Our list looks at the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Adele’s 25 Album. We delve into the meanings behind the songs on the popular album. Here is a backdrop of the album before we begin to discuss the meaning behind the songs on the 25 album. Adele’s 25 album came out in 2015. The album got its title because that’s how old she was when she recorded it. The album sold over 3.38 million copies in its first week. It was the largest first week sales amount since 1991. 25 was one of the best-selling albums of all time. The album sold over 22 million copies worldwide. This is Adele’s second album to reach diamond status.
The theme of the album is personal just like her other albums. Adele was dealing with marital issues when she recorded this album so you can expect to learn about what she was dealing with when you listen to this project. She was looking for her old self while she was on this journey. Adele was going through depression and feeling melancholy. The singer talks about being a mother as well as the things she regrets in life. The album features the singles “Hello,” “When We Were Young,” “Send My Love (to Your New Lover)” and “Water Under the Bridge.” “Hello” peaked at number one and sold over a million copies. “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” cracked the Top 10 list. The other two singles reached the Top 20 on the charts.
# 1 – Hello
The first song on our list for the Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Adele’s 25 Album is “Hello.” The song has a pop and soul sound. “Hello” was the first single from the hit album. Adele wrote this song about the relationships she’s had in the past. The song is not just about her past lovers. She discusses different relationships she’s had in her life. She talks about family and friends as well as lovers. Adele wanted to make the song conversational. She wanted it to appear as if she’s talking to the people in her life. She thought they were moving on in their lives from their teen years to adulthood.
The people in her life didn’t have an argument with each other. She wrote this as a way for them to hear what was going on with her. She’s not in touch with the people so she wanted them to know what she was going through in the song. The line “hello from the other side” means surviving our teen years as well as our early 20s. This is supposed to be a time for healing. She wanted to apologize to her old self for putting herself in a position to endure pain and heartache.
#2 – Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
The next song on our list for the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Adele’s 25 Album is “Send My Love (To Your New Lover).” The song has a pop and r&b sound. Adele co-wrote this song with Max Martin and they talked about someone who has commitment issues. She tells this song in parts. At the start of the song, she talks about the end of the relationship and breaks down what he did wrong. Adele thought the man in her life was ready for love. He promised her that she would be his last love, but that didn’t end up being the case.
As the song progresses, she wants him to know that she is ready to move on from him and have a new life. In the chorus, she wanted to prove that she was the bigger person by forgiving him for what he did to her. She wanted to wish his new lover the best. Adele hopes he treats her better than she was treated when they were together. The song is a gut-punch to her ex. She was upset that her relationship ended the way it did. She wrote this track in the same realm as Gloria Gaynor’s hit “I Will Survive” and “Beyonce’s hit song “Irreplaceable.”
# 3 – I Miss You
“I Miss You” is a change of pace for the singer and songwriter. This song has a folk sound. The track is a sensual song. The song discusses all types of intimacy. Adele talks about sex and arguing. She talks about the good, the bad and the ugly parts of a relationship. She wants it all. The song isn’t about her ex-boyfriend the way most of her songs were at this point. This song was dedicated to her husband at the time. Adele wanted to be sexy on this track. She didn’t want to be angry throughout the song the way she is on her other tracks.
Adele didn’t become the household name that she is by singing happy songs. She does talk about the pain she feels when he’s not around her. She’s worried about their relationship when they aren’t together. They are stronger when they are together. She metaphorically discusses how she’s fearful of their relationship when the lights go out. She wants the lights back on so she could erase the doubts she has about their relationship. She wanted a sultry and raw look at her relationship with her husband.
# 4 – When We Were Young
This track has a soul beat. The soulful ballad talks about her apprehension of growing older and losing her youth. Adele was inspired to write this song when she thought about meeting her friends at an older age. She was dealing with writer’s block when she wrote this track so the vision came to her just in time. Adele runs into an old friend when they were older. This meeting makes her go back to her youth and she wishes she could stop the hands of time. She mourns the lost of her young age. She watches as her youth slips away from her. She wants to get a picture of her and her friends the way they are in case they never see each other again. She wants to remember the way they are now in case they are sad when they get older.
The first verse is about her building up the courage to reconnect with an old friend. The song is similar to her song “Someone Like You” except instead of moving on, she wants a picture because she’s afraid the future will never be as good as the past was for her. She wanted the song to explain what happened when she got together with her friends at a party. Her friends arrive for the party.They end up having the time of their lives. Adele wants everyone to hold on to the memories they had when they were young.
# 5 – Remedy
The next song on our list for the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Adele’s 25 Album is “Remedy.” The song has a soul beat. The track isn’t about her. She wrote this song from someone else’s point of view. Adele wants to be the one who fixes the problems that people are going through in life. She informs the person that there is nothing she wouldn’t do to help out. She is determined to be there for the person. Adele didn’t want to single anyone out on this song. The song could be about anyone. She wanted to dedicate the song to her son, but other people in her life can benefit from the lyrics. She assures her listeners that someone is there and you aren’t alone. Adele didn’t write about a romantic relationship on this song. She wrote a track about a promise she made to be there for the people she cared about. Adele wants to be a cure for the people in her life who are suffering.
Adele discussed the things she went through at first until she had a way out. She talked about someone changing her life. Her son changed her life and made her heart complete. She found a purpose in her life. She was dealing with scars because of her past, but she had a new purpose. She wanted to be by the side of the people she loves. In the chorus, she talks to her son about getting hurt, but she will be there for him when that happens. She warns him that the world can be cruel, but she will do her best to be there to ease the pain in his heart.
