21 (Adele album)
21 is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Adele. It was released on 24 January 2011[1] in Europe by XL Recordings and on 22 February 2011 in North America by Columbia Records. The album was named after the age of the singer during its production. 21 shares the Motown and soul influences of her 2008 debut album 19, but also draws influence from the American country and Southern blues music that Adele started listening to during the North American leg of her tour An Evening with Adele. Composed in the aftermath of the singer's separation from her then partner, the album explores themes of heartbreak, healing, introspection, and forgiveness.
21
24 January 2011
May 2009 – October 2010
- AIR, Angel, Eastcote, Metropolis, Myaudiotonic, Sphere, and Wendyhouse in London
- Harmony and Serenity Sound in Hollywood, California
- Patriot in Denver, Colorado
- Shangri-La in Malibu, California
48:01
Adele began writing 21 in April 2009, while still involved in the relationship that subsequently inspired the record. Looking to deviate from the brooding sound of her first album, she had intended to compose a more upbeat and contemporary follow-up. However, studio sessions ended prematurely due to a lack of inspiration. She resumed production immediately after the breakdown of her relationship, channelling her heartbreak and depression into her songs. Adele collaborated with various songwriters and producers, including Columbia Records co-president at the time Rick Rubin, Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Jim Abbiss, and Dan Wilson.
A sleeper hit, 21 defied the modest commercial expectations of Adele's independent record label, XL. It topped record charts in more than 30 countries and became the world's best-selling album of the year for both 2011 and 2012, helping to revitalise the lagging sales of the global music industry. In the United Kingdom, it is the best-selling album of the 21st century and the fourth best-selling album of all time, while its 23-week tenure atop the UK Albums Chart is the longest by a female solo artist. In the United States, it is the best-performing Billboard 200 album of all time,[2] holding the top position for 24 weeks, longer than any other album since 1985 and the longest by a female solo artist in Billboard 200 history.[3] It was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over 10 million copies in the US. In addition, three of the five singles released in its promotion – "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain" – became international number-one songs, while "Rumour Has It" charted in the top 20 in countries across Europe and North America. With sales of over 31 million copies worldwide, 21 is the best-selling album of the 21st century, and one of the best-selling albums of all time.[4][5]
Praised for its understated production, vintage aesthetic, and Adele's vocal performance, 21 was shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize, and won the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year. It has since been ranked amongst Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Writing and production[edit]
Early writing sessions[edit]
In April 2009, 20-year-old Adele, who had recently embarked on her first serious relationship with a man 10 years her senior,[6] began composing the follow-up to her 2008 debut album 19.[7] In response to the media's typecasting her as an "old soul" due to the vintage production and sentimental nature of her songs,[8] Adele decided on a more upbeat and contemporary second album.[7] However, studio sessions were generally unproductive, and after two weeks, yielded only one song recorded to the singer's satisfaction—the Jim Abbiss-produced "Take It All," a lovelorn piano ballad not unlike the songs on 19.[7][9] Disillusioned with lack of inspiration and the slow progress of the studio sessions, she cancelled the remaining recording session dates.[10]
Adele had written "Take It All" during a difficult moment in her 18-month relationship, which ended shortly after she first played this song for her boyfriend.[11] Heartbroken but musically stimulated, Adele channelled her rush of emotions into her music, crafting songs that examined her failed relationship from the perspectives of a vengeful ex-lover, a heartbroken victim, and a nostalgic old flame.[12][13]
Sessions with Epworth, Smith, and Tedder[edit]
Writing for the album began shortly after Adele separated from her lover. Within a day of her break-up, she contacted producer Paul Epworth, intent on capturing her emotion in a song: "We'd had a fuming argument the night before, I'd been bubbling. Then I went into the studio and screamed."[7] Although she had initially planned on completing a ballad that she had begun writing with Epworth more than a year ago, the producer suggested that she aim for a more aggressive sound.[14][15] Together, they restructured the song and rewrote lyrics to reflect Adele's recent experience, deciding on the title "Rolling in the Deep."[14] The instrumentation evolved organically—after trying out various jazz riffs, Adele attempted the first verse a cappella, inspiring Epworth to improvise a melody on his acoustic guitar. A thumping drum beat was set to mimic her racing heartbeat.[14] In two days, a demo was recorded to be produced by Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin later that year. However, Adele re-approached Epworth months later to complete production of the song.[16]
British producer Fraser T Smith recalled following a similar trajectory when he teamed up with Adele to compose the subsequent third single "Set Fire to the Rain" at his MyAudiotonic Studios in London.[16] After the two had created the demo, Adele revisited her co-writer to record the song with him, instead of the intended producer Rick Rubin. Smith thought Adele's first attempt superior to subsequent takes and used the demo as the final production of the song, complete with live drum sounds and an elaborate strings section (arranged by British musician Rosie Danvers).[16][17]
With the demos of two songs recorded, Adele approached American musician and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, who was in London at the time for a radio show. Tedder had expressed interest in collaborating with the singer after they met at the 2009 Grammy Awards ceremony in February.[18] He arrived four hours early to their first studio session, buying time to better familiarise himself with some of her previous work.[16] Although unaware of Adele's personal predicament, he composed the opening piano sequence and the first few lines of what became the lovelorn ballad "Turning Tables": "Close enough to start a war/All that I have is on the floor."[16] Coincidentally, it perfectly captured the experience of the singer, who arrived at the studio moments after another altercation with her former lover. Angry and unfocused, she denounced her ex-lover's tendency to "turn the tables" on her during their arguments, an expression that Tedder decided to reference in the song's lyrics.[18] Adele recorded the demo with Jim Abbiss the following day.
