Adele connects pop music’s past and future through her timeless power ballads and traditional compositions that appeal to an audience from teenagers to grandmas alike.
Her albums 19, 21, 25 and 30 all reached number one worldwide, but since November 2021 no new material has been released by her.
1. “Hello”
Adele made headlines in 2015 with her record-setting single “Hello”, breaking YouTube views records within 24 hours and garnering one billion views within 28 hours on YouTube. Since then she released 25 and won many fans and praise.
Listen closely to the chorus and observe how each pair of melodies has its own distinctive pattern, creating contrast that keeps listeners intrigued and engaged with the song.
2. “Rolling in the Deep”
Adele took an unexpected musical turn with “Rolling in the Deep,” her lead track on her sophomore album 21. This soul stomper serves as both an affirmation and heartbreaker anthem at once.
“She became one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century without doing any extravagant collaborations or producing flashy music videos, yet sold more records than anyone ever could before her.”
3. “Set Fire to the Rain”
Adele brings her emotional intensity to a crescendo on this wistful yet easy-listening ballad by Adele. This song could serve as the backdrop to an emotionally intense scene in a network drama series.
Adele delivers one of her most moving performances ever in this track from 30. It depicts a struggle for self-determination and happiness while considering others, specifically a young child’s feelings. Adele shows remarkable candor with this momentary reflection.
4. “Set Fire to the Flames”
Adele wrote the lyrics to this song during an unexpected moment of inspiration in the middle of the night, after awakening in bed with an epiphany about what led her to her first heartbreak. It became one of Adele’s anthems of resilience at 21.
It is the third US single from her critically acclaimed album 21 and its lyrics illustrate the struggles associated with ending relationships and refusing to let go.
5. “Million Years Ago”
Adele has captured America’s imagination with her haunting and emotive ballads from London sung by young female singers with extraordinary vocal talent, tapping into an already existing market with uncanny ease and success.
19 and its singles Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You and Set Fire to the Rain made waves around the globe; 21 was an international top seller.
6. “Set Fire to the Flames”
Adele offers a soaring, cautionary tale about giving away too soon without marriage’s commitment. This song speaks directly to anyone who has ever been hurt by love.
She sings of an end to an idyllic relationship that had initially seemed hopeful but ultimately collapsed under its own weight of betrayal and deceit.
7. “Set Fire to the Flames”
Adele can be seen wearing a golden Valentino gown and floating down an artificial river as she observes people going about their daily lives while being propelled forward by synchronized swimmers – an apt symbolism for relationships that may be drifting apart.
Like Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Set Fire to Flames conjures an atmosphere of human apocalypse through its use of three madmen (Lyingdyingwonderbody one through three) who use their voices as haunting instruments drones.
8. “Set Fire to the Flames”
Adele stands alone as an artist capable of communicating heartbreak. Fans and industry insiders alike have repeatedly acknowledged Adele as an extraordinary talent.
“Set Fire to the Flames,” written by Fraser T Smith and featured on Adele’s second album 21 is an emotional ballad about heartbreak that hit #1 on both pop and adult contemporary radio charts.
9. “Set Fire to the Flames”
Adele’s “Someone Like You” music video on YouTube has amassed two billion views. The footage shows Adele moving through an abandoned old house as wind howls through and her phone loses signal.
Set Fire to Flames is part of the same collective as Godspeed You Black Emperor!, employing various found-sound excerpts, monologues of their lyingdyingwonderbodies, and musical drones which contrast and complement one another to create an atmosphere of self-destruction and redemption.
10. “Set Fire to the Flames”
Adele’s 30 album has become an extraordinary success story. Not only has it sold incredibly well but has received incredible praise.
But this album is more than a collection of brooding instrumentals; it’s an exploration of human madness and despair, as well as a testament to a woman who has overcome everything to survive and overcome it all.