith, the power ballad was released as the second single from the album in Europe. It was released as the third single in the United Kingdom on 4 July 2011, where it peaked at number 11. The song has peaked at number one in Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the United States. It reached the top 10 of Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa and Switzerland.

“Set Fire to the Rain” was released on 21 November 2011 as 21‘s third official single in the United States, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was Adele’s third consecutive number-one single from 21; the last female singer who achieved this was Katy Perry in 2010 when “Firework” hit number one. Adele is the first female British artist in history to have three consecutive US number ones. With “Rolling in the Deep“, “Someone like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain” Adele logged a total of 14 weeks atop of the Billboard Hot 100, this is the most number of weeks at number one a British female artist has had from a different album. The song was voted by readers of Billboard as their favorite number one hit of 2012.^[1] Additionally, while “Rolling in the Deep”, “Someone like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain” were all US number ones, only “Someone like You” was a UK number one; “Set Fire to the Rain” didn’t reach the top ten. With sales of 10 million copies worldwide, “Set Fire to the Rain” is one of the best-selling singles of all-time.

The song’s live rendition from the DVD Live at the Royal Albert Hall, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.^[2]

Background and composition

“Set Fire to the Rain” was written by Adele and Fraser T Smith while the production was handled by Smith.^[3] On 28 October, during an interview with Billboard, Columbia Records revealed that “Rumour Has It” would be released as the third single from the album and serviced to pop and adult contemporary radio.^[4] However, the release of the song was scrapped and “Set Fire to the Rain” was released as the third US-single on 21 November 2011.^[5][6] A spokesperson for Columbia, Pete Cosenza stated: “Our research found more programmer preference for ‘Set Fire to the Rain’. […] Both ‘Rumour’ and ‘Fire’ came back strong, but ‘Fire’ was a bit stronger. […] It’s a better plan to go with ‘Fire’ over ‘Rumour’ at pop and adult radio. […] Everyone, from radio to the buying public, seems to be on board.”^[5]

“Set Fire to the Rain” is the fifth track on Adele’s second album 21. It was written with producer Fraser T Smith. It is written in the key of D minor with a tempo of 108 beats per minute, following the chord progression of Dm–F–C–Gm–Dm–F–C–Csus4–C, and Adele’s voice spans A3-D5.^[7] The song describes the contradictory elements of a relationship, and the impossibility of letting go which is displayed in the lyrics “You and me together, nothing gets better/But there’s a side to you that I never knew, never knew/All the things you’d say, they were never true, never true/And the games you play, you would always win.”^[8][9] One of the most pop-influenced of the album,^[10] the song is characterised by John Murphy of MusicOMH as a “power ballad“.^[11] In contrast to the understated production of most songs on the album, the song features lush instrumentation and a swelling string arrangement^[8][12] over a mid-tempo rhythm,^[13] creating a wall of sound^[12][14] for the singer’s mourning vocals. Dave Simpson of The Guardian in an article revealed that Adele got inspiration for the song “when mah lightah stopped workin’ [sic]” in the wet.^[15]

Critical reception

The song has received critical acclaim from various critics with many complimenting on Adele‘s vocals but received comparisons to Bruno Mars‘s song Grenade due to the similar tempo, vocal range and scale. A writer for the magazine URB said that the song had “Starbucks-friendlier content” and further called it “melodramatic”.^[16]Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly concluded that the song had “scorned-woman balladry” and it “surge[s] on the pure force of her titanic wail.”^[17] While reviewing 21, a writer of The New York Times said, “the vocal effects on ‘Set Fire to the Rain,’ produced by Fraser T Smith, the most pop-minded of the assembled team, are superfluous.”^[18] John Murphy of MusicOMH gave a negative review towards the song calling it “real misfire” and “overproduced”.^[11] However he added, “it’s a decent enough song, but Adele’s always sounded best when it’s just a piano and a voice.”^[11] Writing for the newspaper Herald Sun, Camreon Adams called the song a “triumphant radio-hit-in-waiting of next single” and concluded that “once the chorus kicks in, you’re a goner.”^[19] Gary McGinley of No Ripcord highlighted “Set Fire to the Rain” calling it “the catchiest song” on 21.^[12] Another writer of Daily Herald said that Adele sounds “epic” on the song.^[20]

Allison Stewart of The Washington Post found the song to be “galloping, out-of-place synth-rock number” and added that “even Adele can’t save” the song.^[21] Nick Freed of Consequence of Sound said that “Set Fire to the Rain” finds Adele at “her strongest and most open.”^[8] He further called the song “one of 21‘s angrier tracks” and concluded: “The chorus’ hooks are crazy catchy, and by the final one Adele releases and her hurt slips through the anger to give you a damn real and forward show of emotion. I’d imagine seeing this song live or in a stripped down setting would make one bawl like a child. You’ll want to pump your fist and pound your chest. That’s a guarantee.”^[8] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy praised the song saying, “‘It was dark and I was over/ Until you kissed my lips and saved me,’ she admits over a gloomy piano riff, before launching into a ballsy, hands-in-the-air chorus. ‘I set fire to the rain/ and I threw us into the flames,’ she belts with growly vocals against cinematic strings. Rounding out with a suitably breathtaking blast from her impressive pipes and the result sounds like classic, though it’s anything but camp.”^[22]Adele’s live version of the song, from the DVD Live at the Royal Albert Hall, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.

Chart performance

“Set Fire to the Rain” was very popular in Europe, where the song charted within the top 10 of Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, and Switzerland and topping the charts in South Africa, New Zealand, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia and the Netherlands.^[23] The song debuted at number 79 on the UK Singles Chart^[24] and it moved to number 44 the next week selling 6,286 copies.^[25][26] It later peaked at number 11 on the chart on the week ending 16 July 2011 and it stayed on the same position for two weeks selling another 24,978 copies.^[24][27]

Before being released as a single, the song charted on the Billboard Hot 100 for 6 weeks and re-entered 3 times, peaking at number 72 on 13 September. On the issue dated 4 February 2012, “Set Fire to the Rain” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Adele’s third consecutive number one single from the album 21. With 21 also at number 1 on the Billboard 200, the song makes the set the first by a single artist to have led the Billboard 200 concurrently with three Hot 100 number one singles.^[28] It took 21 non-consecutive weeks for the song to reach the top spot in the United States.^[29][30] As of June 2013, it has sold 4,552,000 digital downloads in the United States.^[31] With this achievement, 21 became one of only five albums to yield at least three number one singles during the decade; sharing the honour with Katy Perry‘s Teenage Dream (5), Rihanna‘s Loud (3), Taylor Swift‘s 1989 (3) and Justin Bieber‘s Purpose (3).

Music video

No proper music video was shot for “Set Fire to the Rain” (as well as other singles from 21, “Rumor Has It” and “Turning Tables“) as Adele had recently undergone vocal surgery.^{[citation needed]} Instead, a live performance video was uploaded to her Vevo account and has received more than 420 million views as of February 2018.

Live performances and usage in media

Adele performed the song live for the first time on 29 April on The Graham Norton Show.^[32] She also performed the track on 3 May at Jools Holland along with the selections “Rolling in the Deep“, “Don’t You Remember” and “Take It All”.^[33] Adele also added the song to the set list of her second worldwide tour.^[34]

FX used “Set Fire to the Rain” to promote the final season of Rescue Me in addition to the show’s series finale.^[5] The song was also featured in promotional ads for the TV series Ringer and Revenge, which brought it airplay in the United States without her label having to release it to radio stations.^[5] It was also used as an “insert theme” on the 2012 Fuji TV series Iki mo dekinai natsu.^[35]

Cover versions

• In 2012, Grammy Award-nominated Texan blues and folk musician, Ruthie Foster, covered “Set Fire To The Rain” on her album Let it Burn.^[36]
• Soul singer Aretha Franklin covered this song, as well as Deep for her 2014 studio album Aretha Franklin Takes On the Great Diva Classics,
• On 2 September 2014, Danielle Bradbery, Season 4 winner of The Voice covered “Set Fire to the Rain”, published on Vevo and YouTube ^[37] which was praised by Rolling Stone,^[38] and which accumulated over 600,000 YouTube views by February 2018.
• On October 26, 2015, Jordan Smith, the Season 9 winner of The Voice covered “Set Fire to the Rain” in the Knockout rounds, and was published on YouTube ^[39]

Track listing

Digital and downloads

1. “Set Fire to the Rain” – 4:02

• Digital and CD^[40] EP — remixes^[41][42]

1. “Set Fire to the Rain” (Thomas Gold Remix) – 5:50
2. “Set Fire to the Rain” (Thomas Gold Dub) – 5:21
3. “Set Fire to the Rain” (Moto Blanco Remix) – 7:38
4. “Set Fire to the Rain” (Moto Blanco Edit) – 3:35

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from 21 liner notes.^[3]