Adele and Tedder arranged a second meeting and reconvened at Serenity West Studios in Los Angeles weeks later to write and record "Rumour Has It". In an interview, Tedder recalled his astonishment at the singer's musicality and vocal prowess after she completed the main vocals to the song in 10 minutes: "She sang it once top to bottom, pitch perfect, she didn't miss a note. I looked at the engineer then at her and said, 'Adele, I don't know what to tell you but I have never had anyone do that in ten years'."[16]
Music and influence[edit]
21 bears influences of Adele's extended exposure to the music of the Southern United States during the North American leg of her 2008–2009 tour An Evening with Adele.[23][31][32] Frequent smoke breaks with her tour bus driver,[20] a Nashville, Tennessee native, resulted in her introduction to bluegrass and rockabilly,[20] and the music of Garth Brooks,[20] Wanda Jackson, Alison Krauss,[23] Lady Antebellum, Dolly Parton, and Rascal Flatts.[33] Adele developed an appreciation for the country genre, praising what she described as the immediacy of the themes and the straightforward narrative structure of many of the songs she listened to.[32]
She also expressed her enthusiasm at simply learning a new style of music. Although influenced by Adele's interest in country music at the time, 21 remains faithful to the Motown influences of 19 and exhibits both gospel and soul music inflections.[33][34][35] Instruments such as the saxophone, harp, banjo, and the accordion contributed to its exploration of blues and soul.[31][35] The singer drew from the music of Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Elbow, Mos Def, Alanis Morissette, Tom Waits, and Sinéad O'Connor in the cultivation of the album's sound and credited Yvonne Fair, Andrew Bird, Neko Case, and The Steel Drivers with its musical direction.[28]
Adele's style on 21 is generally characterised by critics as soul,[8] although some suggest that the album eschews any distinct stylistic epithet.[36] John Murphy of musicOMH characterises the album as British soul.[37] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that the album's music is a part of a recent British soul revival that "summoned styles dating back to Motown girl groups and Dusty Springfield".[38] Ryan Reed of Paste calls Adele a "British alt-soul prodigy" and the album's music "the stuff of sensual modern pop-noir landscape, heavy on retro textures and relationship drama".[39] Danyel Smith of Billboard views that Adele's music exhibits influences from Northern soul, Aretha Franklin, Sade, and Bette Midler.[8][40]
Larry Flick of SiriusXM called 21 "a pop record with soul leanings", while The Washington Post's Allion Stewart commented on the album's eclectic nature: "Everything on [21] is precisely calibrated to transcend genres, to withstand trends ... It's slightly angled toward country, even more toward R&B", and "informed, but never overwhelmed, by roots music".[36] Mike Spies of Slate argues that soul music is inextricably linked to the political, historical, and cultural experience of African Americans, and that Adele and her contemporaries, far removed from this socio-cultural milieu, can offer only a mere duplicate of actual "soul", despite a capacity to convincingly channel the sound.[41] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times wrote that 21 is an "ode to, American soul, rhythm and blues, jazz, country and the myriad combinations thereof".[42]
Songs[edit]
The sequence of the tracks on the deeply autobiographical album correlates with the range of emotions Adele experienced after the break-up, progressing from themes of anger and bitterness to feelings of loneliness, heartbreak, and regret, and finally, acceptance.[12][13] The revenge song "Rolling in the Deep," a "dark, bluesy, gospel, disco tune" in the singer's own words, was written as a "fuck you" to her ex-lover after his disparaging remarks that she was weak and that her life without him would be "boring and lonely and rubbish."[43][44] Opening with an understated acoustic guitar strum, the song's first lines set the foreboding tone of the album.[45] Pounding martial beats, shuffling percussion, and piano[34] coalesce into a dramatic, multilayered chorus[45] over which "Adele's voice ranges, dramatizing her search for just the right tone and words to express her dismay that a man would dare break her heart."[35] The first single from 21, "Rolling in the Deep," is one of the more apparent influences of the bluesy Americana music that framed the album's sound.[46]
