Someone Like You (Adele song)
Encyclopedia
"Someone Like You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele
. Written by Adele and Dan Wilson
for her second studio album 21
, the song was inspired by a broken relationship of hers, and lyrically it speaks of Adele coming to terms with it. XL Recordings
released the song as the second single from the album on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and on 9 August 2011 in the United States. Accompanied only by a piano
in the song, Adele sings about the end of the relationship with her ex-boyfriend. The song received positive reviews from music critics who chose the song as a highlight on the album and praised its simple sound. The lyrics and Adele's vocal performance in the song were also praised.
Following a well-received performance of the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards
, "Someone Like You" became Adele's first number one single in the United Kingdom and it stayed on the top of the chart for five weeks. The song also topped the charts in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland and has become Adele's second number one in the United States. With that achievement Adele became the first female British solo singer in the history of the Billboard Hot 100
to have two number ones from the same album. In July 2011, it became the first single of the decade to sell a million units in the United Kingdom and it was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
(BPI), as well as being certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) in the United States.
An accompanying music video
for the song was directed by Jake Nava
and it was filmed in Paris, France. The video showed Adele walking alone through the streets with a sad look on her face. Critics praised the video for being simple and perfect for the sound of the song. Adele performed the song on several award and television shows including the 2011 BRIT Awards, 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
. She additionally added the song on the set list
of her second tour Adele Live
. The live performances of the song were heavily praised by music critics and fans.
and American songwriter and producer Dan Wilson
. It was one of the last written for 21. The track, which epitomizes the lyrical content of 21, summarizes the now defunct relationship that the record is all about. Adele has openly discussed the genesis of it saying, "Well, I wrote that song because I was exhausted from being such a bitch, with 'Rolling in the Deep
' or 'Rumour Has It
' ... I was really emotionally drained from the way I was portraying him, because even though I'm very bitter and regret some parts of it, he's still the most important person that's ever been in my life, and 'Someone Like You,' I had to write it to feel OK with myself and OK with the two years I spent with him. And when I did it, I felt so freed."
Adele had said that it was written on her acoustic guitar, quickly, in the wake of the break-up of her 18 month relationship with the 30-year old man she thought she would marry. A few months after their split, he had gotten engaged to someone else. "We were so intense I thought we would get married. But that was something he never wanted ...So when I found out he does want that with someone else, it was just the horrible-est feeling ever. But after I wrote it, I felt more at peace. It set me free ... I didn't think it would resonate ... with the world! I'm never gonna write a song like that again. I think that's the song I'll be known for." She also said that "I wrote that song on the end of my bed. I had a cold. I was waiting for my bath to run. I'd found out that he'd got engaged to someone else."
Adele revealed that she was struggling emotionally when she composed it: "When I was writing it I was feeling pretty miserable and pretty lonely, which I guess kind of contradicts 'Rolling in the Deep'. Whereas that was about me saying, 'I'm going to be fine without you', this is me on my knees really." She discussed further the inspiration of the song: "I can imagine being about 40 and looking for him again, only to turn up and find that he's settled with a beautiful wife and beautiful kids and he's completely happy... and I'm still on my own. The song's about that and I'm scared at the thought of that."
, Wilson stated that while writing the song, they wanted to make it as personal as possible. He added "We didn't try to make it open-ended so it could apply to 'anybody.' We tried to make it as personal as possible. She may not have had a melodic hook or a specific lyrical idea, but she always knew what she wanted to say. She definitely had a master plan." The song was recorded at Harmony Studios in West Hollywood, California with Wilson playing piano. The mixing
was done by Tom Elmhirst
and Dan Parry
while the mastering
was finished by Tom Coyne.
According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony Music Publishing, "Someone Like You" has a slow tempo of 67 beats per minute. Written in common time
, the song is in the key of A major
. Adele's vocal range spans from F#3
to E5
during the song. A slow, plaintive ballad pairing Adele's voice with a looping piano line, "Someone Like You" is the lyrical opposite of "Rolling in the Deep
" on which the singer narrates coming to terms with the end of the relationship: "Nevermind, I'll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don't forget me, I beg/I'll remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead." According to Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice
, the singer's "nuanced" voice goes up a full octave
and "into a near-shrieked whisper" as she sings parts of the chorus. However, she "rebounds and gathers herself", and her voice descends into its fuller and more melancholy state. Critics praised its introspective lyrics and maturity. "Someone Like You" has been compared to the song "Hometown Glory
" (2008) from the album 19
. John Murphy of MusicOMH
said that the song "casts Adele as the spurned lover, turning up outside her ex's house, now moved on and settled down, begging for a second chance." According to Aamir Yaqub of Soul Culture, "Talking of a lost love, this an extremely touching track with a vocal performance that makes the narrative almost tangible ... It really captures the experience of the story and puts it across in both a credible and incredible fashion." Camreon Adams of Herald Sun
called the song a "spine-tingling sparse piano ballad."
Lyrically, the song talks about the end of Adele's first "real relationship" with her long-time friend and lover and it shows her confronting his marriage. At the beginning of the song, she sings the lines "I heard that you're settled down/That you found a girl and you're married now. I heard that your dreams came true/Guess she gave you things I couldn't give to you" with a softly voice and accompanied just by a simple piano melody. The lyrics of "Someone Like You" are talking about what once was and what could have been as stated by a writer of Daily Herald. Finding the strength to bounce back from hardship and heartache, Adele sings the lines, "Never mind, I'll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don't forget me, I begged, I remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead." Talking about the meaning and the composition of the song, Jer Fairall of PopMatters
said: "The song's subject—Adele mentally addressing an old lover who has since found happiness elsewhere—is familiar, but the detail she colors it with are vibrantly tactile and resonant, from the sense-memory setting of 'we were born and raised in a summer haze' to her recollection of his cruel kiss-off line 'I remember you said, 'sometimes it lasts in love and sometimes it hurts instead' and how she comes to take solace in the statement as an empowering mantra."
. In a track-by-track review for 21, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK noted the track's placement at the end of the album saying, "It maybe a cliché, but Adele has saved the best until last with this heartfelt and enchanting piano ballad. ... It's sad but beautiful and displays Adele at her best – marking the perfect end to what has been in our eyes, a faultless album. Will Dean of The Guardian
claimed the song was the album's "highlight", characterizing it as "gorgeous". That was somehow echoed by Slant Magazine
s Matthew Cole who also called the song "gorgeous". NME
s Parkin Chris also marked the song as a highlight, describing it as "surprisingly weighty" and comparing it favorably to the work of American Country blues
singer Karen Dalton
.
Tom Breihan of Pitchfork Media
selected "Someone Like You" as a song of the day, claiming it served as a reaffirmation of popular music: "Sometimes, pop music can still break your heart." Writing for BBC Online, Ian Wade noted that the "final track Someone Like You, just voice and piano, is an actual thing of beauty, placing the listener in one of those moments where you feel you're in the presence of a future standard." Bill Lamb of About.com
wrote that "the piano melody is gorgeous and combined with Adele's heartfelt reading of her words, the effect is highly emotional. You can imagine it being both honked through by talent show contestants and transcended by veterans alike." Lamb went to write that the song is one of the "top songs of 2011" and that "romantic pain has rarely been so utterly beautiful." Jer Fairall of PopMatters called the song an "absolute magic" and praised Adele's performance by saying, "Though it is unquestionably her finest vocal showcase to date, it is less remarkable for its more powerful moments than for the small ones where her voice dips, with rueful melancholy on the line 'I heard that your dreams came true' or cracks on the 'I beg' in the chorus, like she's startled at the revelation of her own vulnerability." He further called her vocal performance of the song "stunning" and "finally worthy of her talents".