• Vocals – Adele
• Songwriter, audio mixing, record producer, bass, guitar, piano – Fraser T Smith
• Drums – Ashley “Stixman” Soan
• Recording engineer – Beatriz Artola
• Assistant recording engineer – Isabel Seeliger-Morley
• String section performed by – Wired Strings
• String arrangements – Rosie Danvers
• String section recording engineer – Steve Price

Charts and certifications

Certifications

Year-end charts

Release history

Buy/Listen 25: http://smarturl.it/25Album?IQid=yt Buy/Listen 21: http://smarturl.it/Adele21Album?IQid=yt Buy/Listen 19: http://smarturl.it/19Album?IQid=yt Follow Adele on: Facebook – http://facebook.com/adele Twitter – http://twitter.com/adele Instagram – http://instagram.com/adele Subscribe to the Adele VEVO Channel – http://smarturl.it/SubscribeAdele?IQid=yt Visit – www.adele.com

End

[Pre-Chorus]
You look like a movie
You sound like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

[Chorus]
Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time that we might
Be exactly like we were before we realised
We were sad of getting old, it made us restless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

[Verse 2]
I was so scared to face my fears
Cause nobody told me that you’d be here
And I swear you’d moved overseas
That’s what you said when you left me

[Pre-Chorus]
You still look like a movie
You still sound like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

[Chorus]
Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time that we might
Be exactly like we were before we realised
We were sad of getting old, it made us restless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

[Refrain]
(When we were young)
(When we were young)
(When we were young)
(When we were young)

[Bridge]
It’s hard to admit that everything just takes me back
To when you were there, to when you were there
And a part of me keeps holding on just in case it hasn’t gone
Cause I guess I still care, do you still care?

[Breakdown]
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

[Refrain]
(When we were young)
(When we were young)
(When we were young)
(When we were young)

[Chorus]
Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time that we might
Be exactly like we were before we realised
We were sad of getting old, it made us restless
Oh, I’m so mad I’m getting old, it makes me reckless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
When we were young

“When We Were Young” is a song by British singer Adele. It was released on 22 January 2016 by XL Recordings as the second single from her third studio album, 25 (2015). Adele co-wrote the song with Tobias Jesso Jr., while production of the track was provided by Ariel Rechtshaid. “When We Were Young” is a soul ballad, with lyrics that talk about reminiscing past memories with a loved one. Upon release, the song received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised the song’s lyrics and Adele’s vocals.^[2][3][4][5]

Following the release of 25, “When We Were Young” had already sold 150,000 digital copies in the United States as an album track.^[6] It has reached the top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The song never received an official music video, although a version of the song filmed at The Church Studios was released via Vevo. Adele promoted the song with live performances on the BBC one-hour special Adele at the BBC, Saturday Night Live and Adele Live in New York City.

Background and release

American record producer Ariel Rechtshaid produced the song.

While in the middle of the writing process of 25, Adele struggled with writer’s block and to feel confident about the material she had, her manager was also unsure about it and asked Rick Rubin, who produced many songs on her sophomore studio album 21, to give his input on it. Rubin claimed he didn’t believe in the songs she had and she admitted that she felt the material was a little rushed.^[7] Therefore, in early 2015, Adele flew to Los Angeles to work with different songwriters and producers for two months, and later she expressed interest of working with Canadian musician Tobias Jesso Jr.,^[7] after discovering him after hearing his song “Hollywood”.^[8] She later tweeted a link to Jesso’s video for his single, “How Could You Babe“.^[9] After their managers talked about the collaboration, they met and spent almost three days talking and writing.^[10] They ended up writing two songs, “When We Were Young” and “Lay Me Down”, with the first being written in a Los Angeles house, in Brentwood, at Philip Glass‘ piano that Tobias had inherited.^[11][10] They started the song from scratch, as Jesso “would play chords while Adele improvised melodies and lyrics.”^[7] As Jesso recounted, “There was no studio, just a piano and us, and we wrote a lot. I mean a lot lot.”^[12

Later, American record producer Ariel Rechtshaid, who previously worked with Jesso, heard rumours that Adele and Jesso wanted to work with him, and he flew over to London, where he produced two songs for her. Rechtshaid claimed that Adele told him that she loved the track, but that she had a lot of ballads on the record and asked him to do whatever he wanted with that information. He later went back to Los Angeles, where he started “chipping away at a rhythm track for it,” as he recalled: “It was difficult—with a piano ballad, it’s hard to put together a rhythm track that isn’t over-the-top dramatic, kind of epic.”^[13] Rechtshaid added that “the song has an old soul vibe to it, but I wanted to keep it a little bit more modern. The song kind of feels like a lot of different vignettes, reflecting on different times in your life and different people, so all these instruments—bass, drums, piano—felt like other characters.”^[13] According to the producer, Adele felt emotionally connected to the song and “there was definitely a little bit of tearing up.”^[13] He also told The Fader that it only took two takes to record the song, and during the song’s middle eight, he pushed her beyond her means, since he “felt that it needed to have a little bit more cry to it.”^[13]

On 16 November 2015, a preview of “When We Were Young” was exhibited by Australian TV program 60 Minutes.^[14] A day later, a video of the song’s performance at London’s Church Studios was uploaded on her YouTube channel.^[15] On 26 November 2015, Billboard wrote an article wondering what would be 25‘s next single, indicating either “When We Were Young” or “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”.^[16] On 12 December 2015, Billboard confirmed “When We Were Young” as the album’s second single, through a Columbia Records source.^[6] It was released early in Italian radio stations on 22 January 2016,^[17] and officially released worldwide on 5 February 2016.^[18] Along with the digital and streaming release, the single’s cover art was revealed, featuring “a throwback picture of her younger self.”^[19] Carl Williott of Idolator and Lindsay Sullivan of Billboard called it “adorable,”^[20][21] while Lewis Corner of Digital Spy wondered, “How much more cute can you get than a primary school Adele, grinning from ear to ear with her two front teeth missing?”^[19]

Composition and influences

“When We Were Young” was written by Adele and Tobias Jesso Jr., and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid. Rechtshaid was also the song’s engineer, as well as the responsible for organ, glockenspiel, synthesizer, percussion and backing vocals. Jesso also provided backing vocals and played piano. The song also features bass, drums and guitar in its instrumentation. It was recorded at Dean Street Studios, London, and mixed at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, and at Electric Lady Studios, New York.^[23] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, “When We Were Young” was written in common time in the key of E♭ major with a moderately slow tempo of 72 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of Cm–E♭/G–A♭–E♭/G–Fm7–E♭, and Adele’s vocals span two octaves, from E♭₃ to E♭₅.^[24]

“When We Were Young” is a reflective soul ballad.^[25][1] Hattie Collins of i-D considered it “a 70s styled shimmery disco ballad.”^[8] It is built around “somber piano chords,” which according to Pitchfork‘s Jeremy Gordon, are “designed to show off her staggering, empathic voice.”^[2] Gordon also perceived that her vocals switches “between husky crackle to a soaring delivery before eventually climaxing with a come-to-Jesus money note.”^[2] As defined by Adele, “It’s a very ’70s singer-songwriter vibe. Which is Tobias’ thing, which is why I picked him.”^[11] Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone found it to be similar to Elton John as well as Barbra Streisand‘s “The Way We Were“.^[7] Bruce Handy of Vanity Fair agreed with Streisand’s influence.^[26] The Fader’s Owen Myers, in agreement with Rechtshaid and Adele, thought that the song reminded him of Gladys Knight.^[13] Collins, while also calling it “great big fat love song”, opined that it “could be the album’s ‘Rolling In the Deep‘.”^[8]

Lyrical interpretation and inspiration

Lyrically, “When We Were Young” deals with themes of the “fears of getting older,” a recurrent theme on 25,^[27] and “finds her reconnecting with [an] old acquaintance years after their adolescence, which prompts her to revisit those memories and to wish she could stop time.”^[22] As noted by Maeve McDermott of USA Today, during the reunion, “Adele wistfully begins mourning before it’s even over.”^[27] During the song, she “watches as her youth slips away in real time,” singing: “Let me photograph you in this light, in case it is the last time that we might be exactly like we were, before we realized we were sad of getting old.”^[27] In the last chorus, she cries about “the inevitability of separation”, singing: “I’m so mad I’m getting old, it makes me reckless.”^[2] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic analyzed that the entire first verse of the song “is about her working up the courage to approach an old flame who ‘everybody loves.'”^[28] He added that the song “is another version of the revisitation narrative of ‘Someone Like You‘ but this time, there’s no ‘never mind, I’ll find someone else’ portion. There’s only her begging for a photo, because she’s worried the future won’t ever be as good as the past was.”^[28]

