After about four years of what seemed like endless waiting, Adele Adkins finally released her third album 25. Her first two albums 19 and 21 told the tales of her struggles with love and heartbreak, while Adele called this album her "makeup record" wherein she was making up with herself. I listened to each song and read the lyrics and immediately wrote down my thoughts:
1. "Hello"
A few weeks ago, Adele stunned us with this heartbreakingly beautiful song about a long lost lover she has been trying to reach out to. The song begins with a simple, tentative "Hello" and then goes on to convey a conversation she is having over the phone with an ex. The song is powerful, honest, and incredibly relatable. I think part of what made this song such a success is the way that most people can relate to it, everyone has someone they hurt in the past that they would love to make amends with but just doesn't know how.
2. "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)"
Adele opens with a quick "just the guitar pick", to lead into a fast paced pluck of the guitar. This upbeat, pop song speaks of her forgiveness towards a past lover, but warns that he should treat his "new lover" better than he treated her. She speaks of how she is letting go and he has freed her from the past throughout the song. This song's upbeat tempo took me by surprise when I first heard it, it is not the typical style I expect from Adele, but that definitely is not a bad thing. This song is an anthem of forgiveness and moving on.
3. "I Miss You"
"I Miss You" is a ballad full of hidden connotations and meanings. I believe this song has a lot that is up to interpretation, but I believe that this song is about her struggling and fighting with her current love and still loving him through the hardships and doubts. I think she misses him in the sense that things are not as they used to be, however she still loves him and wishes he were with her. In the typical Adele style, the song has retro background vocals and features the powerful voice she possesses.
4. "When We Were Young"
"When We Were Young", the second single from the album, is one of Adele's most soulful ballads yet. The song has so much emotion with every word. She expresses how she is sad about getting older and how she was scared to face her fears in the past. It seems that she has unexpectedly run into her ex, who she thought she was over, when all of her old feelings rush back.
5. "Remedy"
This inspirational piano ballad cowritten by Ryan Tedder of One Republic does not speak of Adele's own heartbreak, but of someone else's. The song is produced with just Adele's voice and the piano, which makes for a beautifully honest arrangement. She promises her aid to a friend in need when times get tough and reminds them of how she loves them. This song is truly beautiful and inspiring, making it one of my personal favorites.
6. "Water Under the Bridge"
This upbeat song begs the man who is wrong for her to let her down gently. She acknowledges the fact that this man is wrong for her, but also acknowledges that their love is real. She asks him to not treat their love like it's "water under the bridge" when he breaks her heart.
7. "River Lea"
Adele uses the river by which she grew up on as an explanation for why she hurts people in relationships. She blames the river for causing her to have unhappy relationship after unhappy relationship. This song has a good chorus and a good beat, making it a very appealing song.
8. "Love In The Dark"
This powerful, heartbreaking song is one of my personal favorites. It tells the story of how she has fallen out of love with someone and they are begging her to stay. She feels guilty and cruel for breaking their heart but knows it is the right thing to do. The song is very honest and you can clearly hear the guilt in her voice.
9. "Million Years Ago"
In this sad, regretful song, Adele seems to speak about her life as a famous person. She talks about how life was so easy a million years ago and how people act differently around her now. This song got me thinking about how much fame changes a persons life, but they are still just a person and we should treat them as such.
10. "All I Ask"
In this song, Adele speaks of what she believes to be her last night with someone. She knows this person doesn't love her but just wants them to spend one more night with her because she is afraid she will never fall in love again. This song is very sad, desperate, and honest and shows how vulnerable and lonely she felt.
11. "Sweetest Devotion"
The album ends on a happy note. Adele speaks about how she has found the love of her life who she will eternally be with. She talks about how she wasn't ready in the past for this kind of relationship, but she is ready now and she found him unexpectedly.
I believe that this truly is a makeup record. Compared to her previous albums, Adele seems to have a much more mature reaction to things in 25. She accepts the past and moves on from it while still recognizing it. The sad and the happy balance on this album, she has found her place in life and made a beautiful record about it. This may just be her best one yet, but who knows maybe we will hear about 28, or 35, or maybe even 50?