Writing for the website No Ripcord
, Gary McGinley said that the song "has an aching beauty and the hallmarks of a modern standard." He further added that it "sounds poised to soundtrack atmospheric TV trailers over the coming months." A writer of URB magazine called "Someone Like You" "a heart-wrencher made all the more real by reeling phrasing and bare-voiced pleading, 'I wish nothing but the best for you, too.'" John Murphy of MusicOMH categorized "Someone Like You" and "Turning Tables
" as "the two best songs on the album." He concluded that the song was "desperately sad and utterly, utterly gorgeous." Bary Walters of Spin
wrote that on "the piano-led finale, she vows, 'I'll find someone like you,' as if that's progress. It's a statement that's utterly WTF and yet true to the cyclical nature of psychological damage." Sputnikmusic
s Joseph Viney called the song "an ode to stalking with a perverse attitude that lies underneath the fragile composition, looks set to become the soundtrack to a million messy break-ups." Allison Stewart of The Washington Post
put the song on her list "Recommended tracks".
At the 2011 Q Awards
, "Someone Like You" was nominated in the category for Best Track. The song was also nominated in the category for Best Song at the 2011 Music of Black Origin Awards. "Someone Like You" is currently nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance
at the 54th Grammy Awards
, which will be held on February 12, 2012.
in late-January 2011 due to strong digital downloads from 21. Following a live performance of the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards
, it climbed 46 places from the previous week to number one, beating Lady Gaga
's single "Born This Way
" (2011), although it was at number 18 on the mid-week chart update. While "Someone Like You" was at number one on the chart, Adele's previous single, "Rolling in the Deep" was placed at number four. With that achievement, Adele has become the first living artist since The Beatles
in 1964 who simultaneously had two top five hits in both the charts (21 and 19 were also in the top five on the UK Albums Chart
). It stayed atop the chart for four consecutive weeks (selling upwards of 100,000 copies for three of them) before slipping to number two on 20 March. Following a performance on Comic Relief
, "Someone Like You" returned to the number one spot on 27 March, hence becoming the first song to spend 5 weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart
since Katy Perry
's "I Kissed a Girl" (2008). It has been certified Platinum by the BPI
, denoting shipments of 600,000 copies. It became the biggest selling single of 2011 in the United Kingdom selling over 1,000,000 copies as of 5 July 2011 and becoming the first single of the decade to do so. The song also became the 16th song which sold more than 1,000,000 copies from the 2000s. It is the third million seller by a UK female solo artist and the first by a UK female singer-songwriter. As of October 2011, current UK sales stand at 1,160,000 copies.
The song debuted at number 47 on the Australian Singles Chart
. "Someone Like You" remained at the top position of the chart for seven consecutive weeks and it was certified 4× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA). It has also peaked at number one in New Zealand for five weeks, ending an 11 week run at number one for "Party Rock Anthem
". The single sold 51,000 copies its first week in the US, debuting at number 65. The single re-entered the Billboard Hot 100
at number 97 on the week ending 30 July 2011. Upon its radio release in the United States, and a surge in popularity following her performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
, "Someone Like You" climbed 18 positions to number one from number 19, and became her second consecutive number-one single on the Hot 100 and making Adele the first ever British female singer to spawn two consecutive number one singles from the same album. After the performance, "Someone Like You" moved from number 11 to number one on the Digital Songs chart with 275,000 downloads sold (191% increase), according to Nielsen SoundScan
. On Radio Songs, the track moved from number 42 to number 19 with 46 million all-format audience impressions (59% increase), according to Nielsen BDS. The song made Hot 100 history by achieving the biggest jump to number 1 in the chart's 53-year history that was not spurred by the release of a single. "Someone Like You" became the first strictly voice-and-piano ballad to top the Billboard Hot 100
. The song also became the first "unquestionably slow song" to top the Hot 100 chart since Rihanna
's song, "Take a Bow
" (2008). It topped the chart for 1 week and then slipped from number 1 to number 2 being replaced by Maroon 5
and Christina Aguilera
s "Moves Like Jagger
". A few days the release of its video, on 6 October 2011, the song returned to number one again and spent more 4 weeks at the top., where it was soon replaced by "We Found Love
" by Rihanna
. With "Rolling in the Deep
" spending 7 weeks at number one and "Someone Like You" spending 5 weeks, Adele is the first female solo artist to log five weeks at #1 in a calendar year with two strictly solo recordings. Beyoncé, Monica
and Mariah Carey
also did it (in 2003, 1998 and 1995, respectively), if collaborations are included.
As of November 2011, it has sold over 3,000,000 downloads in the US alone.
for the song was already filmed in Paris
, France
and it was directed by English director Jake Nava
. Several black-and-white
pictures which showed Adele "gazing out over a river against a cloudy backdrop" were also posted. Later, the same day, MTV posted a 30-second preview of the video which showed Adele slowly walking on a road. Talking about the video, Nava said, "The location evokes style and romance. And shooting early in the morning allows you to focus on Adele in this lonely and emotional space." The video premiered on 29 September at 7:56 p.m. EST on MTV
and Vevo
. The video begins with a shot of a road in Paris and Adele is seen walking on it alone. She continues to walk and starts singing the song with a sad look as the camera makes circles and shots more locations in Paris including the Eiffel Tower
. During the second chorus, Adele stops lip-synching
and looks in Seine
, a river in Paris. She continues walking alone through the streets during the bridge
(Alexandre III, near Les Invalides) and at the end she goes in a building in which she sees her ex-lover. After seeing her, he starts to walk away and several shots of Adele looking at him follow.
concluded that the video is "in keeping with the singer's subdued style" and added that its vibe fits with the "melancholy tune." Entertainment Weekly
s Tanner Stransky called the video "quiet" and said that "it's just what you'd want to see for this break-up heart-wrencher." Krista Wick of Entertainment Tonight
praised the video for being "more than enough to accompany Adele's soulful vocals."
Amanda Dobbins of New York magazine
concluded that "the secretly devastating video" for "Someone Like You" will remind Adele's ex-lover what he has done by leaving her. A writer of The Huffington Post
praised the simplicity and the sadness in the video. Sarah Dean of the same publication called it an "uncomplicated, moving film" and wrote, "the video is nothing more than Adele wandering around the deserted city of love alone, under its grey skies, singing her sorrowful notes, but because it’s her, we don’t need any more." That was somehow echoed by Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine
who said that the video was "simply constructed as the song's vocal-and-piano arrangement." Marc Hogan of Spin said that the scene in which Adele looks in the camera, "speak[s] for itself" about the sadness in the video. Andrew Matson of The Seattle Times
said, "the song of the year now has a simple, perfect video: Adele in Paris, singing and strolling, apparently processing the breakup detailed in the song's lyrics. The look on her face during the 'I wish nothing but the best for you' line is the best, just gutting, a real achievement how she plays it cold but not sarcastic. I think in times of emotional devastation, everyone wants stand on a bridge over the Seine on a cold day, squinting into the wind, sorting it out."
