In this blog post, we list some of the best Adele songs you can add to your favourite playlist. A favourite of the critics and with legions of fans worldwide, Adele is a powerhouse performer known not just for her voice, but also for her emotional and evocative songwriting, which is heavily influenced her favourite singers, such as Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald. Here, we take a deep dive into some interesting facts that made some of her best songs so special and memorable.
1. Hello
“Hello” was released on October 23, 2015 as the lead single from Adele’s third studio album, 25. The writing process for the song was slow, taking six months to complete.
The song is a piano ballad with soul influences and lyrics that discuss themes of nostalgia and regret. 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.
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.” 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.”
At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, “Hello” won three awards; Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
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2. Rolling In The Deep
“Rolling In The Deep” was released on November 29, 2010 as the lead single from 21 for Adele’s second studio album, 21 released in 2011. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth (also produced the song).
According to Nadine Cheung from AOL Radio Blog the song is “sung from the perspective of a scorned lover, who is finally able to see the light, but despite regretful sentiments, reconciliation is not an option here.”
The singer herself described the song as a “dark blues-y gospel disco tune”. It’s a mix of doo-wop backing vocals, kick drum and unadorned piano fill in the spaces between Adele’s drawn-out syllables.
In an interview Adele expressed her initial reservations prior to meeting Paul Epworth due to their divergent musical styles, but characterised their collaboration as “a match made in heaven.” She also credited Epworth for her increased vocal confidence, stating, “He brought a lot out of me. He brought my voice out as well—there’s notes that I hit in that song that I never even knew I could hit.”
At the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, it won awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video.
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3. Someone Like You
“Someone Like You” was released on January 24, 2011 as the second single from Adele’s second studio album, 21. The song was written and produced by Adele and Dan Wilson and was one of the last songs written for the album.
Adele sings about the end of the relationship with her ex-partner. The track, which epitomizes the lyrical content of 21, summarizes the now defunct relationship that the record is all about. The slow, mournful piano figure underneath the track never changes or quickens or flattens out, but it’s all the company Adele gets here; no other instruments show up on the song. So the piano is the quiet little skeleton that turns out to be all the song needs.
Adele has openly discussed the beginning 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.”
The song went on to become Adele’s first number-one single in the UK and second number one in the US. It also received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, at the 54th ceremony in 2012.
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4. Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her third studio album, 25. It was written by Adele, Max Martin and Shellback, with the latter two also handling its production.
Adele described it as a “happy you’re gone” song dedicated to an ex-boyfriend. At the beginning, Adele grieves for the end of a past relationship and relates the things her ex-lover did that wronged her during it. However, as the song progresses, she forgives her ex-partner, acknowledges that she will move on past him.
Haydon Benfield of Renowned for Sound says “In short order Adele’s vocals start-in, full of character and emotion, but never hackneyed or excessive. The chorus inexplicably has a reggae/house vibe, and the layered hand-claps ensure that the music hooks deeply into the listener.”
After Adele’s unproductive recording sessions with Ryan Tedder, they ended up feeling inspired, and during a session, wrote a track called “Remedy”. Later, the pair went to lunch, where they heard Taylor Swift’s 2012 single “I Knew You Were Trouble”; Adele liked it instantly. Tedder informed Adele that Max Martin produced the song, and sent her clips of his work. Shortly after this, Adele expressed interest in working with Martin, whom she had never heard of before, and the two later met for a session.
Adele began work on “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”, reworking a skeleton of a song she had written when she was thirteen years old after being inspired by the release of Frank (2003) by Amy Winehouse. Martin came to London, Adele showed him the guitar riff she had, and the duo finished the track on the guitar. Adele commented on the collaboration: “Max Martin, I just could hang out with him forever. He’s so beautiful and lovely and funny and generous and warm and caring. He’s a really amazing man.” She also said the track was “a bit of fun,” quipping: “You ain’t got to be dark all the time.”
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5. Set Fire To The Rain
“Set Fire To The Rain” was part of Adele’s second studio album, 21 released in 2011. The song was written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith while the production was handled by the latter.
Adele delivers a gut-wrenching, cautionary tale about the danger of prematurely giving away your heart. She summons the melodrama, and with her gusto for passion, showers us once again with the pain of a fractured relationship this time replete with a darkside, naturally cured by metaphorically setting fire to the rain and throwing the relationship into the flame so that it might die.
Adam Holz from Plugged In says that ”Despite the immolation of her heart and hope, despite her knowledge that the man who betrayed her is a deceptive liar, however, so great is his hold on her memory that she finds herself hoping still for a rekindling of that destructive flame. ”
The song went on to become Adele’s third consecutive US number-one single from 21. A live performance 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.
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6. When We Were Young
“When We Were Young” was released on January 22, 2016 as the second single from her third studio album, 25.
Here, Adele takes a journey through the very basics of nostalgia: a romantic lust for what once was but has since gone, tune in beautifully with 25’s tremendously emotional and reflective message. This is Adele at the height of her maturity and classiness. Adele’s voice is still perhaps a little bit melodramatic, but it manages to be sad and reflective without seeming whiny or pandering or depressing, which the rest of the album is.
Jeremy Gordon of Pitchfork mentions how “The sadness swells in her voice as she looks at her friends, who stand with her ravaged by time, knowing the moment won’t last forever. What comes next is the inevitability of separation, and then the finality of death.”
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 written. Adele flew to Los Angeles to work with different songwriters and producers for two months, and later she expressed interest in working with Canadian musician Tobias Jesso Jr.