"Rumour Has It," the singer's tongue-in-cheek retort to the hurtful gossip that surrounded her break-up, was aimed at her own friends for their part in spreading these rumours.[47][48] Fusing elements of doo-wop and Tin Pan Alley blues,[49] the percussion-driven song is built on girl-group harmonies, piano chords, pounding kick drum, and handclaps,[47][50] and finds the singer "channeling a '40s, piano-vixen lounge singer."[51] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times pointed out the song's "hollow counterpoint vocals" and slow, "daringly morbid" bridge that veers from the pounding rhythm before once again acceding to it.[52] In the studio, Tedder experimented with a riff inspired by Radiohead's "I Might Be Wrong," crediting the song's drop D tuning and American blues vibe as impetus for "Rumour Has It."[16] In "Turning Tables," a song of domestic dispute,[53] its narrator assumes a defensive stance against a manipulative ex-lover. Reconciling herself with the termination of a contentious relationship, she vows emotional distance to shield herself from future heartbreak. Bryan Boyd of The Irish Times likened the singer to 1980s Welsh rocker Bonnie Tyler in delivering the vocals with a mixture of anger, pain, and pathos.[39][54] According to Paste magazine, cinematic strings "serve as fitting counterpoint to [the song's] heartbroken, hollowed-out lyrics."[39]
The Rick Rubin-produced fourth track "Don't You Remember," co-written by Adele and Dan Wilson, marks a shift in the album's theme, from anger and defensiveness to reflection and heartbreak. A downtempo country music-styled ballad,[43] the song was added late to the production of the album after the singer grew ashamed of her continued negative portrayal of her ex-lover throughout the album.[32][55] Its lyrics entreat a past lover to remember the happier moments at the beginning of a now broken relationship.[32] "Don't You Remember" was the most challenging song on 21 for Adele to record.[56] In "Set Fire to the Rain," the singer delineates the conflicting stages of a troubled union and wrestles with her inability to fully let go.[57] Accentuated by ornate orchestral flourishes, swirling strings, crescendos,[34] and dramatic vocal effects towards its climactic end,[31] the song stands in stark contrast to the otherwise understated production of the album and, in reviews, was characterised by critics as a pop rock power ballad.[34] To achieve a fuller sound, producer Fraser T Smith incorporated the popular "wall of sound" reverberative technique in framing the song's dense instrumentation.[31][58]
"Take It All," the seventh track, written and recorded with Francis "Eg" White and Jim Abbiss before the breakdown of Adele's relationship, is a piano and vocal ballad that borrows heavily from pop, soul, and gospel.[9][59][60] In his review of 21, Allmusic's Matt Collar called the song the album's centrepiece, "an instant classic" in the same vein as "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "All by Myself," a "cathartic moment for fans who identify with their idol's Pyrrhic lovelorn persona."[59] The track precedes "I'll Be Waiting," the second of two songs produced by Epworth, which diverges from the scathing "Rolling in the Deep" in its optimistic tone and brisk, lilted melody.[50] A protagonist's mea culpa for a relationship gone wrong, she declares to wait patiently for her lover's inevitable return.[61][62] The song was compared to the work of Aretha Franklin for its "huge vocal sound on the chorus, rolling piano, and boxy snare,"[63] while Tom Townshend of MSN Music described its brass section as a Rolling Stones-esque "barroom gospel."[64]
Although the album predominantly explores the singer's failed relationship, not all songs were geared towards her ex-lover. "He Won't Go," a nod to hip-hop and contemporary R&B,[49] was a tribute to a friend who battled heroin addiction. The ninth track "One and Only," noted for its gospel-tinged vocals, organ, and choir,[63] was directed at a close friend for whom Adele shared romantic feelings.[65] And "Lovesong" (a cover of a song by The Cure) was dedicated to Adele's mother and friends, in whom she found solace when she grew homesick and lonely while recording in Malibu.[25]
The album closes with the "heartbreak Adagio"[66] "Someone like You," a soft piano ballad that pairs Adele's vocals with a piano playing mostly an arpeggiated ostinato. In interviews, the singer described it as the summation of her attitude towards her ex-lover by the end of the album's production.[67] The song's lyrics describe a protagonist's attempt at dealing with her heartbreak after she learns of her ex-lover's recent marriage and happy new life.[67] Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice praised the singer's nuanced vocal performance in the song, which ascends "into a near-shrieked whisper" during parts of the chorus, after which she once again regains composure.[68] One of the more commended songs on the album, "Someone like You" was praised for its lyrical depth and understated simplicity.[43][66]
Accolades[edit]
Rankings[edit]
