Top 5 Real Stories Behind Adele's Biggest Hits
#5: “Water Under the Bridge” (2016)
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Adele’s much anticipated album “25” was released in 2015 after a long hiatus following her previous album, “21”. The content of this record was decidedly more grown up, addressing themes of motherhood and nostalgia, but of course, still tackling relationship issues. “Water Under the Bridge” was inspired by her relationship with her husband, Simon Konecki. The lyrics are about being in a relationship that is getting serious fast. Adele spoke to Rolling Stone about the sentiments that inspired the track, saying she realized: “I think this must be right. This is the relationship that I want to be in for as long as I can possibly be in it.”
#4: “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
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What is likely Adele’s most well known song, “Rolling in the Deep” was written mere hours after Adele suffered a devastating breakup. She had just ended a year-long relationship with the man who she called her first serious boyfriend. Adele arrived in the studio thinking she would write a ballad because of her mood, but producer Paul Epworth wanted to harness her raw emotions to compose a powerful, anthemic song. “Rolling in the Deep” doesn’t convey sadness like many of Adele’s earlier tracks, but rather a fiery anger that we’ve all felt after a bad breakup.
#3: “Hometown Glory” (2007)
Adele’s first album, “19” featured some of her classic hits including this one, which was first released in 2007. The first song she'd ever written, the story behind the song – and the catalyst for its creation - is that Adele’s mother wanted her to leave their home in West Norwood, to go to university elsewhere. At the age of only 16, Adele wrote the song in 10 minutes flat and then sang it to her mother in protest. The track is an ode to Adele’s own hometown, the wonders of urban life in general and provided her with her first taste of chart success.
#2: “When We Were Young” (2016)
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Following the nostalgic themes of her album “25”, this tune is all about thinking about the past and reminiscing with loved ones. Adele famously dealt with writer’s block while she was working on the record, but after regaining inspiration, Adele produced this epic ballad. The song wistfully tells the story of meeting with an old friend and talking about their younger years. In an interview with Sirius XM, she said the inspiration was from imagining a house party where everyone she knew was 50, 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.”
#1: “Someone Like You” (2011)
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Adele has written a lot of moving breakup songs, but none is more heart wrenching than this one. The singer/songwriter, however, says that the story isn’t as dismal as one might think. She wrote it while imagining herself projected into the future and seeing her ex with a happy family while she was still alone. She describes being “emotionally drained” after writing more angry songs like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Rumour Has It” and this song exemplified her defeated feeling. Adele said she felt at peace after penning the lyrics to this song, finally getting out all of the feelings she experienced during her breakup.