In an interview with SiriusXM, Adele said the song “was based on us being older, and being at a party at this house, and seeing everyone that you’ve ever fallen out with, everyone that you’ve ever loved, everyone that you’ve never loved, and stuff like that, where you can’t find the time to be in each other’s lives. And you’re all thrown together at this party when you’re like 50, and it doesn’t matter and you have so much fun and you feel like you’re 15 again. So that’s the kind of vibe of it really.”^[29] In a New York Times song by song analysis, she added: “At rehearsal, when I was singing ‘When We Were Young,’ I suddenly had a vision of my best friend putting makeup on me for the first time when I was 17. I had never had that vision when I wrote the song. Every time a new memory comes back in one of my songs for myself, I love it. It’s like remembering your life through song.”^[30] When interviewed by Nick Grimshaw on BBC Radio 1, Adele said that “When We Were Young” was her favourite track off the album 25,^[31] and later revealed that her favorite lyric on the track is “You look like a movie / You sound like a song / My god this reminds me of when we were young.”^[7]

Critical reception

Jeremy Gordon of Pitchfork named it “Best New Track” and praised Adele’s vocal performance and how she was “capable of elevating maudlin sentiment into high art”.^[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic selected the song as one of the album’s highlights, noting that she took risks enlisting Ariel Retchshaid to produce the track.^[32] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly considered it one of the three best tracks of the album, noting that she “means it sincere” with its nostalgic theme.^[33]Steven Arroyo of Consequence of Sound selected it as one of the essential tracks on 25.^[34] Rob Garratt of The National was positive with her songwriting skills, praising her “fragilely affecting, but ultimately affirming” performance.^[35] Writing for Inquirer, Joseph R. Atilano remarked that “a single like this further showcases how lyrically intelligent she is as a composer as well as one of the greatest pure singers alive today”.^[36] Matt Bagwell of The Huffington Post named it “stunning” and “the album’s ‘Someone Like You’ – in other words, the ‘big ballad’.”^[37]

Lewis Corner of Digital Spy noted that the lyrics “will squeeze your heart and give you a minor midlife crisis—that won’t stop you from playing it over and over, though.”^[3] Corbin Reiff of The A.V. Club praised her “incredible, gritty sultriness [vocals] on the verses.”^[38] Justin Charity of Complex was also positive with her vocals, calling it “the wildest blossom of Adele’s voice.”^[5] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone labelled it a “mature […] torchy ballad,”^[39] while T. Cole Rachel of Spin defined it as “the kind of mawkish, overcooked melodrama that one imagines Adele could perform in her sleep.”^[40] Chris Gerard of PopMatters was extremely positive, naming it “a bittersweet epic [song]. ‘When We Were Young’ is breathtaking, an example of how great Adele can be when all the stars align. This slow-burning ballad which builds to a powerful climax should have been the first single. It’s more complex than ‘Hello‘, has more emotional depth, and Adele’s vocals are good enough to bring tears to the eyes. 25 is worth picking up for this song alone.”^[4] Time named “When We Were Young” the fourth-best song of 2015.^[41]

Chart performance

Before its official release, “When We Were Young” had sold 150,000 digital copies in the United States, solely as an album track.^[6] It debuted at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the chart’s highest new entry.^[42] The song also debuted at number 34 on the Adult Pop Songs chart and climbed to number 24 the second week, before being released as a single.^[6] After its wide-release on streaming services, “When We Were Young” jumped from number 29 to number 20 on the Hot 100.^[43] The following week, the song climbed to number 14, which became its peak position.^[44] In the same week, the song also climbed to its peak position, number three, on the Adult Pop Songs.^[45] In Australia, the song debuted at number 13, on 6 December 2015, and later re-entered at number 39 as a single, on 21 February 2016.^[46]

In the United Kingdom, “When We Were Young” debuted at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart as an album track.^[47] Later, it re-entered at number 33 when it was released as a single.^[48] Following Adele’s performance at the BRIT Awards, “When We Were Young” climbed to number 13,^[49] and a week later, it advanced to number 9, becoming Adele’s seventh top-ten single.^[50] In Spain, the song debuted at number 12, on 29 November 2015, and left the charts at number 28; later it re-entered at number 47, on 17 January 2016, and fell off the chart at number 46. Ultimately, “When We Were Young” re-entered for the second time at number 29, on 7 February 2016, and two weeks later, it peaked at number twelve.^[51] In Switzerland, the song managed to peak at number five, becoming her sixth consecutive top-five hit.^[52]

Live performances and cover versions

Adele performing the song at the Genting Arena, March 2016

The first live performance of the track was filmed at London’s The Church Studios and uploaded on her VEVO account on 17 November 2015.^[25] Adele performed the song live on Adele at the BBC, which was recorded at The London Studios on 2 November 2015 and broadcast on BBC One on 20 November 2015.^[53] She performed the song on Saturday Night Live on 21 November 2015.^[54] Adele also performed the song on Adele Live in New York City, which was recorded at a one-night-only show at Radio City Music Hall on 17 November 2015 and broadcast on NBC on 14 December 2015.^[55] Adele performed “When We Were Young” as the closing song on the 2016 Brit Awards in London.^[56] Adele included the song on her set of the Glastonbury Festival 2016 for over 135,000 people.^[57] “When We Were Young” was also added to the set list of her Adele Live 2016 Tour.^[58]

American singer Demi Lovato covered “When We Were Young” at the Future Now Tour on 2 September 2016. Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone wrote that “Lovato delivered a faithful, slightly sped-up take on the 25 single, which Lovato used as another vessel to showcase her powerful vocals.”^[59] Actor Luke Evans sang a little part of “When We Were Young” on The Jonathan Ross Show by telling that it was his new favorite song.^[60] Fernando Daniel covered the song on The Voice Portugal for his blind audition. Country singer Billy Gilman covered “When We Were Young” during his blind audition for the eleventh season of The Voice.^[61]

Track listing

Digital download^[62]

1. “When We Were Young” – 4:50

Digital remixes EP^[63]

1. “When We Were Young” (Strobe Remix) – 5:06
2. “When We Were Young” (KlubKidz Remix) – 5:14

Credits and personnel

Recording

• Recorded at Dean Street Studios, London
• Mixed at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, and at Electric Lady Studios, New York

Personnel

Credits adapted from 25 liner notes.^[23]

Charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[112]	Platinum	70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[113]	Gold	15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[114]	2× Platinum	160,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[115]	Platinum	60,000^
Italy (FIMI)[116]	Platinum	50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[117]	Platinum	15,000*
Sweden (GLF)[118]	Platinum	40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[119]	Platinum	600,000
United States (RIAA)[120]	Platinum	1,000,000
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Radio and release history

‘When We Were Young’ is taken from the new album, 25, released November 20. http://adele.com
Available now from iTunes http://smarturl.it/itunes25
Available now Amazon http://smarturl.it/25amazon
Available now Google Play http://smarturl.it/25gplay
Available now at Target (US Only): http://smarturl.it/target25

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End

[Verse 1]
I heard that you’re settled down
That you found a girl and you’re married now
I heard that your dreams came true
Guess she gave you things I didn’t give to you
Old friend, why are you so shy?
Ain’t like you to hold back or hide from the light

[Pre-Chorus]
I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited
But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it
I had hoped you’d see my face
And that you’d be reminded that for me it isn’t over

[Chorus]
Never mind, I’ll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you two
“Don’t forget me,” I beg
“I’ll remember,” you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

[Verse 2]
You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised in a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days

[Pre-Chorus]
I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited
But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it
I had hoped you’d see my face
And that you’d be reminded that for me it isn’t over

[Chorus]
Never mind, I’ll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you two
“Don’t forget me,” I beg
“I’ll remember,” you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

[Bridge]
Nothing compares, no worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes, they’re memories made
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

[Breakdown]
Never mind, I’ll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
“Don’t forget me,” I beg
“I’ll remember,” you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

[Chorus]
Never mind, I’ll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you two
“Don’t forget me,” I beg
“I’ll remember,” you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

“Someone like You” is a song by British singer Adele. It was written by Adele and Dan Wilson for her second studio album, 21. It is the second single and final track on the album. The song was inspired by a broken relationship, and lyrically speaks of Adele’s coming to terms with it. XL Recordings released the song as the second single from the album on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and on 9 August 2011 in the United States. Accompanied only by a piano in the song (played by co-writer Wilson), Adele sings about the end of the relationship with her ex-boyfriend. The song received wide acclaim from music critics, who chose the song as a highlight of 21 and praised the lyrics, its simple sound and Adele’s vocal performance.

Following a well-received performance of the song at the 2011 Brit Awards, “Someone like You” became Adele’s first number-one single in the UK and it stayed on the top of the chart for five weeks. The song also topped the charts in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Italy, France and Switzerland, and has become Adele’s second number one in the US. With that achievement Adele became the first female British solo singer in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have two number ones from the same album. In July 2011, it became the first single of the decade to sell a million units in the UK and it was certified 3× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), as well as being certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the US. As of 2018, Someone Like You has sold over 17 million copies worldwide making it one of the best-selling digital single of all-time.

