Our list looks at the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Adele’s 19 album. This is Adele’s debut album. Adele was signed to a record contract when she was 17 years old. She gave this album the title because she was 19 when she released it. This is the album that started it all for the singer and songwriter. 19 was released in 2008. 19 was a folk, rock, indie pop and jazz album. The album is about heartbreak, nostalgia and relationships. Our list will delve into the real meaning behind the songs on this album. The album had a slow start when it was first released, but it became popular once she won two Grammys for it. The album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 charts. The album sold over eight million copies worldwide. The album features the singles “Hometown Glory,” “Chasing Pavements,” “Cold Shoulder” and “Make You Feel My Love.”
# 1 – Daydreamer
The first song on our list for the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Adele’s 19 album is “Daydreamer.” The song has a folk and rock sound. “Daydreamer” is about her falling in love with a friend who happens to be bisexual. She considers the guy to be one of her best friends. She didn’t like fighting with girls and boys to be with guys that she liked. She fell in love with her friend when she turned 18. He said it would be okay for them to get together. She caught him kissing one of her male friends.
Adele wanted to break up with him. She didn’t care that he was bisexual, but she didn’t want to fight with boys and girls in order to be with him. This song talks about what she would have wanted him to be like if they were together. Adele realized he would never be the man she wanted and their relationship would never be the way she wanted it to be. She ends up daydreaming about him.
# 2 – Best For Last
The next song on our list for the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Adele’s 19 album is “Best For Last.” The song has a jazz beat. “Best For Last” is about a guy who she wanted to be a temporary love at first. Adele didn’t plan on spending a lot time trying to get with him. As time went on, she became more attracted to him. She wanted him to open up to her, but he wouldn’t do it. She ends up falling for him and she wants him to tell her that she’s the woman he wants. Unfortunately, he ends up breaking her heart.
He ends up playing her. Adele was upset that someone she didn’t care about ended up breaking her heart. She was frustrated because she realized she would never mean anything to him. Despite how much she loved him, he continued to mistreat her. It seemed like the more she wanted him the more he mistreated her. Adele tries to convince herself that he didn’t mean anything to her anyway. She finds herself thinking about what he will say to her whether their relationship works or not.
# 3 – Chasing Pavements
The song has a jazz sound. “Chasing Pavements” is the second single from the album. “Chasing Pavements” is about lost love and regret. She is trying to be optimistic about a relationship that is done. She was miserable in the relationship, but she was depressed when it was over. She talks about breaking up with her boyfriend and facing her first heartbreak. She questioned whether she should give up on him or continue to try to make the relationship work.
She knew there was nothing left, but she questioned it anyway. She was only with the guy for four months, but she needed a track for her album. Adele used her ex-boyfriend as the inspiration for this song. She was inspired to write this song because of an argument they had. She found out he cheated and confronted him about it in a bar. Adele ran out of the bar, but her ex-boyfriend didn’t chase after her. She wrote this song two days after that incident.
# 4 – Cold Shoulder
The track has a funk sound. “Cold Shoulder” is the third single from the 19 album. The track is about a boyfriend who cheated on her. She finds herself wishing she were the other woman. She is in a relationship with a guy who is taking her love for granted. She still loves him, but she wishes she were the other girl so she wouldn’t know what was happening to her. She wants to be the girl that the boyfriend loves.
She knows he isn’t satisfied with her. She notices that he’s been ignoring her and starting to have feelings for someone else. He tries to tell her that it’s all in her mind, but the things he’s doing doesn’t make sense to her. He keeps giving her the “cold shoulder” whenever she’s with him. She wants to know why he’s wasting her time if he doesn’t want to be with her. He tells her that he’s confused and doesn’t know which one he wants. He doesn’t like the other woman, but he’s not satisfied with Adele.
# 5 – Crazy For You
The next song on our list for the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Adele’s 19 album is “Crazy for You.” The song has a folk beat. Adele switches things up on this track. She strayed away from the bitter songs to write this track. “Crazy for You” is about her being in love with someone. She wrote a dedication to the man she loves. There’s nothing negative about this song. She wanted to focus on her love for the man in her life.
She wrote the track when she was gathering songs for her album. She wasn’t able to do it because she was in love. She did a lot of crazy things while she was in love. She would do anything for the man she wanted. It drives her crazy that she feels that she has to do anything for him, but she can’t help it. Adele is afraid to fall in love because it makes you do crazy things. She thought love could be a beautiful thing or a terrible thing. In her case, she feels like it’s both situations.
# 6 – Melt My Heart To Stone
The track has a jazz and pop beat. “Melt My Heart to Stone” is a sad song about one-sided love. Adele talks about giving everything to her man, but he gives her nothing in return. Adele thought her man was perfect for her when she first met him and she fell for him. She falls hard for him, but she realizes he’s not who she thought he was. He leads her on and he doesn’t feel the same way about her. He’s her weakness even though he hurts her over and over. Despite his flaws, she continues to forgive him.