# 6 – Water Under the Bridge
This song has a pop and soul beat. “Water Under the Bridge” is about a break up. Adele’s listeners are used to her songs about break ups. She wrote this song about wanting her relationship to be real. She didn’t want it to be considered “water under the bridge.” This song is about her husband at the time. She wants to know if he wants to be in a relationship with her. She doesn’t want him to think their relationship is meaningless. Adele wants to know if he’s going to let her down. If he does let her down, she wants him to do it easy. “Water Under the Bridge” is like an open diary to her husband. She lets the listeners know how she would feel if he’s not into a commitment with her. She doesn’t think he wants to take their relationship seriously. She doesn’t want him to sweep their relationship under the rug.
# 7 – River Lea
The song has a gospel beat. “River Lea” is a metaphor about her blaming the things she’s done in the past based on her hometown. She discusses how her hometown affected everything she’s done in the past. She was told to move on with her life and lighten up. People wanted her to learn to have fun. The song gives her a chance to reflect on her past and think about who she is. People think she needs to live in the present. She doesn’t want people to get too close to her because she’s afraid they’ll realize that she is fake. Adele is scared about how her relationship will turn out as well as the world.
She talks about River Lea being deep inside of her. She tends to use people in order to heal the pain, which doesn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. She holds her past responsible for her failures. She apologized to her lover for lying and hurting him. She wants the relationship to work out, but she knows she’s going to revert back to her old ways. She wanted to say it now because she might not be able to do it. She is blaming herself for why the relationship didn’t work so she wants to apologize in advice. She wants to blame her neighborhood for why she turned out the way she did.
# 8 – Love in the Dark
The song has a soul beat. “Love in the Dark” is about her wanting to end a relationship. This time around, she’s the one who doesn’t love him. She feels guilty because she has to be the dumper. She doesn’t want him to watch her while she breaks up with him. She knew their relationship wasn’t going anywhere so she decided to end it. She has broken up with him several times, but she seems to mean it this time. She doesn’t want him to change her mind about breaking up with him. She wants him to give up trying to win her back because this is the right thing to do. She uses the darkness as a metaphor for their relationship being in a bad place. She wants a relationship that’s in the light and has direction. She talks about how there are too many differences between them. She doesn’t think the relationship is worth saving.
Adele does admit that he helped her develop herself in some ways. He’s given her compliments, but she doesn’t think the relationship is worth saving. She goes into detail about their arguments being the main problem in their relationship. Adele knows that breaking up with him shocked him, but she wants him to be strong about it. She wants to be brave, but she needed him to stop asking her to stay with him. She lets him know that she doesn’t regret being with him because she did tell him. Adele tells her man that he’s the world to her, but she won’t know her worth if she stays with him. By the end of the song, she lets him know that she can’t see him anymore. She’s different and needs to move on with someone else. He can’t fix what’s going on with her. She feels she needs someone new.
# 9 – Million Years Ago
The song has a soul beat. “Million Years Ago” is about how fame has changed her life as well as the people. She goes into detail about the loss of her youth. She misses when her life was normal. Adele talks about how fame has affected her. She misses people who used to be in her life. She cries when she thinks about how life is passing her by. Adele was inspired to write the song after she drove by a park that she used to go to with her friends. She missed her friends and started crying about it. She wants her listeners to know how she felt during that time in her life.
She wants her listeners to get an understanding about how sad she feels about her past. When she was growing up she lived in the moment. She missed the carefree life she had as a child. She knew it couldn’t last forever because everyone must grow up. Adele goes into detail about how hard things are as an adult. She knew that being an adult meant she had to deal with things she didn’t want to deal with anymore. She feels like she’s the only woman who couldn’t stand looking at herself. The singer wants her life to be the way it was when she was younger. She doesn’t like how it’s flashing by her. It makes her sad that life is passing her by.
# 10 – All I Ask
The track is a pop song. The ballad is about a woman who wants one more night with her lover before they break up. She is worried that she won’t find love again so she wants a memory she can hold onto of him. She wants to pretend that she isn’t afraid of what will happen next. She wants to spend the night in denial about them breaking up. She wants them to enjoy being with each other one more time. She wants him to comfort her, but she knows he will be gone in the morning. She sees the sad truth in his eyes so she doesn’t want to face it.
Adele doesn’t want them to forget the bond they had with each other. She didn’t want their last time together to be bad. She wants him to hold her and make her forget that they are going to be done in the morning. The singer doesn’t want the man to hold her like a friend. She wants him to hold her like a lover for one last time. She begs him to stay with her a little longer because she can’t bear to be without him. Here is a fun fact about the song. Adele worked with Bruno Mars on this track.
# 11- Sweetest Devotion
The last song on our list for the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Adele’s 25 Album is “Sweetest Devotion.” The song has a pop sound. Adele wrote a love song to end the album, but it’s not your average love song. The love is between a mother and her son. She is happy that she finally found the person she belongs to. Adele didn’t expect to get hit so fast by the love she felt. She promises to be devoted to her son for now until forever. Her life is different now because she has him. She said his conception was a surprise. He was necessary to her to get her out of her head.
Adele is happy that she found the love she was looking for all of her life. She loves the fact that her life is about someone else. “Sweetest Devotion” is a song that focuses on motherhood. She explains the joys of being a first-time mother. She talked about all of the emotions she felt when she became a mother. Her other songs talked about the past, but this track focuses on the future ahead. She discussed not expecting to find love by being a mother. She was happy that she found love when she wasn’t looking for it. Adele’s son can be heard in the beginning of the song.
Adele’s 25 Album
Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Adele’s 25 Album article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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