Over the next two weeks, I’m going to feature songs from albums I’ve purchased this year. Most were released this year as well but a couple are 2010 albums that I’m just getting around to now.
These write-ups will also serve as reviews for the albums I haven’t yet featured on the blog. I’m way behind on both my movie and album reviews this year so I’m using these SOTD posts as a shortcut to catch up on at least the musical side of that equation. The movie reviews will come in due time.
First up is a track from Adele’s smash hit 21, which has dominated the charts and airwaves since its release in February.
Adele had a minor hit with ‘Chasing Pavements’ from her debut album 19 but I don’t think anybody predicted her follow-up to hit a nerve like this. Most of that success can probably be tied to first single ‘Rolling in the Deep,’ a superbly crafted and performed track that seems to never get old.
But 21 is bigger than its first single.
I’ve shared the theory that a movie needs three great scenes to be a great movie. I subscribe to the same thinking when it comes to albums — a record with three great songs is well on its way to being a great album. And this one has at least six: ‘Rolling in the Deep,’ ‘Rumor Has It,’ ‘Someone Like You,’ ‘I’ll Be Waiting,’ a cover of The Cure’s ‘Lovesong’ and today’s SOTD.
And the rest are better than good… there isn’t a weak link on this album.
Adele has tapped into a retro 60s groove spiced with modern production values — it’s the same recipe that Amy Winehouse rode to success before her untimely demise. Adele is like a PG version of Winehouse with a better voice and four-quadrant appeal. Her album is playing through some teenage girl’s earbuds right now while her grandfather is tapping his toe to the CD in the next room.
My one minor complaint about 21 is that it is exclusively about heartbreak. The album was inspired by a break-up and every song is weepy. I find myself thinking, “Alright, just get over it already!” There is a difference between a great break-up album and a great album that happens to be about breaking up. 21 is the latter… it’s a success despite its subject matter, not because of it.
Adele is a superstar now. I hope her next album is as confident and creative as this one, and I hope she explores new territory. I’m eager to hear what this talented woman has to say about something other than some guy.
And as it fell, you rose to claim it.
It was dark, and I was over,
Until you kissed my lips and you saved me.
My hands, they’re strong, but my knees were far too weak.
Stand in your arms without falling into your feet.
But there’s a side to you that I never knew, never knew.
All the things you’d say, they were never true, never true.
And the games you’d play, you would always win, always win.
But I set fire to the rain,
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Let it burn while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name.
When laying with you, I could stay there.
Close my eyes, feel you here forever.
You and me together, nothing is better.
‘Cause there’s a side to you that I never knew, never knew.
All the things you’d say, they were never true, never true.
And the games you’d play, you would always win, always win.
But I set fire to the rain,
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Let it burn while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name.
I set fire to the rain
And I threw us into the flames
Where I felt somethin’ die
‘Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time.
Sometimes I wake up by the door
Now that you’ve gone, must be waiting for you
Even that when it’s already over
I can’t help myself from looking for you
I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Let it burn while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name.
I set fire to the rain
And I threw us into the flames
Where I felt somethin die
‘Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time
Let it burn
Meet Me In Montauk 
We definitely need to pick up this album. I absolutely love “Rolling in the Deep” (as does the rest of the country apparently). This song is very good as well. I have to admit, though, that I’m not quite as wild about ‘Rumor Has It.” The chorus is just a bit too repetitive for my taste, although I like the verses.
I agree that ‘Rumor Has It’ gets too repetitive, particularly towards the end, but the verses and overall production are so spot-on that I can overlook it. Fortunately she doesn’t have that repetition habit on any other songs.
I think you’re a bit hard on her, and a bit condescending as well. Would you offer the same criticism if Adele were a man? I don’t think so. Relationships are fodder for many, many great songwriters, and a 21 year old person who had recently gone through a tough break-up is likely to want to write about the impact of that break-up.
To suggest that “Rolling in the Deep” is just a song about “some guy” is to shortchange it. Great songs about relationships are always bigger than the relationships themselves.
I can’t say that I like today’s SOTD as much as “Rolling in the Deep” (or “Chasing Pavements” for that matter, which is a song I love), but Adele is one hell of a talent, one I imagine will be around for a long, long time.
I also love how Adele inspires young women to cover her songs. I’d much rather have the Thia Megia’s of the world (just love her name!) singing Adele than Britney Spears or some other sleazy pop princess.
Hey, I said it was a minor complaint! I think Adele is an amazing talent. Her voice is practically unmatched and on this album she has written a batch of truly excellent songs. I agree that she’ll be around for a long time.