A writer of Rolling Stone
wrote: "this clip for the ballad 'Someone Like You' sticks to the singer's simple but emotionally direct approach with black and white footage that lingers on her subtly expressive face as she lip-synchs to the tune while walking along sad, grey city streets." Andrea Devaro of Long Island Press
concluded, "its simplicity beautifully portrays the complexity of emotions invoked in the song." Leah Collins of Dose
called Adele "'60s bombshell glam" and said that the video's "simplicity is its strength." She added: "There's something about streetlamps, cafes and the River Seine that lend an air of melancholic elegance to what would otherwise be just another walk of shame by a girl with two-day-old hair. Not everyone gets to indulge in moments as tragic but beautiful as a weepy solitary walk through Paris landmarks. But then, we don't all have voices as tragic and beautiful as Adele's either." A more mixed review was given by AOL
s Ashley Percival who called the video predictable and added "It's all very pleasant, but after all this time, what's the point?". Nicole Eggenberger of OK!
wrote that Adele "created the perfect music video to go along with her hauntingly beautiful ballad" and further described it as "simple yet stunning."
held at The O2 Arena in London
on 15 February 2011. She appeared on stage backed just by her pianist while "special effects were limited to a shower of glitter and Adele’s own tears, as she almost broke down delivering her lovelorn plea to an ex-boyfriend" as stated by Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph. Speaking on the ITV2
after show, Adele explained why she had cried at the end of the performance saying, "I was really emotional by the end because I'm quite overwhelmed by everything anyway, and then I had a vision of my ex, of him watching me at home and he's going to be laughing at me because he knows I'm crying because of him, with him thinking, 'Yep, she's still wrapped around my finger'. Then everyone stood up, so I was overwhelmed." A writer of Daily Mirror said that "Adele stole the show [...] with her univerally-praised performance of Someone Like You." Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph
chose the song as a highlight on the show saying that Adele knocked "everyone for six with no bells and whistles, just a piano, her gorgeous voice and a monster song, Someone Like You." Later, the song was performed during a VH1 special called "Unplugged". Adele also performed the song at Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 24 February 2011. The same day she performed "Someone Like You" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
. She also performed the song on Later... with Jools Holland.
The singer also performed the song at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on 28 August 2011. After being introduced by American singer Katy Perry
, Adele appeared in a black scalloped lace dress by Barbara Tfank, and standing alone on the stage, only with her pianist behind her. Her hair was pulled back and a signature ponytail traipsed over one shoulder she sang the song and "did vocal aerobics and dripped her soulful, sultry sound over the dark ballad, while a transfixed audience watched her" as stated by Kelley L. Carter of MTV
. After the performance she received a standing ovation from fans and critics. According to USA Today
s Cindy Clark she "captivated the audience with her powerful performance". Wesley Case of The Baltimore Sun
concluded, "Adele's 'Someone Like You' could make a tough guy weep. Her tone was gorgeous." Rating the performance with A, Claire Suddath of Time magazine
said "it's heartening to hear a truly talented woman sing a mournful torch song for someone who has left her for someone better. And if her stellar performance, accompanied by only a piano, isn't enough to melt your heart, then her nervous wave to the audience at the end definitely will." A writer of Los Angeles Times
called her vocals "strong and direct, and tackles grief by moving with the melody rather than trying to pummel it" and added that it was "less-is-more performance, a tactic award-show producers rarely indulge in, but Adele needs few adornments to impress." A writer of Rolling Stone
said that Adele brought a "big dollop of elegance to the VMAs with a spare, moving rendition of 'Someone Like You'" and added that "amid all the pop art glitz, it was a refreshing palate cleanser."
Gina Sepre of E! Online praised the performance saying, "When Adele took the stage to perform her understatedly stripped-down and hugely impactful performance of 'Someone Like You,' there were no pyrotechnics, no acrobatics, no lavender hair, and no autotune. And guess what? We didn't miss it. There may be hope yet for MTV to remember just what the 'M' in their name actually stands for." Writing about the performance, Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound
concluded that "Someone Like You", "highlighted the power a bare-bones, booming performance can have in netting people’s attention. Simple is not a bad word, pop music." Giving the performance an A+, Lindsey Ward of Jam!
said: "When I learned British chart-topper Adele would be performing at Sunday's awards I thought, 'Whew -- at least we're guaranteed five solid, meaningful minutes of quality music television'. I was right; her frill-free performance of breakup ballad Someone Like You was just that." Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly
highlighted the performance calling it "one of the best performances of the show." Another writer of the same publication gave the performance a grade of A+ and wrote: "It takes a real super power to make the seizure-inducing lasers stop, and that power's name is Adele. The broadcast temporarily abandoned its frantic mission of nonstop overstimulation, bowing to the 23-year-old English soulstress's soaring, nearly a cappella
(well done, subtle piano man) rendition of her heart-wrecking ballad Someone Like You. In a modest black dress and with a few spare hand movements, she delivered all the shock and awe of a million-watt showstopper. Who needs special effects, when God gave you your own? Even Britney Spears
looked like she had to fix her mascara
when it was all over."
"Someone Like You" was also added to the set list of the second concert tour by Adele, Adele Live
, and it was performed during the encore. While reviewing a concert by Adele, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK, said "There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Adele powered her way through the ballad, encouraging the audience to help her sing the somewhat beautiful, yet emotional chorus – giving everyone goosebumps. The sounds of Someone Like You bounced off every wall and tugged at every heart-string, making it a truly special moment and something that every member of the Apollo crowd will never forget." Jim Harrington of San Jose Mercury News
chose the song as a highlight on the show adding that the song showed "her supreme vocal talent."
rapper, Tyga
, on his song "Reminded". Although Adele is credited as a featured artist, the sample was pitched up to fit the song's tempo. Amber Riley
, an American actress and singer posted a cover of the song on the Internet. After the cover, Adele sent her a "touching" e-mail. In March 2011, English singer Connie Talbot
sent a cover of the song on YouTube
. Jarett Wieselman of New York Post
praised the cover saying that it contained "all the emotion despite none of the relevant life experience." In March 2011, British singer Jamie Woon
covered the song at BBC Radio 1
's Live Lounge
. On 12 October 2011, American singer-songwriter Katy Perry
mashed
her song "The One That Got Away
" (2011) with "Someone Like You" during her headline show at Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
, England
. In November 2011, British rapper Taio Cruz
, also covered the song. According to Carly Costello of the website Artistdirect, "Cruz does a 'dynamite' job with the song. No Autotune. No studio treatment. No bells and whistles. Just simple, raw, unbridled emotion." Amber Riley, Naya Rivera
and Heather Morris sang a mash-up of "Someone Like You" and Adele's other song "Rumour Has It
" (2011) during Glee
s episode "Mash Off
" which aired on 15 November. However, the cover was posted online on 10 November. Jenna Mullins of E! Online praised the cover saying that it will "knock your socks right off" and a writer for OK! described it as "AMAZE-ing". Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone noted that the cover was "one of the greatest things the show has done [so far]." Similarly, Billboards Raye Votta commented that the cover was "arguably the best performance 'Glee' has done since 'Don't Stop Believin''." Their version of the song peaked at number 11 while selling 160,000 digital downloads in its first week and became the fifth highest digital sales week by a Glee Cast single. In Canada, the song made a "Hot Shot Debut" on the Canadian Hot 100
at number 12, selling 14,000 downloads.