An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Jake Nava and filmed in Paris, France. The video showed Adele walking alone through the streets with a sad look on her face. Critics praised the video for being simple and perfect for the sound of the song. Adele performed the song on several award and television shows including the 2011 Brit Awards, 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and the song was played on the ABC hit show Grey’s Anatomy. She added the song to the set list of her second tour Adele Live. The live performances of the song were heavily praised by music critics and fans. The song has been covered by Katy Perry, Taio Cruz, the cast of the series Glee, and several other artists.

In a list voted for by the public in conjunction with the Official Charts Company‘s 60th anniversary, “Someone like You” was voted the third-most favourite number-one single of the last 60 years in the UK, with Michael Jackson‘s “Billie Jean” voted number two and Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody” as number one.^[1] “Someone like You” is the 36th-best-selling single in the history of the UK Singles Chart.^[2] As a critically successful song, “Someone like You” appeared on many year-end lists about the best songs of 2011. “Someone like You” was the first recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, at the 54th Grammy Awards, held on 12 February 2012. As of 2018, it is the third most downloaded single of all-time in the UK and the fourth best-selling single of the 21st century.^[3]

Writing and inspiration

Dan Wilson (pictured), an American songwriter and producer co-wrote the song with Adele.^[4]

“Someone like You” is about a boyfriend who broke up with Adele. She wrote it with American songwriter and producer Dan Wilson.^[4] It was one of the last written for 21.^[4] The track, which epitomizes the lyrical content of 21, summarizes the now defunct relationship that the record is all about.^[5] Adele has openly discussed the genesis of it saying, “Well, I wrote that song because I was exhausted from being such a bitch, with ‘Rolling in the Deep‘ or ‘Rumour Has It‘ … I was really emotionally drained from the way I was portraying him, because even though I’m very bitter and regret some parts of it, he’s still the most important person that’s ever been in my life, and ‘Someone like You,’ I had to write it to feel OK with myself and OK with the two years I spent with him. And when I did it, I felt so freed.”^[6]

Adele revealed that she was struggling emotionally when she composed it: “When I was writing it I was feeling pretty miserable and pretty lonely, which I guess kind of contradicts ‘Rolling in the Deep’. Whereas that was about me saying, ‘I’m going to be fine without you’, this is me on my knees really.”^[5] She discussed further the inspiration of the song: “I can imagine being about 40 and looking for him again, only to turn up and find that he’s settled with a beautiful wife and beautiful kids and he’s completely happy… and I’m still on my own. The song’s about that and I’m scared at the thought of that.”^[5]

Adele had said that she began writing it on her acoustic guitar in the wake of the break-up of her 18-month relationship with the 30-year-old man she thought she would marry. A few months after their split, he was engaged to someone else. “We were so intense I thought we would get married. But that was something he never wanted… So when I found out he does want that with someone else, it was just the horrible-est feeling ever. But after I wrote it, I felt more at peace. It set me free… I didn’t think it would resonate… with the world! I’m never gonna write a song like that again. I think that’s the song I’ll be known for.”^[7]She also said that “I wrote that song on the end of my bed. I had a cold. I was waiting for my bath to run. I’d found out that he’d got engaged to someone else.”^[8]

Recording and composition

Adele later collaborated with famed musician and producer Dan Wilson to write “Someone like You” which was one of the final songs composed for the album. Prior to meeting with Wilson, Adele said she wrote some of the lyrics using her acoustic guitar.^[9] The two sat around the piano for two days and brainstormed various melodies and lyrics, and ultimately decided to keep the musical production sparse: “We just wrote it on the piano and then we recorded it when it was written. It wasn’t sort of like recording it and listening to it thinking ‘where can we go next?’ It was really old school.”^[9] During an interview with Billboard, Wilson stated that while writing the song, they wanted to make it as personal as possible.^[10] He added “We didn’t try to make it open-ended so it could apply to ‘anybody.’ We tried to make it as personal as possible. She may not have had a melodic hook or a specific lyrical idea, but she always knew what she wanted to say. She definitely had a master plan.”^[10] The song was recorded at Harmony Studios in West Hollywood, California with Wilson playing piano. Philip Allen engineered in the studio.^[4] The mixing was done by Tom Elmhirst and Dan Parry while the mastering was finished by Tom Coyne.^[4]

“[…] ‘Someone like You,’ the stirring, somber closer in which Adele goes to visit a former love (with high hopes of a reconciliation), only to discover he has not only moved on with his life, but is in a much better place. And though she’s heartbroken, she puts on a brave face, stubbornly proclaiming she’ll find someone just like him, even if she knows that she never will. And that conclusion makes you ache not only because it’s so daunting, but because it’s so real. We’ve all felt that way, tried to trick ourselves into thinking that any other outcome was possible. In Adele’s music, much like life, there are no happy endings.”

According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony Music Publishing, “Someone like You” is a slow tempo of 68 beats per minute.^[12] Written in common time, the song is in the key of A major.^[12] Adele’s vocal range spans from F♯₃ to E₅ during the song.^[12] A slow, plaintive ballad pairing Adele’s voice with a looping piano line, “Someone like You” is the lyrical opposite of “Rolling in the Deep“^[13] on which the singer narrates coming to terms with the end of the relationship:^[13] “Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don’t forget me, I beg/I’ll remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead.” According to Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice, the singer’s “nuanced”^[14]voice goes up a full octave and “into a near-shrieked whisper” as she sings parts of the chorus.^[14] However, she “rebounds and gathers herself”, and her voice descends into its fuller and more melancholy state.^[14]Critics praised its introspective lyrics and maturity.^[15][16] “Someone like You” has been compared to the song “Hometown Glory” (2008) from the album 19.^[15] John Murphy of MusicOMH said that the song “casts Adele as the spurned lover, turning up outside her ex’s house, now moved on and settled down, begging for a second chance.”^[17] According to Aamir Yaqub of Soul Culture, “Talking of a lost love, this an extremely touching track with a vocal performance that makes the narrative almost tangible … It really captures the experience of the story and puts it across in both a credible and incredible fashion.”^[18] Cameron Adams of Herald Sun called the song a “spine-tingling sparse piano ballad.”^[19]

Lyrically, the song talks about the end of Adele’s first “real relationship” with her long-time friend and lover and it shows her confronting his marriage.^[20][21] At the beginning of the song, she sings the lines “I heard that you’re settled down/That you found a girl and you’re married now. I heard that your dreams came true/Guess she gave you things I couldn’t give to you” with a softly voice and accompanied just by a simple piano melody.^[10][22] The lyrics of “Someone like You” are talking about what once was and what could have been as stated by a writer of Daily Herald.^[22] Finding the strength to bounce back from hardship and heartache, Adele sings the lines, “Never mind, I’ll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don’t forget me, I beg, I remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.”^[23] Talking about the meaning and the composition of the song, Jer Fairall of PopMatters said: “The song’s subject—Adele mentally addressing an old lover who has since found happiness elsewhere—is familiar, but the detail she colors it with are vibrantly tactile and resonant, from the sense-memory setting of ‘we were born and raised in a summer haze’ to her recollection of his cruel kiss-off line ‘I remember you said, ‘sometimes it lasts in love and sometimes it hurts instead’‘ and how she comes to take solace in the statement as an empowering mantra.”^[24]

Critical reception

Upon release, the song received acclaim from a wide variety of publications and has been viewed as a highlight of 21. In a track-by-track review for 21, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK noted the track’s placement at the end of the album saying, “It maybe a cliché, but Adele has saved the best until last with this heartfelt and enchanting piano ballad. … It’s sad but beautiful and displays Adele at her best – marking the perfect end to what has been in our eyes, a faultless album.”^[15] Will Dean of The Guardian claimed the song was the album’s “highlight”, characterizing it as “gorgeous”.^[25] That was somehow echoed by Slant Magazine‘s Matthew Cole who also called the song “gorgeous”.^[26] NME‘s Parkin Chris also marked the song as a highlight, describing it as “surprisingly weighty” and comparing it favorably to the work of American Country blues singer Karen Dalton.^[27]

Tom Breihan of Pitchfork Media selected “Someone like You” as a song of the day, claiming it served as a reaffirmation of popular music: “Sometimes, pop music can still break your heart.”^[16] Writing for BBC Online, Ian Wade noted that the “final track Someone Like You, just voice and piano, is an actual thing of beauty, placing the listener in one of those moments where you feel you’re in the presence of a future standard.”^[28] Bill Lamb of About.com wrote that “the piano melody is gorgeous and combined with Adele’s heartfelt reading of her words, the effect is highly emotional. You can imagine it being both honked through by talent show contestants and transcended by veterans alike.”^[29] Lamb went to write that the song is one of the “top songs of 2011” and that “romantic pain has rarely been so utterly beautiful.”^[29]Jer Fairall of PopMatters called the song an “absolute magic” and praised Adele’s performance by saying, “Though it is unquestionably her finest vocal showcase to date, it is less remarkable for its more powerful moments than for the small ones where her voice dips, with rueful melancholy on the line ‘I heard that your dreams came true’ or cracks on the ‘I beg’ in the chorus, like she’s startled at the revelation of her own vulnerability.”^[24] He further called her vocal performance of the song “stunning” and “finally worthy of her talents”.^[24]