She imagines him saying he wants to be together with her, but he never says the words. Whenever she wants to leave him her heart breaks because she doesn’t want to leave. She wants to think with her head and not her heart, but it doesn’t work. She ends up going back to him. Adele talks about how he builds her up just to knock her down. She realizes that he’s no good for her.
# 7 – First Love
The track has an indie-pop sound. “First Love” is about what happened when she fell in love for the first time. She realizes she wants more out of the relationship. She doesn’t blame her lover for the relationship being over. She realizes that every relationship must come to an end. She’s ready to experience something new. She doesn’t blame him because he did everything right. He made her feel safe and loved, but it wasn’t enough to make her happy. He wants her to stay with him, and she’s on the verge of staying.
She ends up realizing that she must move on with her life. She tells him that he was her first love, but she doesn’t feel the same way about him anymore. She needs to be with someone else in order to understand what real love is. Adele feels like she’s missing out by being with one person. When she’s close to him she’s not excited about being with him. She doubts herself, but doesn’t want to upset him. This is how she knows it’s time to end the relationship.
# 8 – Right As Rain
The song has a jazz beat. This song is about being better off alone. The relationship she’s in isn’t the way she thought it would be. She believes she’s better off alone. You’re better off alone because if something goes wrong, you can say you chose to be alone. She doesn’t want to stay just to have someone in her life. Adele tells the listeners not to be perfect. She doesn’t think anyone wants to be “right as rain” because you end up getting hurt or alone. Adele discusses how she feels sad in her relationship.
She feels better about her decision to be alone. Adele feels like the relationship hurt more when they were both right. She’s tired of pretending to be happy and she’s tired of the relationship. She lets him know that she’s cried her heart out and she’s had enough. She gives up on the relationship. She believes things are better when they are wrong and not when they are right.
# 9 – Make You Feel My Love
The track has a jazz sound. This is the fourth single from the album. Adele wrote nine songs on the album when she was given this track. She couldn’t convey into words what she wanted to say. She was extremely upset when she was putting her album together. She heard Bob Dylan’s song “Make You Feel My Love” and realized it was the one she wanted to record. She felt the lyrics covered everything she wanted to say about her relationship. The track is about regretting not being with someone. The song is about loving someone you can’t have and wishing you could have him. She’s in love and has to keep her feelings to herself. She would do anything for him if she were with him. Adele wants the guy to return her feelings for him. Adele talks about what she would do for him if she had him.
# 10 – My Same
This song has a folk beat. “My Same” is a song about a relationship. In case you were wondering, the song is about a friendship and not about a lover. Adele had a falling out with her best friend. She talks about how they are opposites from each other. Adele and her best friend had a big argument around the time she was recording this album. They didn’t make up until she released her album 21. They made up after that, but this song describes their different personalities. Adele is the conservative one while her friend is the outgoing one. She believes that people with different personalities wouldn’t get along with each other. They were able to make their friendship work. Adele chose this title, but they are different from each other. They may not be the same, but they can’t live without each other. The main focus of this song is about their opposite personalities.
# 11 – Tired
“Tired” has an indie pop sound. The song is about a woman who is tired of trying to please a guy who doesn’t want her. He wants to be with someone else. She tells him to be with the other woman even though she doesn’t mean it. She wants to mean it, but she can’t bring herself to say the words. She wants to let him go, but when he treats her right she caves. She wants to leave him, but she falls for him all over again.
She knows it’s wrong, but she can’t help herself. She tries to impress him, but it doesn’t do any good. He continues to ignore her and acts like he doesn’t care about her. She feels like he’s tricking her into staying with him. Whenever she wants to leave he wants her to come back to him. He tries to convince her that he loves her in order to get her to come back. Adele finally realizes it’s time to go because things will never change. She doesn’t want to love someone who won’t love her back.
# 12 – Hometown Glory
The last song on our list for the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Adele’s 19 album is “Hometown Glory.” The song has a jazz beat. This is the first single from the album. “Hometown Glory” is about her hometown. Adele sings this track about where she grew up. She talks about what it was like to grow up in London. She wrote this song because her mother told her to leave London so she could go to school. Adele wrote the track minutes after her mother tried to talk her into leaving town for school.
The rest of the track is a tribute to her hometown. Adele wants to show her appreciation to the place where she grew up. Adele talks about the people she met in London. She wants to reminisce about her time in London. She may have moved on from her hometown, but she hasn’t forgotten about it. She felt like she belonged in her hometown. She wishes she could be back there.
Feature Photo: CHRISTOPHER MACSURAK, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Adele’s 19 Album article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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