'. Everyone thinks they can play it. The sign was a bit of a joke, but the song can drive you mad." Joanna Corscadden, an assistant manager at the shop said: "It is a very popular song, and it gets played over and over again. You get sick of songs when you hear them so often. So after hearing the same song played about four to five times in about half an hour, one staff member put up a sign stating 'strictly no Adele'. We will remove it if people are genuinely offended by it but people are still entitled to play, and they are continuing to do so. They [customers] called us piano shop fascists but did not get the correct name of our shop."
"Someone Like You" was used in several movies and soundtracks after its release. The song was featured during the closing of the Grey's Anatomy
episode "This is How We Do It." It was also featured during the season 4 finale of Secret Diary of a Call Girl
. The song also appeared on Australian drama, Winners & Losers
on 14 June. The song was also included in the international soundtrack to Fina Estampa
, a Brazilian telenovela.
On November 12, 2011 during episode of American television network NBC's
Saturday Night Live
, an entire skit was dedicated to the song, parodying the strong emotion behind the song, and how women listen to it repeatedly when at their most sorrowful moment. The skit later also had the men "touched" by the song, and they too joined in the weeping with the women. A cutaway during the skit also displayed the members of the British band Coldplay
, who was the episode's musical guest, weeping to the song.
.
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
. Written by Adele and Dan Wilson
Dan Wilson (musician)
Daniel Dodd "Dan" Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, Grammy-winning songwriter and producer...
for her second studio album 21
21 (Adele album)
21 is the second studio album by English recording artist Adele. Released on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and most of Europe, and on 22 February 2011 in North America, the album was named after the age of the singer at the time of its production...
, the song was inspired by a broken relationship of hers, and lyrically it speaks of Adele coming to terms with it. XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
released the song as the second single from the album on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and on 9 August 2011 in the United States. Accompanied only by a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
in the song, Adele sings about the end of the relationship with her ex-boyfriend. The song received positive reviews from music critics who chose the song as a highlight on the album and praised its simple sound. The lyrics and Adele's vocal performance in the song were also praised.
Following a well-received performance of the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards
2011 BRIT Awards
The 2011 BRIT Awards was held on Tuesday 15 February 2011.It was the 31st edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The award ceremony was held at The O2 Arena...
, "Someone Like You" became Adele's first number one single in the United Kingdom and it stayed on the top of the chart for five weeks. The song also topped the charts in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland and has become Adele's second number one in the United States. With that achievement Adele became the first female British solo singer in the history of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
to have two number ones from the same album. In July 2011, it became the first single of the decade to sell a million units in the United Kingdom and it was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
(BPI), as well as being certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) in the United States.
An accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was directed by Jake Nava
Jake Nava
Jake Nava was born on 17 August and grew up in northern London. He currently lives in eastern London.He graduated from the University of WestministerJake Nava is an English-born music video and film director.-Filmography:MUSIC VIDEOS...
and it was filmed in Paris, France. The video showed Adele walking alone through the streets with a sad look on her face. Critics praised the video for being simple and perfect for the sound of the song. Adele performed the song on several award and television shows including the 2011 BRIT Awards, 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
. She additionally added the song on the set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
of her second tour Adele Live
Adele Live
Adele Live is the second concert tour by English recording artist Adele. Visiting Europe and North America, the tour supports her second studio album, 21. Adele is backed by a five-piece band and backing singers, whilst for some songs she is accompanied by piano only. The stage design features...
. The live performances of the song were heavily praised by music critics and fans.
Writing and inspiration
"Someone Like You" was written and produced by AdeleAdele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
and American songwriter and producer Dan Wilson
Dan Wilson (musician)
Daniel Dodd "Dan" Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, Grammy-winning songwriter and producer...
. It was one of the last written for 21. The track, which epitomizes the lyrical content of 21, summarizes the now defunct relationship that the record is all about. Adele has openly discussed the genesis of it saying, "Well, I wrote that song because I was exhausted from being such a bitch, with 'Rolling in the Deep
Rolling in the Deep
"Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, 21. The song was written by Paul Epworth and Adele, who described it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune". It was first released on 29 November 2010 as the lead single of the album.The song has...
' or 'Rumour Has It
Rumour Has It (Adele song)
"Rumour Has It" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21. The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder while the production was handled by Tedder. Adele revealed that the song wasn't inspired by the media but it was aimed at her friends who believed things...
' ... I was really emotionally drained from the way I was portraying him, because even though I'm very bitter and regret some parts of it, he's still the most important person that's ever been in my life, and 'Someone Like You,' I had to write it to feel OK with myself and OK with the two years I spent with him. And when I did it, I felt so freed."
Adele had said that it was written on her acoustic guitar, quickly, in the wake of the break-up of her 18 month relationship with the 30-year old man she thought she would marry. A few months after their split, he had gotten engaged to someone else. "We were so intense I thought we would get married. But that was something he never wanted ...So when I found out he does want that with someone else, it was just the horrible-est feeling ever. But after I wrote it, I felt more at peace. It set me free ... I didn't think it would resonate ... with the world! I'm never gonna write a song like that again. I think that's the song I'll be known for." She also said that "I wrote that song on the end of my bed. I had a cold. I was waiting for my bath to run. I'd found out that he'd got engaged to someone else."
Adele revealed that she was struggling emotionally when she composed it: "When I was writing it I was feeling pretty miserable and pretty lonely, which I guess kind of contradicts 'Rolling in the Deep'. Whereas that was about me saying, 'I'm going to be fine without you', this is me on my knees really." She discussed further the inspiration of the song: "I can imagine being about 40 and looking for him again, only to turn up and find that he's settled with a beautiful wife and beautiful kids and he's completely happy... and I'm still on my own. The song's about that and I'm scared at the thought of that."
Recording and composition
Adele collaborated with famed musician and producer Dan Wilson on "Someone Like You" which was one of the final songs composed for the album. Prior to meeting with Wilson, Adele wrote many of the lyrics using her acoustic guitar. The two sat around the piano for two days and brainstormed various melodies and lyrics, and ultimately decided to keep the musical production sparse: "We just wrote it on the piano and then we recorded it when it was written. It wasn't sort of like recording it and listening to it thinking 'where can we go next?' It was really old school." During an interview with BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, Wilson stated that while writing the song, they wanted to make it as personal as possible. He added "We didn't try to make it open-ended so it could apply to 'anybody.' We tried to make it as personal as possible. She may not have had a melodic hook or a specific lyrical idea, but she always knew what she wanted to say. She definitely had a master plan." The song was recorded at Harmony Studios in West Hollywood, California with Wilson playing piano. The mixing
Audio mixing
Audio mixing may refer to:*Audio mixing *Audio mixing *Live sound mixing...
was done by Tom Elmhirst
Tom Elmhirst
Tom Elmhirst is a British specialist music producer and mix engineer. He began his career at SARM studios in the early 90s at a time when digital audio was already becoming mainstream. Elmhirst’s experiences at SARM and with Trevor Horn have clearly influenced his current working methods...
and Dan Parry
Dan Parry
Dan Parry is a British audio engineer. His career began back in the summer of 2001, when shortly after college he landed a job working at Soul II Soul Studios in Camden Town, before joining Metropolis Group in 2004....
while the mastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
was finished by Tom Coyne.
According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony Music Publishing, "Someone Like You" has a slow tempo of 67 beats per minute. Written in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
, the song is in the key of A major
A major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...