Writing for the website No Ripcord, Gary McGinley said that the song “has an aching beauty and the hallmarks of a modern standard.”^[30] He further added that it “sounds poised to soundtrack atmospheric TV trailers over the coming months.”^[30] A writer of URB magazine called “Someone like You” “a heart-wrencher made all the more real by reeling phrasing and bare-voiced pleading, ‘I wish nothing but the best for you, too.'”^[31] John Murphy of MusicOMH categorized “Someone like You” and “Turning Tables” as “the two best songs on the album.”^[17] He concluded that the song was “desperately sad and utterly, utterly gorgeous.”^[17] Bary Walters of Spinwrote that on “the piano-led finale, she vows, ‘I’ll find someone like you,’ as if that’s progress. It’s a statement that’s utterly WTF and yet true to the cyclical nature of psychological damage.”^[32] Sputnikmusic‘s Joseph Viney called the song “an ode to stalking with a perverse attitude that lies underneath the fragile composition, looks set to become the soundtrack to a million messy break-ups.”^[33] Allison Stewart of The Washington Post put the song on her list “Recommended tracks”.^[34]

At the 2011 Q Awards, “Someone like You” was nominated in the category for Best Track.^[35] The song was also nominated in the category for Best Song at the 2011 Music of Black Origin Awards.^[36] “Someone like You” won the first Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, at the 54th Grammy Awards, which were held on 12 February 2012.^[37][38] The Village Voice‘s Pazz & Jop annual critics’ poll ranked “Someone like You” at number nine to find the best music of 2011; Adele’s previous single “Rolling in the Deep” topped the same critics’ poll.

Chart performance

“Someone like You” achieved international commercial success, topping the record charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries. The song debuted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart in late-January 2011 due to strong digital downloads from 21. Following a live performance of the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards, it climbed 46 places from the previous week to number one, beating Lady Gaga‘s single “Born This Way” (2011), although it was at number 18 on the mid-week chart update.^[39] While “Someone like You” was at number one on the chart, Adele’s previous single, “Rolling in the Deep” was placed at number four.^[39] With that achievement, Adele has become the first living artist since The Beatles in 1964 who simultaneously had two top five hits in both the charts (21 and 19 were also in the top five on the UK Albums Chart).^[39][40][41] It stayed atop the chart for four consecutive weeks before slipping to number two on 26 March.^[42] Following a performance on Comic Relief,^[43][44] It has been certified 2× Platinum by the BPI, denoting shipments of 1,200,000 copies.^[45] On 5 July 2011, it was announced that the song had sold 1 million copies in the UK, becoming the first single of the decade to reach the threshold and the sixteenth song released in the 21st century to do so.^[46][47] It became the biggest selling single of 2011 in the United Kingdom, selling over 1,240,000 copies. By June 2015, UK sales stood at 1,570,000 copies, making “Someone like You” the second best-selling single of the 2010s and the third-best-seller of the 21st century.^[3] As of November 2015, the song has sold 1,584,000 copies in the UK.^[48]

In Finland, “Someone like You” debuted at number 14 in October 2011 and rose to number one in its 12th week in early 2012—the week when Adele had three simultaneous top-ten songs (“Rolling in the Deep” at number two and “Set Fire to the Rain” at number seven).^[49][50] In France, despite not having been certified, “Someone like You” has sold 350,800 copies and became one of the best-selling singles in the country.^[51] The song debuted at number 47 on the Australian Singles Chart.^[52] “Someone like You” remained at the top position of the chart for seven consecutive weeks^[52] and it was certified 4× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).^[53] It has also peaked at number one in New Zealand for five weeks, ending an 11-week run at number one for “Party Rock Anthem“.^[54]The single sold 51,000 copies its first week in the US, debuting at number 65.^[55] The single re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 97 on the week ending 30 July 2011.^[56] Upon its radio release in the United States, and a surge in popularity following her performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, “Someone like You” climbed 18 positions to number one from number 19, and became her second consecutive number-one single on the Hot 100 and making Adele the first ever British female singer to spawn two consecutive number-one singles from the same album.^[57][58] After the performance, “Someone like You” moved from number 11 to number one on the Digital Songs chart with 275,000 downloads sold (191% increase), according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[41][57] On Radio Songs, the track moved from number 42 to number 19 with 46 million all-format audience impressions (59% increase), according to Nielsen BDS.^[57] The song made Hot 100 history by achieving the biggest jump to number 1 in the chart’s 53-year history that was not spurred by the release of a single.^[59] “Someone like You” became the first strictly voice-and-piano ballad to top the Billboard Hot 100.^[60] The song also became the first “unquestionably slow song” to top the Hot 100 chart since Rihanna‘s song, “Take a Bow” (2008).^[61] It topped the chart for 1 week and then slipped from number 1 to number 2 being replaced by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera‘s “Moves Like Jagger“.^[62] A few days after the release of its video, on 6 October 2011, the song returned to number one and spent more 4 weeks at the top,^[63] where it was later replaced by “We Found Love” by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris. With “Rolling in the Deep” spending 7 weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and “Someone like You” spending 5 weeks, Adele is the first female solo artist to log 12 weeks at #1 in a calendar year with two strictly solo recordings. Beyoncé, Monica and Mariah Carey also did it (in 2003, 1998 and 1995, respectively), if collaborations are included.^[64] As of October 2015, it has sold 6,000,000 downloads in the United States alone.^[65]

Music video

Adele walking alone in Paris in the black-and-white music video for “Someone like You”

The music video for the song was filmed in Paris, France, by English director Jake Nava^[66] who said:^[66][67]

The location evokes style and romance. And shooting early in the morning allows you to focus on Adele in this lonely and emotional space.

The video begins with a shot of a road in Paris and Adele is seen walking on it alone. She continues to walk and starts singing the song with a sad look as the camera makes circles and shots more locations in Paris including the Eiffel Tower. During the second chorus, Adele stops singing and pauses on the Pont Alexandre III to look over the Seine. She continues walking through the deserted streets during the bridge before finally entering a building in which she sees her ex-lover.^[68] After seeing her, he starts to walk away and several shots of Adele looking at him follow.

The video premiered on MTV and Vevo on 29 September 2011,^[11][66][69] and as of December 2017, the video has received 1 billion views on YouTube.^[70]

Reception

“Someone like You” received glowing reviews from music critics. James Montgomery of MTV News called the video “a somber, black-and-white affair, featuring Adele wandering the early morning streets and pining for her long-lost love. It’s a perfect match for the song’s jaw-dropping emotional range—raw and unfiltered and incredibly sad but also, in a lot of ways, beautiful and resolute.”^[66] In another review of the video he praised its black-and-white shots saying that “director Jake Nava made the smart decision to shoot it in arty, smudgy black-and-white, which only adds to the clip’s desolate, haunted feel.”^[11] He added that “there are no special effects, no camera tricks or elaborate choreography, because those are quick fixes” and called Adele the “Queen of Pain.”^[11] A writer of the website HitFix concluded that the video is “in keeping with the singer’s subdued style” and added that its vibe fits with the “melancholy tune.”^[71] Entertainment Weekly‘s Tanner Stransky called the video “quiet” and said that “it’s just what you’d want to see for this break-up heart-wrencher.”^[68] Krista Wick of Entertainment Tonight praised the video for being “more than enough to accompany Adele’s soulful vocals.”^[72]

Amanda Dobbins of New York magazine concluded that “the secretly devastating video” for “Someone like You” will remind Adele’s ex-lover what he has done by leaving her.^[73] A writer of The Huffington Post praised the simplicity and the sadness in the video.^[74] Sarah Dean of the same publication called it an “uncomplicated, moving film” and wrote, “the video is nothing more than Adele wandering around the deserted city of love alone, under its grey skies, singing her sorrowful notes, but because it’s her, we don’t need any more.”^[75] That was somehow echoed by Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine who said that the video was “simply constructed as the song’s vocal-and-piano arrangement.”^[76] Marc Hogan of Spin said that the scene in which Adele looks in the camera, “speak[s] for itself” about the sadness in the video.^[77] Andrew Matson of The Seattle Times said, “the song of the year now has a simple, perfect video: Adele in Paris, singing and strolling, apparently processing the breakup detailed in the song’s lyrics. The look on her face during the ‘I wish nothing but the best for you’ line is the best, just gutting, a real achievement how she plays it cold but not sarcastic. I think in times of emotional devastation, everyone wants stand on a bridge over the Seine on a cold day, squinting into the wind, sorting it out.”^[78]

A writer of Rolling Stone wrote: “this clip for the ballad ‘Someone Like You’ sticks to the singer’s simple but emotionally direct approach with black-and-white footage that lingers on her subtly expressive face as she lip-synchs to the tune while walking along sad, grey city streets.”^[79] Andrea Devaro of Long Island Press concluded, “its simplicity beautifully portrays the complexity of emotions invoked in the song.”^[80] Leah Collins of Dose called Adele “’60s bombshell glam” and said that the video’s “simplicity is its strength.”^[81] She added: “There’s something about streetlamps, cafes and the River Seine that lend an air of melancholic elegance to what would otherwise be just another walk of shame by a girl with two-day-old hair. Not everyone gets to indulge in moments as tragic but beautiful as a weepy solitary walk through Paris landmarks. But then, we don’t all have voices as tragic and beautiful as Adele’s either.”^[81] A more mixed review was given by AOL‘s Ashley Percival who called the video predictable and added “It’s all very pleasant, but after all this time, what’s the point?”.^[82] Nicole Eggenberger of OK! wrote that Adele “created the perfect music video to go along with her hauntingly beautiful ballad” and further described it as “simple yet stunning.”^[83]

Live performances

Adele performing “Someone like You” in 2011 during a concert in Seattle, Washington.