21 was ranked as the number one album of all time on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of All Time.[180] 21 appeared on many year-end best-of lists. Metacritic ranked 21 at number two on their list of 2011's most well-received records, based on inclusions in publications' year-end lists.[181] The album was ranked the best album of the year by the Associated Press,[182] The Austin Chronicle, Entertainment Weekly,[183] Star Tribune,[184] Digital Spy,[185] MSN Music,[186] New York Daily News,[187] Rolling Stone,[188] TIME magazine,[189] and editors of USA Today.[190] Critics at Billboard voted the album number-one of the year,[191] while Scottish newspaper the Daily Record,[192] editors of Amazon[193] and the editors at Rhapsody[194] also ranked the album at number one. The album appeared in the runner-up spot on MTV's list of the Best Albums of 2011[195] as well as lists produced by The Boston Globe,[196] The Hollywood Reporter[197] and Toronto Sun.[198] It placed within the top 10 on lists produced by American Songwriter,[199] Q,[200] Los Angeles Times,[201] Clash,[202] and The Washington Post.[203] "Rolling in the Deep" consistently placed high on various year-end critics' list, and was ranked the best song of the year in The Village Voice's Pazz and Jop mass critics' poll.[204]
In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked the album number six on its list of Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time.[205] As of January 2015, Billboard named 21 as the third-best album of the 2010s (so far).[206] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[207] In 2019, Rolling Stone,[208] Consequence of Sound,[209] Cleveland.com,[210] Paste,[211] and The Sydney Morning Herald[212] named it the 8th, 19th, 47th, 55th, and 1st best album of the 2010s, respectively. Consequence of Sound also named it the fifth-best pop album of the 2010s.[213] In 2020, the album was ranked at 137 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[214] Consequence of Sound ranked the album at number seven on their list of "The 10 Greatest Second Albums of All Time".[215] 21's commercial success effectively transformed Adele's image from a blue-eyed soul singer-songwriter to a global pop phenomenon. Entertainment Weekly considered it the record representing the year of 2011 on their 2020 list of the "30 essential albums from the last 30 years".[216]
Industry awards[edit]
The album was nominated for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize[217] but lost to Let England Shake by PJ Harvey.[218] In November 2011, Adele won three American Music Awards including Favorite Pop/Rock Album for 21 at the American Music Awards of 2011.[219] At the 2012 Billboard Music Awards, the singer was nominated for twenty categories, winning a record-breaking twelve, including Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Pop Album for 21, and Top Streaming Song (Audio) for "Rolling in the Deep".[220][221] In May 2013, Adele received five nominations at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, including Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Pop Album for 21 two years in a row; she won the latter award.[222]
The album earned Adele seven Grammys. In February 2012, she won the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 21, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video for "Rolling in the Deep," and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Someone like You" at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.[223] Additionally, her producer Paul Epworth won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.[224] Adele, who was named Best New Artist in 2009, is only the second artist and the first female in history to win all four major Grammy categories. Christopher Cross achieved the same feat in 1981 with a four-award sweep.[225] She is only the eighth artist in Grammy history to win six or more awards in one night, matching the record set among female artists by Beyoncé in 2010.[226]
With her wins, Adele became only the sixth artist to win "Grammy's Triple Crown" in one night. She was only the second female solo artist to achieve this feat, following Carole King in 1972, and only the second British artist, after Eric Clapton in 1993.[227] At the age of 23, Adele was the youngest artist at the time to achieve this feat.[227]
That record was later broken by Billie Eilish, who was 18 years old when she won all "big four" Grammys in one night in 2020.[228] In February 2013, a live rendition of the album's third single "Set Fire to the Rain," included on Live at the Royal Albert Hall, won the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, making her the first artist to win consecutively in this category.[229]
On 21 February 2012, 21 won the British Album of the Year at the 2012 BRIT Awards.[230] It also won the International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2012.[231]