. Adele's vocal range spans from F#3
F (musical note)
F is a musical note, the fourth above C. It is also known as fa in fixed-do solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle F is approximately 349.228 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in...
to E5
E (musical note)
E or mi is the third note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle E is approximately 329.628 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in frequency.-Designation by octave:...
during the song. A slow, plaintive ballad pairing Adele's voice with a looping piano line, "Someone Like You" is the lyrical opposite of "Rolling in the Deep
Rolling in the Deep
"Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, 21. The song was written by Paul Epworth and Adele, who described it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune". It was first released on 29 November 2010 as the lead single of the album.The song has...
" on which the singer narrates coming to terms with the end of the relationship: "Nevermind, I'll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don't forget me, I beg/I'll remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead." According to Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, the singer's "nuanced" voice goes up a full octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
and "into a near-shrieked whisper" as she sings parts of the chorus. However, she "rebounds and gathers herself", and her voice descends into its fuller and more melancholy state. Critics praised its introspective lyrics and maturity. "Someone Like You" has been compared to the song "Hometown Glory
Hometown Glory
"Hometown Glory" is the first single from Adele's debut album 19, released on 22 October 2007 in the United Kingdom. In 2008, the song was re-released as her fourth single...
" (2008) from the album 19
19 (Adele album)
19 received generally positive reviews from critics. The album holds a 68 out of 100 rating based on 19 critical reviews indicating "generally favourable reviews" from metacritic. The album was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize in the category of Best Album...
. John Murphy of MusicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
said that the song "casts Adele as the spurned lover, turning up outside her ex's house, now moved on and settled down, begging for a second chance." According to Aamir Yaqub of Soul Culture, "Talking of a lost love, this an extremely touching track with a vocal performance that makes the narrative almost tangible ... It really captures the experience of the story and puts it across in both a credible and incredible fashion." Camreon Adams of Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
called the song a "spine-tingling sparse piano ballad."
Lyrically, the song talks about the end of Adele's first "real relationship" with her long-time friend and lover and it shows her confronting his marriage. At the beginning of the song, she sings the lines "I heard that you're settled down/That you found a girl and you're married now. I heard that your dreams came true/Guess she gave you things I couldn't give to you" with a softly voice and accompanied just by a simple piano melody. The lyrics of "Someone Like You" are talking about what once was and what could have been as stated by a writer of Daily Herald. Finding the strength to bounce back from hardship and heartache, Adele sings the lines, "Never mind, I'll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don't forget me, I begged, I remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead." Talking about the meaning and the composition of the song, Jer Fairall of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
said: "The song's subject—Adele mentally addressing an old lover who has since found happiness elsewhere—is familiar, but the detail she colors it with are vibrantly tactile and resonant, from the sense-memory setting of 'we were born and raised in a summer haze' to her recollection of his cruel kiss-off line 'I remember you said, 'sometimes it lasts in love and sometimes it hurts instead' and how she comes to take solace in the statement as an empowering mantra."
Critical reception
The song has received acclaim from a wide variety of publications, and has been viewed as a highlight of 2121 (Adele album)
21 is the second studio album by English recording artist Adele. Released on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and most of Europe, and on 22 February 2011 in North America, the album was named after the age of the singer at the time of its production...
. In a track-by-track review for 21, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK noted the track's placement at the end of the album saying, "It maybe a cliché, but Adele has saved the best until last with this heartfelt and enchanting piano ballad. ... It's sad but beautiful and displays Adele at her best – marking the perfect end to what has been in our eyes, a faultless album. Will Dean of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
claimed the song was the album's "highlight", characterizing it as "gorgeous". That was somehow echoed by Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
s Matthew Cole who also called the song "gorgeous". NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
s Parkin Chris also marked the song as a highlight, describing it as "surprisingly weighty" and comparing it favorably to the work of American Country blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
singer Karen Dalton
Karen Dalton
Karen J. Dalton was an American folk blues singer and banjo player associated with the early 1960s Greenwich Village folk music scene, particularly with Fred Neil and the Holy Modal Rounders as well as Bob Dylan.-Biography:Dalton, whose heritage was Cherokee, was born Karen J. Cariker in Enid,...
.
Tom Breihan of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
selected "Someone Like You" as a song of the day, claiming it served as a reaffirmation of popular music: "Sometimes, pop music can still break your heart." Writing for BBC Online, Ian Wade noted that the "final track Someone Like You, just voice and piano, is an actual thing of beauty, placing the listener in one of those moments where you feel you're in the presence of a future standard." Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
wrote that "the piano melody is gorgeous and combined with Adele's heartfelt reading of her words, the effect is highly emotional. You can imagine it being both honked through by talent show contestants and transcended by veterans alike." Lamb went to write that the song is one of the "top songs of 2011" and that "romantic pain has rarely been so utterly beautiful." Jer Fairall of PopMatters called the song an "absolute magic" and praised Adele's performance by saying, "Though it is unquestionably her finest vocal showcase to date, it is less remarkable for its more powerful moments than for the small ones where her voice dips, with rueful melancholy on the line 'I heard that your dreams came true' or cracks on the 'I beg' in the chorus, like she's startled at the revelation of her own vulnerability." He further called her vocal performance of the song "stunning" and "finally worthy of her talents".
Writing for the website No Ripcord
No Ripcord
No Ripcord is an online music and film magazine based in Sheffield, England.-History:The website was originally created in April 1999 by editor-in-chief David Coleman and A.M. Booth...
, Gary McGinley said that the song "has an aching beauty and the hallmarks of a modern standard." He further added that it "sounds poised to soundtrack atmospheric TV trailers over the coming months." A writer of URB magazine called "Someone Like You" "a heart-wrencher made all the more real by reeling phrasing and bare-voiced pleading, 'I wish nothing but the best for you, too.'" John Murphy of MusicOMH categorized "Someone Like You" and "Turning Tables
Turning Tables
"Turning Tables" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21 . The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder and it was produced by Jim Abbiss. The pop song was written in the key of C Minor...
" as "the two best songs on the album." He concluded that the song was "desperately sad and utterly, utterly gorgeous." Bary Walters of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
wrote that on "the piano-led finale, she vows, 'I'll find someone like you,' as if that's progress. It's a statement that's utterly WTF and yet true to the cyclical nature of psychological damage." Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
s Joseph Viney called the song "an ode to stalking with a perverse attitude that lies underneath the fragile composition, looks set to become the soundtrack to a million messy break-ups." Allison Stewart of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
put the song on her list "Recommended tracks".
At the 2011 Q Awards
Q Awards
The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event...
, "Someone Like You" was nominated in the category for Best Track. The song was also nominated in the category for Best Song at the 2011 Music of Black Origin Awards. "Someone Like You" is currently nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance
Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance is a new category in the annual Grammy Awards ceremony from 2012.It combines the previous categories for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Instrumental Performance....
at the 54th Grammy Awards
54th Grammy Awards
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It will be broadcasted on CBS. Nominations were announced on November 30, 2011 on prime-time television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music's Biggest Night", a...
, which will be held on February 12, 2012.
Chart performance
"Someone Like You" has achieved commercial success by topping the charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries. The song debuted at number 36 on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in late-January 2011 due to strong digital downloads from 21. Following a live performance of the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards
2011 BRIT Awards
The 2011 BRIT Awards was held on Tuesday 15 February 2011.It was the 31st edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The award ceremony was held at The O2 Arena...
