Friday Night Jukebox Vol. CDXII--Adele: Someone like You

Several years back I was helping restock a thrift store that had been damaged by smoke from a fire at a restaurant next door in anticipation of its grand reopening.  Over the course of several days, I kept hearing this week's tune again and again going from initially "What is this shlock?" to "Holy shit, this is incredible!"  When I finally remembered to look it up online, I played the song and asked my wife if she'd ever heard it, and she was like "Duh, it's Adele, one of the biggest stars going these days."  D'oh! So much for my new music cred....

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born in 1988 in London and began singing at the age of four.  After graduating from an art school at 18, she began making money from music immediately.  At the ripe old age of twenty she released her first album, and by the time she was twenty-one she was an international superstar.  I could literally fill several paragraphs with all her accomplishments, but just to highlight:  she has sold over 120 million records, won 15 Grammys, 12 Brit Awards, an Oscar, and an Emmy.  Ten million people tried to buy tickets for her 2016 World Tour, of which only 750,000 seats were available.  For her career, Adele has released four albums, with all four hitting #1 in her native U.K., and three reaching number one in the U.S.  She has had a #1 album in 36 different countries.  She's also released 18 singles with three number ones in the U.K. and five in America.  And she probably has a good forty years of touring and recording to go....

Fun Fact:  Adele is the only artist to have an album (21) be at #1 on the Billboard 200 while also having three singles hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as the LP rested atop the album chart.  The album also had the longest reign of an album by a female artist at 24 weeks.

"Someone like You" was the second single from Adele's diamond certified (sales of over ten million) LP 21.  Amazingly enough, both the single and the album hit #1 in the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as more countries than I have the time to list.

A piano, some of the best vocals you'll ever hear in your life (not an exaggeration), and lyrics and music that easily cracks the top ten (if not top five) of all-time great "My Life Will Go On But My Heart Is Going To Be Shattered For A Good While" songs.  It still puts a lump in my throat every time I hear it. And all that's left to say is this:  Just listen to it--by the end, you'll understand.

Lyric Sheet:  "Nothing compares, no worries or cares/Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made/Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?"

Enjoy:

Republicans = Losers

Peace,

emaycee