Adele co-wrote the song with Tobias Jesso Jr., while production of the track was provided by Ariel Rechtshaid. “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.” Rechtshaid mentions.
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7. Skyfall
“Skyfall” was released in 2012 for the James Bond film of the same name. It was written by Adele and producer Paul Epworth and featured a 77-piece orchestra conducted by J. A. C. Redford. Production of “Skyfall”, from the first contact with Adele to the song’s release, took 18 months to complete.
The song was modern and different enough without alienating the feel of 007, and Adele’s voice fit the bombast very appropriately. It was epic, haunting, and cinematic, everything a Bond theme needs to be.
In early 2011, Sony Pictures President of Music Lia Vollack suggested to the James Bond film producers at Eon Productions that they ask Adele to record a theme song for their next Bond film. While Adele didn’t have the subject matter she cared for at all to sing about, she had the voice to do it. Vollack thought that Adele would be a good choice to ask to record a Bond theme song because her music had a “soulful, haunting, evocative quality”, which Vollack considered would bring back the “classic Shirley Bassey feel” associated with several early Bond films.
Seth Abramovitch of Hollywood reporter critically mentioned that ““Skyfall” instantly feels like a Bond theme, with the singer’s sultry voice set against a minor chord progression. Done in big, orchestral style, the mood — like the singer — is all 1960s throwback, back when Bond themes like “Goldfinger” were smooth, seductive and larger than life.”
Eventually, “Skyfall” went on to receive several accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
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8. Easy On Me
“Easy On Me” was released on October 15 2021, as the lead single from Adele’s fourth studio album, 30. It was her first musical release in nearly five years.
The song is a minimally produced pop ballad, set to a prominent, sombre piano, and propelled by sparse bass beats. Expressing themes of nostalgia, regret, and forgiveness, the song’s lyrics represent Adele’s plea to her son, in which she details her struggles with her dissolved marriage and requests him to be kind to her. As expected, no artist can wrap heartbreak and sorrow in a stunning package as expertly as Adele. Her vocals soar, the accompanying piano melody is melancholic, and the tempo is steady.
The song was produced by Greg Kurstin, who also co-wrote the song with Adele. Annie Harrigan of The Crimson stated that “Adele’s ability to not only pinpoint her pitfalls but also clearly convey them to listeners without self-pity is awe-inspiring. Her capacity to be brutally honest without any self-righteousness for doing so is a feat that all songwriters should aspire to.”
“Easy on Me” became the longest running number-one song on the US Billboard Hot 100 by a female artist in the 2020s decade, with ten weeks atop the chart.
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9. Chasing Pavements
“Chasing Pavements” was the second single from Adele’s debut studio album, 19 released in 2008. It was written by Adele with its producer Eg White.
The song tells us about a woman’s quest of giving up on her lover and moving on in life with a definitive goal. According to Rolling Stone, “The song was inspired by an incident Adele had with a former boyfriend of six months. After learning he had cheated on her, she went to the bar he was at and punched him in the face. After being thrown out, Adele walked down the street alone and thought to herself, “What is it you’re chasing? You’re chasing an empty pavement.””
The arrangement is minimal and gives focus mostly on Adele’s vocals which is where they should be. It proved Adele to be one of the best female artists in the early stages of their career. At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, “Chasing Pavements”, won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
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10. Hometown Glory
“Hometown Glory” was released on October 22, 2007 and appeared on Adele’s debut studio album 19. It was the first song she ever wrote.
On this song, Adele creates close to pure pop bliss. She combines both an instantly recognizably piano chord with lyrics about simply loving where you come from and loving to return. Adele wrote the song within 10 minutes, when she was only 16 years old, after her mother tried to persuade her to leave her home suburb of West Norwood in London for university.
Nick Levine of Digital Spy said that “[“Hometown Glory”] showed off her rich, supple, swooping voice beautifully, causing a lot of people to get very excited indeed.” The song received a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
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11. Don’t You Remember
“Don’t You Remember” is the fourth track from Adele’s second studio album, 21.
The song is viewed as a more country-style ballad, and was added to the album late when a more contemplative Adele (who had been struggling with her emotions toward her ex-boyfriend who inspired most of the songs on the album) became increasingly aware of how her bitterness towards the break-up negatively colored her perception of her former lover.
“It was sort of my attempt at a country song. It starts super duper tender and soft, which I’m not really into that,” she admitted in her 73 Questions video for Vogue. “By the end, I’m wailing, which is way more my comfort zone.”
Adele explained the song’s meaning to The Sun: “You know when you forget why you loved someone? I was just thinking about how my entire body would just shiver if my ex touched me to say hello. It’s sad when you can’t remember why you loved someone.” She added that it was “just trying to remember why you loved someone in the first place.”
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12. Oh My God
“Oh My God” was the second single on Adele’s fourth studio album, 30 released on November 29, 2021. The song was written by Adele and her producer Greg Kurstin.
The song deals with a conflict on “her desire to have fun for once”, while it seems like she never had the chance to do so. The song explores the topic of wanting to “put yourself out there” and the consequent difficulties due to being a superstar. The uptempo track — a departure from Adele’s usual ruminative, soulful compositions — incorporates elements of R&B.
According to Rolling Stone, the singer revealed that it was “about the first time that I basically left my house after my anxiety and stuff like that started to sort of subside”. After having turned 30, she explained that she was terrified of going on dates in Los Angeles. Talking about one of the first times she flirted after her divorce from ex-husband Simon Konecki, she recalled saying, “‘do you mind? I’m married.’ And my friends were like, ‘but you’re not.’ And I was like, ‘oh shit. OK, oh my God’.”
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