, it climbed 46 places from the previous week to number one, beating Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's single "Born This Way
Born This Way (song)
"Born This Way" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, from her second studio album, Born This Way. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay, Jeppe Laursen and DJ White Shadow, "Born This Way" was developed while Gaga was on the road with The Monster Ball Tour...
" (2011), although it was at number 18 on the mid-week chart update. While "Someone Like You" was at number one on the chart, Adele's previous single, "Rolling in the Deep" was placed at number four. With that achievement, Adele has become the first living artist since The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in 1964 who simultaneously had two top five hits in both the charts (21 and 19 were also in the top five on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
). It stayed atop the chart for four consecutive weeks (selling upwards of 100,000 copies for three of them) before slipping to number two on 20 March. Following a performance on Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
, "Someone Like You" returned to the number one spot on 27 March, hence becoming the first song to spend 5 weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
since Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
's "I Kissed a Girl" (2008). It has been certified Platinum by the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
, denoting shipments of 600,000 copies. It became the biggest selling single of 2011 in the United Kingdom selling over 1,000,000 copies as of 5 July 2011 and becoming the first single of the decade to do so. The song also became the 16th song which sold more than 1,000,000 copies from the 2000s. It is the third million seller by a UK female solo artist and the first by a UK female singer-songwriter. As of October 2011, current UK sales stand at 1,160,000 copies.
The song debuted at number 47 on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. "Someone Like You" remained at the top position of the chart for seven consecutive weeks and it was certified 4× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA). It has also peaked at number one in New Zealand for five weeks, ending an 11 week run at number one for "Party Rock Anthem
Party Rock Anthem
"Party Rock Anthem" is a song performed by American electro recording duo LMFAO , featuring English singer Lauren Bennett and GoonRock. It was released as the first single from their second album Sorry for Party Rocking in 2011. It interpolates lyrics from Rick Ross' song "Hustlin"...
". The single sold 51,000 copies its first week in the US, debuting at number 65. The single re-entered the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
at number 97 on the week ending 30 July 2011. Upon its radio release in the United States, and a surge in popularity following her performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
, "Someone Like You" climbed 18 positions to number one from number 19, and became her second consecutive number-one single on the Hot 100 and making Adele the first ever British female singer to spawn two consecutive number one singles from the same album. After the performance, "Someone Like You" moved from number 11 to number one on the Digital Songs chart with 275,000 downloads sold (191% increase), according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
. On Radio Songs, the track moved from number 42 to number 19 with 46 million all-format audience impressions (59% increase), according to Nielsen BDS. The song made Hot 100 history by achieving the biggest jump to number 1 in the chart's 53-year history that was not spurred by the release of a single. "Someone Like You" became the first strictly voice-and-piano ballad to top the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song also became the first "unquestionably slow song" to top the Hot 100 chart since Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
's song, "Take a Bow
Take a Bow
"Take a Bow" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 1994 studio album Bedtime Stories. It has since also appeared on her compilation albums Something to Remember , GHV2 and Celebration . Released as a single in December 1994, it became her longest-running number-one hit in the...
" (2008). It topped the chart for 1 week and then slipped from number 1 to number 2 being replaced by Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
and Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
s "Moves Like Jagger
Moves Like Jagger
"Moves Like Jagger" was written and produced by, Benjamin Levin and Shellback, while additional writing was done by Adam Levine and Ammar Malik. When asked about the song, Levine said, "It was one of those songs that was definitely a risk; it's a bold statement. We've never really released a song...
". A few days the release of its video, on 6 October 2011, the song returned to number one again and spent more 4 weeks at the top., where it was soon replaced by "We Found Love
We Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song features Scottish singer-songwriter Calvin Harris. "We Found Love" was released as the lead single from the album and premiered on September 22, 2011, in the United Kingdom on the...
" by Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
. With "Rolling in the Deep
Rolling in the Deep
"Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, 21. The song was written by Paul Epworth and Adele, who described it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune". It was first released on 29 November 2010 as the lead single of the album.The song has...
" spending 7 weeks at number one and "Someone Like You" spending 5 weeks, Adele is the first female solo artist to log five weeks at #1 in a calendar year with two strictly solo recordings. Beyoncé, Monica
Monica (singer)
Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten...
and Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
also did it (in 2003, 1998 and 1995, respectively), if collaborations are included.
As of November 2011, it has sold over 3,000,000 downloads in the US alone.
Background and synopsis
On 27 September 2011, it was reported that the music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was already filmed in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and it was directed by English director Jake Nava
Jake Nava
Jake Nava was born on 17 August and grew up in northern London. He currently lives in eastern London.He graduated from the University of WestministerJake Nava is an English-born music video and film director.-Filmography:MUSIC VIDEOS...
. Several black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
pictures which showed Adele "gazing out over a river against a cloudy backdrop" were also posted. Later, the same day, MTV posted a 30-second preview of the video which showed Adele slowly walking on a road. Talking about the video, Nava said, "The location evokes style and romance. And shooting early in the morning allows you to focus on Adele in this lonely and emotional space." The video premiered on 29 September at 7:56 p.m. EST on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and Vevo
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
. The video begins with a shot of a road in Paris and Adele is seen walking on it alone. She continues to walk and starts singing the song with a sad look as the camera makes circles and shots more locations in Paris including the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
. During the second chorus, Adele stops lip-synching
Lip-synching in music
Lip-synching in music is "moving the lips in synchronization with [pre-]recorded speech or song" to give the appearance of a 'live' performance. It is generally considered dishonest, though some producers argue that it needs to be done in some performance contexts...
and looks in Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
, a river in Paris. She continues walking alone through the streets during the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
(Alexandre III, near Les Invalides) and at the end she goes in a building in which she sees her ex-lover. After seeing her, he starts to walk away and several shots of Adele looking at him follow.
Reception
James Montgomery of MTV News called the video "a somber, black-and-white affair, featuring Adele wandering the early morning streets and pining for her long-lost love. It's a perfect match for the song's jaw-dropping emotional range—raw and unfiltered and incredibly sad but also, in a lot of ways, beautiful and resolute." In another review of the video he praised its black-and-white shots saying that "director Jake Nava made the smart decision to shoot it in arty, smudgy black-and-white, which only adds to the clip's desolate, haunted feel." He added that "there are no special effects, no camera tricks or elaborate choreography, because those are quick fixes" and called Adele the "Queen of Pain." A writer of the website HitFixHitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
concluded that the video is "in keeping with the singer's subdued style" and added that its vibe fits with the "melancholy tune." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Tanner Stransky called the video "quiet" and said that "it's just what you'd want to see for this break-up heart-wrencher." Krista Wick of Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
praised the video for being "more than enough to accompany Adele's soulful vocals."
Amanda Dobbins of New York magazine
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
concluded that "the secretly devastating video" for "Someone Like You" will remind Adele's ex-lover what he has done by leaving her. A writer of The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
praised the simplicity and the sadness in the video. Sarah Dean of the same publication called it an "uncomplicated, moving film" and wrote, "the video is nothing more than Adele wandering around the deserted city of love alone, under its grey skies, singing her sorrowful notes, but because it’s her, we don’t need any more." That was somehow echoed by Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
who said that the video was "simply constructed as the song's vocal-and-piano arrangement." Marc Hogan of Spin said that the scene in which Adele looks in the camera, "speak[s] for itself" about the sadness in the video. Andrew Matson of The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
said, "the song of the year now has a simple, perfect video: Adele in Paris, singing and strolling, apparently processing the breakup detailed in the song's lyrics. The look on her face during the 'I wish nothing but the best for you' line is the best, just gutting, a real achievement how she plays it cold but not sarcastic. I think in times of emotional devastation, everyone wants stand on a bridge over the Seine on a cold day, squinting into the wind, sorting it out."