Adele performed “Someone like You” for the first time in November 2010 on the BBC music show. Later, with Jools Holland before the release of the album. As the performance finished, there was a notable stunned silence from the audience, before bursting into applause. Adele has since described this performance as a career defining moment.^[84] Later, she performed the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards held at The O2 Arena in London on 15 February 2011.^[85] She appeared on stage backed just by her pianist while “special effects were limited to a shower of glitter and Adele’s own tears, as she almost broke down delivering her lovelorn plea to an ex-boyfriend” as stated by Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph.^[86] Speaking on the ITV2 after show, Adele explained why she had cried at the end of the performance saying, “I was really emotional by the end because I’m quite overwhelmed by everything anyway, and then I had a vision of my ex, of him watching me at home and he’s going to be laughing at me because he knows I’m crying because of him, with him thinking, ‘Yep, she’s still wrapped around my finger’. Then everyone stood up, so I was overwhelmed.”^[87] A writer of Daily Mirror said that “Adele stole the show […] with her universally-praised performance of Someone Like You.”^[85] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph chose the song as a highlight on the show saying that Adele knocked “everyone for six with no bells and whistles, just a piano, her gorgeous voice and a monster song, Someone Like You.”^[88] Later, the song was performed during a VH1 special called “Unplugged”.^[89] Adele also performed the song at Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 24 February 2011.^[90] The same day she performed “Someone like You” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.^[91]

The singer also performed the song at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on 28 August 2011.^[92] After being introduced by American singer Katy Perry, Adele appeared in a black scalloped lace dress by Barbara Tfank,^[93][94] and standing alone on the stage, only with her pianist behind her.^[95] Her hair was pulled back and a signature ponytail draped over one shoulder she sang the song and “did vocal aerobics and dripped her soulful, sultry sound over the dark ballad, while a transfixed audience watched her” as stated by Kelley L. Carter of MTV.^[95] After the performance she received a standing ovation from fans and critics.^[96] According to USA Today‘s Cindy Clark she “captivated the audience with her powerful performance”.^[97] Wesley Case of The Baltimore Sun concluded, “Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ could make a tough guy weep. Her tone was gorgeous.”^[98] Rating the performance with A, Claire Suddath of Time magazine said “it’s heartening to hear a truly talented woman sing a mournful torch song for someone who has left her for someone better. And if her stellar performance, accompanied by only a piano, isn’t enough to melt your heart, then her nervous wave to the audience at the end definitely will.”^[99] A writer of Los Angeles Times called her vocals “strong and direct, and tackles grief by moving with the melody rather than trying to pummel it” and added that it was “less-is-more performance, a tactic award-show producers rarely indulge in, but Adele needs few adornments to impress.”^[100] A writer of Rolling Stone said that Adele brought a “big dollop of elegance to the VMAs with a spare, moving rendition of ‘Someone Like You'” and added that “amid all the pop art glitz, it was a refreshing palate cleanser.”^[101]

Gina Sepre of E! Online praised the performance saying, “When Adele took the stage to perform her understatedly stripped-down and hugely impactful performance of ‘Someone Like You,’ there were no pyrotechnics, no acrobatics, no lavender hair, and no autotune. And guess what? We didn’t miss it. There may be hope yet for MTV to remember just what the ‘M’ in their name actually stands for.”^[102] Writing about the performance, Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound concluded that “Someone like You”, “highlighted the power a bare-bones, booming performance can have in netting people’s attention. Simple is not a bad word, pop music.”^[103] Giving the performance an A+, Lindsey Ward of Jam! said: “When I learned British chart-topper Adele would be performing at Sunday’s awards I thought, ‘Whew – at least we’re guaranteed five solid, meaningful minutes of quality music television’. I was right; her frill-free performance of breakup ballad Someone Like You was just that.”^[104] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly highlighted the performance calling it “one of the best performances of the show.”^[105] Another writer of the same publication gave the performance a grade of A+ and wrote: “It takes a real super power to make the seizure-inducing lasers stop, and that power’s name is Adele. The broadcast temporarily abandoned its frantic mission of nonstop overstimulation, bowing to the 23-year-old English soulstress’s soaring, nearly a cappella (well done, subtle piano man) rendition of her heart-wrecking ballad “Someone Like You.” In a modest black dress and with a few spare hand movements, she delivered all the shock and awe of a million-watt showstopper. Who needs special effects, when God gave you your own? Even Britney Spears looked like she had to fix her mascara when it was all over.”^[106]

“Someone like You” was also added to the set list of the second concert tour by Adele, Adele Live, and it was performed during the encore.^[21][107] While reviewing a concert by Adele, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK, said “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Adele powered her way through the ballad, encouraging the audience to help her sing the somewhat beautiful, yet emotional chorus – giving everyone goosebumps. The sounds of Someone Like You bounced off every wall and tugged at every heart-string, making it a truly special moment and something that every member of the Apollo crowd will never forget.”^[107] Jim Harrington of San Jose Mercury News chose the song as a highlight on the show adding that the song showed “her supreme vocal talent.”^[108]

Cover versions

The song has been covered by multiple artists including Taio Cruz (left) and Katy Perry (right).

Amber Riley, Naya Rivera and Heather Morris sang a mash-up of “Someone like You” and Adele’s other song “Rumour Has It” (2011) during Glee‘s episode “Mash Off” which aired on 15 November.^[109][110] However, the cover was posted online on 10 November.^[111] Jenna Mullins of E! Online praised the cover, saying that it will “knock your socks right off”^[112] and a writer for OK! described it as “AMAZE-ing”.^[113] Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone noted that the cover was “one of the greatest things the show has done [so far].”^[114] Similarly, Billboard‘s Raye Votta commented that the cover was “arguably the best performance ‘Glee’ has done since ‘Don’t Stop Believin’‘.”^[115] Their version of the song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 while selling 160,000 digital downloads in its first week and became the fifth highest digital sales week by a Glee Cast single.^[116][117]As of March 2015, it remains the ninth best-selling Glee Cast recording in the show’s history, having sold 413,000 copies in the United States.^[118] In Canada, the song made a “Hot Shot Debut” on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 12, selling 14,000 downloads.^[119] The song peaked at #35 on the UK Singles Chart, the first Glee recording to make the UK top 40 since “I Feel Pretty / Unpretty”.

Country musician David Nail recorded a cover of “Someone like You”, which was posted on his YouTube account on 15 May 2012. The song is featured on Nail’s three-track digital EP, 1979 which was released on 17 July 2012.^[120] Nail’s version debuted at number 57 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September 2012, reaching as high as number 52.^[121] Metalcore band Ice Nine Kills released a cover version in 2012.

