Rejoice! Pop a bottle of champagne! The wait is finally over and I don't mean the one for Thanksgiving break.
On November 20, 2015 Adele dropped her highly anticipated album, "25." This album truly justifies the four years of hiatus.
After a box of tissues and a night on the emotional rollercoaster she put me through, I've created a track-by-track breakdown of "25" and I’m super excited to share it.
Track 1: "Hello"
Adele opens "25" with this song about missing her former relationships. She’s trying to reach out to the ones she has wronged. Finally if she has the chance, she wants to make up for all the lost time.
Favorite Lyric: "They say that time's supposed to heal, yeah/ But I ain't done much healing."
Track 2: "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)"
This song reminds me of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” Both singers hope their exes treat the new women in their lives better than they did with her. It’s the high road mentality I wish I had. It’s about growing up and realizing that being bitter isn’t going to bring him back. Heck, Adele doesn’t even want her ex back she just wants him to treat her as a better.
Favorite Lyric: " Send my love to your new lover/ Treat her better/ We gotta let go of all of our ghosts/ We both know we ain't kids no more.”
Track 3: "I Miss You"
The crescendo before Adele’s vocals fill your ears is my favorite part of this song. It seems like the couple of this song are in a dark relationship, perhaps a taboo one. Yet, Adele sings about a feral attraction that cannot be detained. There’s a powerful magnet that’s always pulling these two together.
Favorite Lyric: " I love the way your body moves/ Towards me from across the room/ Brushing past my every groove/ No one has me like you do.”
Track 4: “When We Were Young”
Nostalgia is embedded in the lyrics of this song. Moving on is hard. There’s no method to how each person moves forward. When I listen to this, I picture running into an ex somewhere in this wide world and remembering the times where our lives were much simpler. In an interview with Rolling Stone the singer states, “It’s a song about running into an old flame that confesses, “I still care” and then, tentatively, asks, “Do you still care?”
Favorite Lyrics: " You look like a movie/ You sound like a song/ My God, this reminds me/ Of when we were young.”
“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.”
Track 5: "Remedy"
Many singers have an emotional connection to their fans. Singers will dedicate specific songs to remind the fan that they will always them have a supporter. Adele serenades the listener with this powerful ballad that no matter how tough life can get, she is always cheering you on.
Favorite Lyric: " When the pain cuts you deep/ When the night keeps you from sleeping/ Just look and you will see/ That I will be your remedy.”
Track 6: "Water Under The Bridge"
I love the conflict in this song. There’s this sense of tug-of-war game going on where Adele doesn’t know where she stands with her significant other. She’s stating that their love is important and it’s not irrelevant like water under the bridge.I relate on many levels. I find the song is all about this crucial point in a relationship of trying to decipher if your partner is in or out.
Favorite Lyric: " And if I'm not the one for you/ You've gotta stop holding me the way you do/ Why if I'm not the one for you?/ Why have we been through what we have been through?”
Track 7: "River Lea"
Adele sings about the The Lea, a polluted river in London. She blames the toxicity of its waters seeping into her blood causing her relationship failures. This song makes me think of how lethal we can be to our significant others. Granted it’s not much of an excuse to blame external forces on your poor behavior, it does suggest that many factors can contribute to unhealthy habits.
Favorite Lyric: "Everybody tells me it's 'bout time that I moved on/ And I need to learn to lighten up and learn how to be young.”
Track 8: "Love In The Dark"
This is one of my favorites off the album, which is hard to say since I love every song. Love shouldn’t be dark. “Dark” in the sense that it’s constantly difficult and the need for some happiness, light isn’t in the foreseeable future. I find myself thinking about two people that know the relationship isn’t going anywhere but acceptance and moving on is too hard for the couple.
Favorite Lyrics: "This is never ending, we have been here before/ But I can't stay this time cause I don't love you anymore.”
“But I don't want to carry on like everything is fine/ The longer we ignore it all the more that we will fight.”
“I don't regret a thing/ Every word I've said/ You know I'll always mean/ It is the world to mean/ That you are in my life/ But I want to live/ And not just survive.”
Track 9: "Million Years Ago"
Adele sings about the effects of fame. She states the difficulties of balancing family life with work life. She can’t even walk her hometown streets without being looked at differently. She’s trying to find normalcy but realizes that was so long ago. Now we know, fame is never easy; no amount of money could make up for the change in life once fame comes knocking at your door.
Favorite Lyric: " I wish I could live a little more/ Look up to the sky, not just the floor/ I feel like my life is flashing by/ And all I can do is watch and cry.”
Track 10: "All I Ask"
When I first heard this song, I cried. Then I found out Bruno Mars co-wrote the song and suddenly everything started to make sense. The song is about accepting the end of a relationship but still requesting just one more moment of intimacy. Her fear of perhaps never finding someone else to love really resonates with many listeners. There’s this desperation in her voice; all she wants is one more pleasant time together, for closure.
Favorite Lyric: " Look, don't get me wrong I know there is no tomorrow/ All I ask is/ If this is my last night with you/ Hold me like I'm more than just a friend.”
Track 11: "Sweetest Devotion"
This song is about her son whose voice is featured in the beginning of the song. The track is about an explosive love that brought her to life. It’s a great way to end the album with a hopeful track. Adele found the love that she’s been looking for all these years and it’s one that will belong to her “eternally.” While she might be talking about familial love, listeners can also take it as romantic love. A love that makes someone finally feels at home.
Favorite Lyric: "I've been looking for you, baby/ In every face that I've ever known/ And there is something 'bout the way you love me/ That finally feels like home.”
The next three songs are off the Target Deluxe edition of 25.
Track 12: "Can’t Let Go"
Right next to “Love In The Dark” this track is one of my favorites as well. It’s asking questions about why the relationship failed. It’s about one person putting too much effort in a relationship in order to make up for the lack of effort by the significant other. She’s trying to explain her feelings but sometimes admitting these emotions is hard to do. It’s unexplainable. I love this song because it shows the cold truth that sometimes loves isn’t enough to salvage a relationship.
Favorite Lyrics:" Why were you so cold, let the truth be told/ Tell me was it all for the thrill?/ What was I thinking, I gave you everything/ But you still went for the kill.”
“I gave you heaven on a platter baby/ I gave you everything you never gave me/ I never lied and I never faked it/ Only wanted for you to save me.”
Track 13: "Lay Me Down"
This track is about a lover who’s significant other will stated, “Jump” and the lover will respond with “how high?” It’s knowing someone from the inside out and accepting their love.
Favorite Lyrics:" I would never break the rules unless you tell me to/ You can read my mind, be it truth or lies.”
Track 14: "Why Do You Love Me?"
This song demonstrates the oddness of love. It's kind of chaotic in the way she sings left and right about how she feels love and confusion all at the same time. She yearns for the love from her significant other and can't quite describe the desires she feels.
Favorite Lyric: "You have a place in my heart that will always be yours."
I am so glad Adele released this album. Every song has its own special meaning and uniqueness. Carefully mastered for the listener, "25" is a great collection of songs for every age.
Thank you, Adele; It's been a long time coming but definitely worth the wait.