A writer of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote: "this clip for the ballad 'Someone Like You' sticks to the singer's simple but emotionally direct approach with black and white footage that lingers on her subtly expressive face as she lip-synchs to the tune while walking along sad, grey city streets." Andrea Devaro of Long Island Press
Long Island Press
The Long Island Press is a free newsweekly serving Long Island with extensive coverage of arts and entertainment, sports, and alternative political viewpoints. The newspaper started in 2003 after its parent company, Morey Publishing, bought The Long Island Ear, which was a free bi-monthly...
concluded, "its simplicity beautifully portrays the complexity of emotions invoked in the song." Leah Collins of Dose
Dose (magazine)
Dose is a daily Canadian news website and former daily print magazine.Dose was a mixture of standalone features and coverage of daily news, sometimes from an irreverent perspective...
called Adele "'60s bombshell glam" and said that the video's "simplicity is its strength." She added: "There's something about streetlamps, cafes and the River Seine that lend an air of melancholic elegance to what would otherwise be just another walk of shame by a girl with two-day-old hair. Not everyone gets to indulge in moments as tragic but beautiful as a weepy solitary walk through Paris landmarks. But then, we don't all have voices as tragic and beautiful as Adele's either." A more mixed review was given by AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
s Ashley Percival who called the video predictable and added "It's all very pleasant, but after all this time, what's the point?". Nicole Eggenberger of OK!
OK!
OK! is a British weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! publishers Northern and Shell launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006...
wrote that Adele "created the perfect music video to go along with her hauntingly beautiful ballad" and further described it as "simple yet stunning."
Live performances
Adele performed "Someone Like You" for the first time in November 2010 on the BBC music show Later Live...with Jools Holland before the release of the album. Later, she performed the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards2011 BRIT Awards
The 2011 BRIT Awards was held on Tuesday 15 February 2011.It was the 31st edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The award ceremony was held at The O2 Arena...
held at The O2 Arena in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 15 February 2011. She appeared on stage backed just by her pianist while "special effects were limited to a shower of glitter and Adele’s own tears, as she almost broke down delivering her lovelorn plea to an ex-boyfriend" as stated by Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph. Speaking on the ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
after show, Adele explained why she had cried at the end of the performance saying, "I was really emotional by the end because I'm quite overwhelmed by everything anyway, and then I had a vision of my ex, of him watching me at home and he's going to be laughing at me because he knows I'm crying because of him, with him thinking, 'Yep, she's still wrapped around my finger'. Then everyone stood up, so I was overwhelmed." A writer of Daily Mirror said that "Adele stole the show [...] with her univerally-praised performance of Someone Like You." Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
chose the song as a highlight on the show saying that Adele knocked "everyone for six with no bells and whistles, just a piano, her gorgeous voice and a monster song, Someone Like You." Later, the song was performed during a VH1 special called "Unplugged". Adele also performed the song at Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 24 February 2011. The same day she performed "Someone Like You" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
. She also performed the song on Later... with Jools Holland.
The singer also performed the song at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on 28 August 2011. After being introduced by American singer Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, Adele appeared in a black scalloped lace dress by Barbara Tfank, and standing alone on the stage, only with her pianist behind her. Her hair was pulled back and a signature ponytail traipsed over one shoulder she sang the song and "did vocal aerobics and dripped her soulful, sultry sound over the dark ballad, while a transfixed audience watched her" as stated by Kelley L. Carter of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. After the performance she received a standing ovation from fans and critics. According to USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
s Cindy Clark she "captivated the audience with her powerful performance". Wesley Case of The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
concluded, "Adele's 'Someone Like You' could make a tough guy weep. Her tone was gorgeous." Rating the performance with A, Claire Suddath of Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
said "it's heartening to hear a truly talented woman sing a mournful torch song for someone who has left her for someone better. And if her stellar performance, accompanied by only a piano, isn't enough to melt your heart, then her nervous wave to the audience at the end definitely will." A writer of Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called her vocals "strong and direct, and tackles grief by moving with the melody rather than trying to pummel it" and added that it was "less-is-more performance, a tactic award-show producers rarely indulge in, but Adele needs few adornments to impress." A writer of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said that Adele brought a "big dollop of elegance to the VMAs with a spare, moving rendition of 'Someone Like You'" and added that "amid all the pop art glitz, it was a refreshing palate cleanser."
Gina Sepre of E! Online praised the performance saying, "When Adele took the stage to perform her understatedly stripped-down and hugely impactful performance of 'Someone Like You,' there were no pyrotechnics, no acrobatics, no lavender hair, and no autotune. And guess what? We didn't miss it. There may be hope yet for MTV to remember just what the 'M' in their name actually stands for." Writing about the performance, Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
concluded that "Someone Like You", "highlighted the power a bare-bones, booming performance can have in netting people’s attention. Simple is not a bad word, pop music." Giving the performance an A+, Lindsey Ward of Jam!
Jam!
Jam! is a Canadian website, which covers entertainment news. It is part of the CANOE online portal, owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division....
said: "When I learned British chart-topper Adele would be performing at Sunday's awards I thought, 'Whew -- at least we're guaranteed five solid, meaningful minutes of quality music television'. I was right; her frill-free performance of breakup ballad Someone Like You was just that." Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
highlighted the performance calling it "one of the best performances of the show." Another writer of the same publication gave the performance a grade of A+ and wrote: "It takes a real super power to make the seizure-inducing lasers stop, and that power's name is Adele. The broadcast temporarily abandoned its frantic mission of nonstop overstimulation, bowing to the 23-year-old English soulstress's soaring, nearly a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
(well done, subtle piano man) rendition of her heart-wrecking ballad Someone Like You. In a modest black dress and with a few spare hand movements, she delivered all the shock and awe of a million-watt showstopper. Who needs special effects, when God gave you your own? Even Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
looked like she had to fix her mascara
Mascara
Mascara is a cosmetic commonly used to enhance the eyes. It may darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, cake, or cream—the modern mascara product has various formulas; however, all contain the same basic components of pigments, oils, waxes, and...
when it was all over."
"Someone Like You" was also added to the set list of the second concert tour by Adele, Adele Live
Adele Live
Adele Live is the second concert tour by English recording artist Adele. Visiting Europe and North America, the tour supports her second studio album, 21. Adele is backed by a five-piece band and backing singers, whilst for some songs she is accompanied by piano only. The stage design features...
, and it was performed during the encore. While reviewing a concert by Adele, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK, said "There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Adele powered her way through the ballad, encouraging the audience to help her sing the somewhat beautiful, yet emotional chorus – giving everyone goosebumps. The sounds of Someone Like You bounced off every wall and tugged at every heart-string, making it a truly special moment and something that every member of the Apollo crowd will never forget." Jim Harrington of San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
chose the song as a highlight on the show adding that the song showed "her supreme vocal talent."