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from 21 liner notes.^[4]

• Adele Adkins – songwriter, producer, lead and backing vocals
• Dan Wilson – songwriter, producer, piano
• Philip Allen – engineer
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Tom Elmhirst – mixer
• Dan Parry – assistant mixer

Track listings

Charts

Year-end charts

All-time chart

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[204]	7× Platinum	490,000^
Belgium (BEA)[205]	Platinum	30,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[206]	Platinum	100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[207]	9× Platinum	720,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[208]	Platinum	30,000^
Germany (BVMI)[209]	Platinum	300,000^
Italy (FIMI)[210]	7× Platinum	210,000*
Mexico (AMPROFON)[211]	2× Platinum+Gold	150,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[212]	2× Platinum	30,000*
South Korea (Gaon Chart)		2,668,951[213]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[214]	2× Platinum	80,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[215]	3× Platinum	1,800,000
United States (RIAA)[216]	6× Platinum	6,000,000[65]
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Buy/Listen 25: http://smarturl.it/25Album?IQid=yt Buy/Listen 21: http://smarturl.it/Adele21Album?IQid=yt Buy/Listen 19: http://smarturl.it/19Album?IQid=yt Follow Adele on: Facebook – http://facebook.com/adele Twitter – http://twitter.com/adele Instagram – http://instagram.com/adele Subscribe to the Adele VEVO Channel – http://smarturl.it/SubscribeAdele?IQid=yt Visit – www.adele.com

End

[Verse 1]
Hello, it’s me
I was wondering if after all these years you’d like to meet
To go over everything
They say that time’s supposed to heal ya, but I ain’t done much healing
Hello, can you hear me?
I’m in California dreaming about who we used to be
When we were younger and free
I’ve forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet
There’s such a difference between us
And a million miles

[Chorus]
Hello from the other side
I must’ve called a thousand times
To tell you I’m sorry
For everything that I’ve done
But when I call, you never seem to be home
Hello from the outside
At least I can say that I’ve tried
To tell you I’m sorry, for breaking your heart
But it don’t matter
It clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore

[Verse 2]
Hello, how are you?
It’s so typical of me to talk about myself, I’m sorry
I hope that you’re well
Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happened?
It’s no secret that the both of us
Are running out of time

[Chorus]
So hello from the other side
I must’ve called a thousand times
To tell you I’m sorry
For everything that I’ve done
But when I call, you never seem to be home
Hello from the outside
At least I can say that I’ve tried
To tell you I’m sorry, for breaking your heart
But it don’t matter
It clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore

[Bridge]
(Highs, highs, highs, highs, lows, lows, lows, lows)
Ooh, anymore
(Highs, highs, highs, highs, lows, lows, lows, lows)
Ooh, anymore
(Highs, highs, highs, highs, lows, lows, lows, lows)
Ooh, anymore
(Highs, highs, highs, highs, lows, lows, lows, lows)
Anymore

[Chorus]
Hello from the other side
I must’ve called a thousand times
To tell you I’m sorry
For everything that I’ve done
But when I call, you never seem to be home
Hello from the outside
At least I can say that I’ve tried
To tell you I’m sorry, for breaking your heart
But it don’t matter
It clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore

[Produced by Greg Kurstin]
[Music Video]

Hello (Adele song)

“Hello” is a song by English singer Adele, released on 23 October 2015 by XL Recordings as the lead single from her third studio album, 25 (2015). Adele co-wrote the song with her producer, Greg Kurstin. “Hello” is a piano ballad with soulinfluences, and lyrics that discuss themes of nostalgia and regret. Upon release, the song was acclaimed by music critics, who compared it favourably to Adele’s previous work and praised the song’s lyrics and Adele’s vocals. It was recorded in London.

“Hello” reached number one in almost every country it charted in, including the United Kingdom, where it became her second UK number-one single, following “Someone like You“, and has the largest opening week sales in three years. In the United States, “Hello” debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, reigning for 10 consecutive weeks whilst becoming Adele’s fourth number-one on the chart and breaking several records, including becoming the first song to sell over a million digital copies in a week. By the end of 2015, it had sold 12.3 million units globally (combined sales and track-equivalent streams) and was the year’s 7th best-selling single while it stands as one of the best-selling singles of all-time.^[3]

The accompanying music video was directed by Xavier Dolan and co-stars Adele and Tristan Wilds. The music video for the song broke the Vevo Record by achieving over 27.7 million views within a 24-hour span, held previously by Taylor Swift‘s “Bad Blood” which accumulated 20.1 million views in that timeframe. The record was later broken by Swift in 2017 for the video for her song Look What You Made Me Do which gained over 43.2 million views in the timeframe. “Hello” also broke the record for shortest time to reach one billion YouTube views (88 days). The clip received seven nominations at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year and Best Female Video.^[4] Adele promoted the song with a live performance on a BBC one-hour-long special, entitled Adele at the BBC. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, “Hello” won three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. At the 40th Brit Awards, “Hello” won British Single of the Year and was nominated for British Video of the Year.

Writing and composition

“Hello” was written by Adele and Greg Kurstin and produced by the latter. Kurstin also played bass, guitar, drums, piano and keyboards, while Adele also played drums.^[6] “Hello” was written in Chiswick, London, something not normally done by Adele, who said she likes to write her music at home.^[7] The writing process for the song was slow, taking six months to complete. Initially Adele and Kurstin started writing the first verse; finishing half of the song, six months later Adele contacted Kurstin to finish the song with her, with Kurstin stating he was not sure “if Adele was ever going to come back and finish it.”^[8]

“Hello” is a soul piano ballad,^[2][9] played in the key of F minor at a tempo of 79 beats per minute. The repeated chord progression heard in the verse, played by the piano, follows a progression of Fm–A♭–E♭–D♭. According to Musicnotes.com, Adele’s vocals span from F₃ to A♭₅in the song.^[10] During the chorus, Adele is heard singing the lines over layers of backing vocals, piano and drums which were described by The Daily Telegraph as leaning “towards a very luscious wall of sound”.^[5]

Lyrically, the song focuses on themes of nostalgia and regret and plays out like a conversation. The song was noted for containing themes of regret and was seen as a follow-up to her single “Someone like You” appearing to reflect on a failed relationship. The song’s lyrics were also seen as being conversational, revolving around “all the relationships of her past”, ranging from friends, family members and ex-partners.^[11] Speaking on the song’s lyrical content, Adele told Nick Grimshaw on The Radio 1 Breakfast Show: “I felt all of us were moving on, and it’s not about an ex-relationship, a love relationship, it’s about my relationship with everyone that I love. It’s not that we have fallen out, we’ve all got our lives going on and I needed to write that song so they would all hear it, because I’m not in touch with them.”^[12] According to Adele, the line “Hello from the other side” signifies “the other side of becoming an adult, making it out alive from your late teens, early twenties.”^[8]

Release and reception

On 18 October 2015, a 30-second clip of “Hello” was played during a commercial break on The X Factor in the United Kingdom. The commercial teased what was then new material, with her vocals accompanied by lyrics on a black screen.^[13] Josh Duboff of Vanity Fair wrote that “the Internet collectively lost its mind” after the broadcast of the trailer.^[14] On 22 October, Adele announced the upcoming release of 25 to her fans on Twitter. She also shared that “Hello” would be released on 23 October as the lead single off of the album.^[15][16][17] On 23 October, Adele joined Nick Grimshaw‘s show on BBC Radio 1 for the song’s premiere.^[18][19]

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described it as “a big ballad, but a superior example of its kind”, and opined that the song is “precisely the kind of lovelorn epic ballad that made Adele one of the biggest stars in the world.”^[20] Writing for The Independent, Emily Jupp stated in her review of the song that it “might not be groundbreaking, but Adele’s return with her familiar, smoky sound is very welcome”. She called it an “‘if it ain’t broke’ ballad” and said: “Adele does what she does best, belting out emotional tales of love and loss much the same as with her last album, 21, but this time, with a little more self-forgiveness.”^[21]

Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote: “Lyrics that work best when they zoom in on personal details match her combination of vocal power and restraint.”^[22] Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph called it “a beautiful song of loss and regret”, adding that “it takes a grip on the kind of memory every listener holds somewhere in their heart and merges it with Adele’s own drama.”^[5] Rolling Stone ranked “Hello” at number 6 on its year-end list to find the 50 best songs of 2015.^[23] Several publications have commented on similarities in the theme of the song and accompanying video with that of “Hello” by American singer Lionel Richie.^[24][25]

Chart performance

Europe and Oceania

Three days after its release, the Official Charts Company announced that “Hello” had accumulated 165,000 chart sales in the United Kingdom, of which 156,000 were downloads.^[26] “Hello” entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart on 30 October 2015, – for the week dated 5 November 2015 – with 333,000 combined sales, of which 259,000 were downloads, making it the biggest selling number-one single on the chart in three years. It marked Adele’s second UK number-one single, after 2011’s “Someone like You”. Additionally, “Hello” was streamed 7.32 million times in its first week, breaking the streaming record previously held by Justin Bieber‘s “What Do You Mean?“. Including streaming sales and excluding The X Factor and Pop Idol winners’ singles, major charity campaign records and Christmas number ones, “Hello” was the second biggest selling number one of the 21st century in the UK, beaten only by Shaggy‘s “It Wasn’t Me“, which sold 345,000 copies in a week in February 2001.^[27] The following week, the song remained at number one after selling a further 121,000 downloads and was streamed 5.78 million times, the same week the song was certified Gold by the BPI.^[28] On 20 May 2016, it spent its 30th week in the UK Top 100. As of November 2016, the song has sold 918,700 in pure sales.^[29]

The song also debuted at number one in Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.^[30]

In Australia, “Hello” entered at the top of the ARIA Singles Chart on 31 October 2015, selling over 59,075 units, which earned the song a gold certification in its first week. The song also became the second fastest-selling single of the year, behind Wiz Khalifa‘s “See You Again“.^[31] It marked Adele’s second number-one single on the ARIA Singles Chart following 2011’s “Someone like You”.^[32] The single stayed atop the chart for a second week and was certified platinum selling over 70,000 units.^[31] On 20 March 2017, Hello re-entered the chart at number 50 and has so far been certified 7x platinum for sales over 490,000 units.^[33]