Cover versions
The song was sampled by Young Money EntertainmentYoung Money Entertainment
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend Mack Maine. The label is an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Universal Republic Records...
rapper, Tyga
Tyga
Michael Stevenson , better known by his stage name Tyga , is an American rapper signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent...
, on his song "Reminded". Although Adele is credited as a featured artist, the sample was pitched up to fit the song's tempo. Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
, an American actress and singer posted a cover of the song on the Internet. After the cover, Adele sent her a "touching" e-mail. In March 2011, English singer Connie Talbot
Connie Talbot
Connie Talbot is an English child singer from Streetly, Aldridge, in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands. She rose to fame in 2007 when she reached the final of the television talent show Britain's Got Talent, where she was runner-up to Paul Potts...
sent a cover of the song on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Jarett Wieselman of New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
praised the cover saying that it contained "all the emotion despite none of the relevant life experience." In March 2011, British singer Jamie Woon
Jamie Woon
Jamie Woon is a British singer, songwriter and producer signed to Polydor who gained widespread acclaim in 2010 for his single Night Air which was co-produced by Burial, following his previous independent release, Wayfaring Stranger EP.The Eurasian son of a Malaysian Chinese father, and Scottish...
covered the song at BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
. On 12 October 2011, American singer-songwriter Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
mashed
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
her song "The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away (Katy Perry song)
"The One That Got Away" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Katy Perry. The song was written by Perry, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin. The latter two produced the song for Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream . The song is a mid-tempo pop ballad about a lost love...
" (2011) with "Someone Like You" during her headline show at Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In November 2011, British rapper Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
, also covered the song. According to Carly Costello of the website Artistdirect, "Cruz does a 'dynamite' job with the song. No Autotune. No studio treatment. No bells and whistles. Just simple, raw, unbridled emotion." Amber Riley, Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
and Heather Morris sang a mash-up of "Someone Like You" and Adele's other song "Rumour Has It
Rumour Has It (Adele song)
"Rumour Has It" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21. The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder while the production was handled by Tedder. Adele revealed that the song wasn't inspired by the media but it was aimed at her friends who believed things...
" (2011) during Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
s episode "Mash Off
Mash Off
"Mash Off" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 50th overall. Written by former season one guest star and consulting producer Michael Hitchcock and directed by Eric Stoltz, the episode aired on Fox in the United States on November 15,...
" which aired on 15 November. However, the cover was posted online on 10 November. Jenna Mullins of E! Online praised the cover saying that it will "knock your socks right off" and a writer for OK! described it as "AMAZE-ing". Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone noted that the cover was "one of the greatest things the show has done [so far]." Similarly, Billboards Raye Votta commented that the cover was "arguably the best performance 'Glee' has done since 'Don't Stop Believin''." Their version of the song peaked at number 11 while selling 160,000 digital downloads in its first week and became the fifth highest digital sales week by a Glee Cast single. In Canada, the song made a "Hot Shot Debut" on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
at number 12, selling 14,000 downloads.
Controversy and usage in media
The song was banned from being played in the Opus ii store in Dublin because the workers were tired of customers trying to play the song on their keyboards. The workers put a sign on the store which stated "Strictly NO Adele". A shop assistant said "It's become the piano equivalent of 'Stairway To HeavenStairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album . The song, running eight minutes and two seconds, is composed of several sections, which...
'. Everyone thinks they can play it. The sign was a bit of a joke, but the song can drive you mad." Joanna Corscadden, an assistant manager at the shop said: "It is a very popular song, and it gets played over and over again. You get sick of songs when you hear them so often. So after hearing the same song played about four to five times in about half an hour, one staff member put up a sign stating 'strictly no Adele'. We will remove it if people are genuinely offended by it but people are still entitled to play, and they are continuing to do so. They [customers] called us piano shop fascists but did not get the correct name of our shop."
"Someone Like You" was used in several movies and soundtracks after its release. The song was featured during the closing of the Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
episode "This is How We Do It." It was also featured during the season 4 finale of Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Secret Diary of a Call Girl is a British television drama broadcast on ITV2 from 2007-2011 based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous "Belle de Jour," starring Billie Piper as Belle, a high-class London call girl. The series was written by Lucy Prebble, who is also known as the author of The...
. The song also appeared on Australian drama, Winners & Losers
Winners & Losers
Winners & Losers is a Australian television drama series first broadcast on the Seven Network on 22 March 2011. It was created by the producers of Packed to the Rafters and is aired in the show's former time slot...
on 14 June. The song was also included in the international soundtrack to Fina Estampa
Fina Estampa
Fina Estampa is a Brazilian telenovela that first aired on Rede Globo in 2011.-Cast:Participation special* Eva Wilma - Maria Íris de Siqueira Maciel* Ângela Vieira - Mirna Bello-External links:*...
, a Brazilian telenovela.
On November 12, 2011 during episode of American television network NBC's
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, an entire skit was dedicated to the song, parodying the strong emotion behind the song, and how women listen to it repeatedly when at their most sorrowful moment. The skit later also had the men "touched" by the song, and they too joined in the weeping with the women. A cutaway during the skit also displayed the members of the British band Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, who was the episode's musical guest, weeping to the song.
Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from 21 liner notesLiner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
.
- Adele Adkins – songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, vocals - Dan WilsonDan Wilson (musician)Daniel Dodd "Dan" Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, Grammy-winning songwriter and producer...
– songwriter, producer, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Philip Allen – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Tom Coyne – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Tom ElmhirstTom ElmhirstTom Elmhirst is a British specialist music producer and mix engineer. He began his career at SARM studios in the early 90s at a time when digital audio was already becoming mainstream. Elmhirst’s experiences at SARM and with Trevor Horn have clearly influenced his current working methods...
– mixerAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Dan ParryDan ParryDan Parry is a British audio engineer. His career began back in the summer of 2001, when shortly after college he landed a job working at Soul II Soul Studios in Camden Town, before joining Metropolis Group in 2004....
– assistant mixer
Track listings
Weekly charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... ) |
2 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... ) |
55 |
| Poland (ZPAV Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... ) |
2 |
| Romania (Romanian Top 100 Romanian Top 100 The Romanian Top 100 is the national airplay-based singles chart of Romania. It is weekly and it started running in 1996. It is recognized as an official chart by the European division of Billboard, Music & Media.... ) |
6 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
1 |
| US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
1 |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
24 |
| US Latin Pop Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
8 |
| US Pop Songs Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
2 |
| US Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
24 |
Certifications
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 24 January 2011 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| Germany | ||
| Ireland | ||
| Austria | ||
| Switzerland | ||
| Netherlands | 17 March 2011 | Digital download - Live From The Brits |
| United Kingdom | ||
| Australia | 13 June 2011 | Digital download |
| New Zealand | ||
| United States | 9 August 2011 | Mainstream airplay Airplay * Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay... |
| France | 30 September 2011 | Digital download |
| Germany | ||
| Luxembourg | ||
| Italy | ||
| Canada | ||
| Australia | ||
| Austria | ||
See also
- List of number-one singles from the 2010s (UK)
- List of number-one singles and albums of 2011 (Ireland)
- List of number-one singles of 2011 (Australia)
- List of number-one singles from the 2010s (New Zealand)
- List of number-one hits of 2011 (Italy)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2011 (U.S.)
- List of Adult Top 40 number-one singles of 2011
- List of Ultratop 40 number-one singles of 2011
- List of number-one hits of 2011 (France)
- List of number-one hits of 2011 (Switzerland)