In New Zealand, the song debuted at number one on the New Zealand singles chart, holding the position the following week and was certified platinum.^[34]

North America

In the United States, “Hello” debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on 2 November 2015, for the chart dated 14 November 2015, becoming only the 24th song to debut at number one. “Hello” started at number 49 on the Radio Songs chart, after three days of release. In its first full week of airplay, it rose from 45 to 9, up 146% to 70 million all format audience impressions. The track started at number one on the On-Demand Songs chart with a record 20.4 million on-demand streams, becoming her first number-one song on the chart. “Hello” entered at the top of the Digital Songs chart with sales of 1,112,000, becoming the first track to sell over one million digital copies in a single week and almost doubling the record for the most downloads sold in a week, previously held by Flo Rida‘s “Right Round“, which sold 636,000 downloads in the week ending 28 February 2009. “Hello” started with 61.6 million US streams, becoming her first number-one song and the second greatest weekly total on the Streaming Songs chart, behind Baauer‘s “Harlem Shake“, which registered 103 million streams on week of 3 March 2013.^[35] “Hello” is the first song to sell more than a million digital copies in a single week and the third highest weekly sales total since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. Only Elton John‘s “Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight” has sold more in a single week, selling 3.446 million copies in its opening week and 1.212 million copies in its second week.^[36]

In its second week, “Hello” stayed at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, selling another 635,000 digital copies marking the third-best digital sales week and the highest for a non-debut week. “Hello” also held atop Streaming Songs with 47.4 million US streams, down 23 percent from 61.6 million in its first week, the track also stayed atop the On-Demand Songs with 18.1 million streams. On the Radio Songs chart, “Hello” moved from 9 to 6, up by 46% to 106 million all-format audience impressions, thus becoming the top Airplay Gainer on the Hot 100. The track also moved from two to one on the Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart and moved nine to four on the Adult Contemporary format.^[37] The following week, the song stayed at the top of the Hot 100 and Digital Songs chart, selling 480,000 downloads and becoming just the third song to sell over 400,000 copies for three straight weeks. “Hello” also rose from 6 to 1 on the Radio Songs chart in just its fourth week (the greatest leap to number one on the chart’s 25-year history), marking the quickest climb to number one on the chart in 22 years, since Mariah Carey‘s “Dreamlover” reached the top in its fourth frame on 28 August 1993. Additionally, “Hello” became just the third song to top the Hot 100, Digital Songs, Streaming Songs, On-Demand Songs and Radio Songs tallies simultaneously in the nearly three years all five charts had coexisted. “Hello” remained atop the Hot 100 for ten consecutive weeks, becoming only the 31st No. 1 in the Hot 100’s history to reign for at least 10 weeks, and only the 3rd for a number one debut, following “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (16 weeks) and “Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight” by Elton John (14 weeks). By spending a tenth week at the top of the chart, it became Adele’s longest-running number-one single and the longest-leading Hot 100 No. 1 by a solo female since Rihanna‘s “We Found Love,” featuring Calvin Harris, which also led for 10 weeks in 2011–2012. As of January 2016, it had sold 3.7 million downloads.^[38] The Recording Industry Association of America certified the song quadruple platinum.^[39] The single also benefitted from numerous Dance/EDM remixes as well,^[40] thus resulting in “Hello” topping Billboard’sDance Club Songs and Dance/Mix Show Airplay charts.^[41][42] On the chart dated 23 April 2016, the song spent a 21st week at the top of the Adult Contemporary Chart, matching the record set by Kelly Clarkson‘s “Breakaway” (2005) and Celine Dion‘s “A New Day Has Come” (2002) for the longest No. 1 run among women since the list launched in 1961. It also equaled the third-longest stay at the summit among all acts.^[43]

“Hello” entered at the top of the Canadian Hot 100 as the 100th song to top the chart, selling 140,000 copies and outsold Justin Bieber‘s “Sorry“, which sold 40,000 units and debuted at number two the same week. The song was streamed 4.79 million times, setting a record for the most streamed track in a week.^[44]

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Canadian actor and director Xavier Dolan and released on 22 October 2015, despite the fact the song was released as a single a day later.^[46][47] The concept of the video revolves around a recently broken-up woman calling a younger version of herself.^[45]Portions of the video—mostly the finale on the pond and the shot of her opening her eyes in the beginning—were filmed with IMAX cameras, making it the first music video in IMAX format.^[48] The video draws inspiration from Dolan’s semi-autobiographical debut I Killed My Mother, which was made when Dolan was barely 20.^[45]The video was filmed on a farm in Québec over 4 days in September 2015.^[45]

The video stars American actor Tristan Wilds. According to Dolan, Adele called him after an unspecified incident of police brutality in the United States, suggesting that a Caucasian male not be cast as her love interest in the video. Dolan elaborated “She was just like, ‘I’m concerned with the reality of the tensions between authorities and the black community, and I want to send a message out there.'”^[49][50] Dolan contacted Wilds via Skype and explained the concept for the video, which Wilds agreed to take part in.^[51] During the filming, both Adele and Wilds were asked to improvise and “tap into” their past relationships in order to convey the correct emotions. Dolan also filmed shots of both Adele and Wilds having conversations and laughing.^[51] The sepia toned video shows Adele performing the song in a small house and outside in a wooded forest, intercut with scenes of her making a tearful phone call and flashbacks to a past relationship with Wilds’ character.^[52]

The flip phone used by Adele in the video was widely commented upon due to being of a retro style. Dolan replied to the remarks by saying: “It makes me uncomfortable filming iPhones because I feel like I’m shooting a commercial. Those things: iPhones, laptops, all those elements, to me, they bring me back to reality: That’s not what you want. You want to get out of your own life; you want to enter someone else’s; you want to travel somewhere; you want to be told a story. I’m realizing maybe I’ve been more distracting than anything else with that flip phone, but it wasn’t intentional!”^[53]

The music video for the song broke the previous Vevo Record by achieving over 27.7 million views within a 24-hour period.^[54] Later, the video continued to break Miley Cyrus‘s “Wrecking Ball” Vevo record for the fastest video to reach 100 million views in 5 days.^[55] The phrase “Adele hello” was also the top YouTube search term of Friday and Saturday, and on average the video was getting one million views per hour during the first two days, peaking at 1.6 million in a single hour, beating the peak view rate of the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which peaked at 1.2 million views per hour.^[56] The video was parodied in a Thanksgiving-themed skit on Saturday Night Live.^[57]

As of April 2018, the video is the thirteenth most viewed video on YouTube,^[58] having earned over 2.2 billion views.^[59][60] The video also became the third video on YouTube to reach 10 million likes on 29 May 2016, and has over 13 million likes as of February 2018, ranking it fifth on the list of most liked YouTube videos. The four videos to have more likes are “Gangnam Style“, “See You Again“, “Despacito” and “Shape of You“.^[61]

Live performances

Adele performed “Hello” live for the first time for a BBC one-hour-long special, Adele at the BBC, which was recorded on 2 November 2015 and was broadcast on BBC One on 20 November 2015.^[62][63] She also performed the song at the 17th NRJ Music Awards on 7 November 2015,^[64] at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on 17 November 2015 as her opening number (Adele Live in New York City), and on Saturday Night Live on 21 November 2015.^[65] On 23 November 2015, after appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Adele recorded the song with Fallon and his house band, The Roots, playing classroom instruments. The version was broadcast on the show the following night.^[66] On 13 December 2015 Adele performed “Hello” on the X Factor live final at The SSE Arena, Wembley.^[67]

Cover versions

• On 9 November 2015, Kosovan singer Rita Ora delivered her own version of the song by singing it in a self-invented language in the Capital FM studios.^[68]
• American singer Demi Lovato covered “Hello” at the 2015 106.1 KISS FM Fall Ball in Seattle on 14 November 2015. Her rendition of the song was met with high critical acclaim.^[69][70][71] It eventually received a nomination for “Best Cover Song” at the 3rd iHeartRadio Music Awards.^[72] A fan video of Lovato’s cover version has since garnered over 13.5 million views on YouTube.^[73]
• In December 2015, Washington, D.C.-based go-go band Backyard Band released a cover version of the song, which has since become widely popular in the area since its release.^[74]
• During New Year’s Eve 2015, Canadian singer Celine Dion put her own spin on “Hello” at her residency show in Las Vegas.^[75]

Media usage

The song was mentioned in the season 6 premier episode of 2 Broke Girls. “Hello” is also referenced in the Lady Leshurr single “Queen’s Speech 5” and was also sampled in Stitches‘ single “One Million Dimes”.

Credits and personnel

Personnel^[1]

Charts