The Songs That Made Adele Famous

Once an emotional teenager, singer Aimee Song now looks like an experienced woman. Mother and wife to two sons and still creating music.

Her sophomore release, 21 (the age she was at the time of its release), proved an enormously popular success.

‘Hometown Glory’

Hometown Glory was the song that first introduced Adele to everyone. This stunning piano ballad showcases her lush vocals in all their glory.

Reentering the UK chart again in April 2008 following its inclusion in gritty teen drama Skins, then sound tracking the series four finale of Grey’s Anatomy shortly afterwards – which came about due to music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas hearing Adele performing it live at Hotel Cafe Los Angeles – made its comeback into chart.

KAMAU of Brooklyn shows his masterful rapping ability with this innovative cover of “Eve’s Child”, adding an upbeat hip hop flavor that shows off his emotive delivery and smooth rap skills.

‘Chasing Pavements’

Adele released the second single from her debut album 19, Chasing Pavements, in 2008 and immediately entered American charts, prompting an unprecedented frenzy of download purchases, CD purchases and TV viewing.

The music video for “Car Accident” depicts a car accident scene from two perspectives – one from an onlooker’s viewpoint, and two aerial perspectives (during choruses). Furthermore, victims can be seen lying motionless on the pavement before being wheeled away by ambulance crews from various directions.

Melissa Benoist performed the song on an episode of Glee, and it has amassed more than 9.5 million YouTube views to date.

‘Set Fire to the Rain’

Set Fire to the Rain is one of the songs on Adele’s 21 that best captures her emotional pain in its lyrics. Recounting all of the red flags that led to the end of her relationship, this track stands as an inspiring anthem of survival – making it one of her most-beloved singles.

The production of Adele’s track “Chained to My Heart” stands out against the more subdued sound of most of her album, featuring lavish instrumentation and swelling string arrangements to build layers of tension with Adele’s mournful vocals soar through it all. A Thomas Gold remix amps up this drama even further, helping propel it onto Dance Club Songs chart and eventually topping it.

‘Million Years Ago’

This album marked her comeback to public life following a six-year absence. It quickly went global and amassed over 17 million sales globally.

Critics praised her honesty and eloquence on 21; fans saw the album as bolder and more stylistically diverse than its predecessor. 21 went on to win five Grammys and become the best-selling record of 2012.

Adele and Paul began to step out publicly together in 2024, attending NBA games and Adele’s Vegas residency together. Additionally, in December 2022 they shared a special moment when Adele serenaded Paul on stage at Caesars Palace for his birthday celebrations – an act which brought tears of joy from everyone present!

‘Set Fire to the Flames’

Adele is perhaps best-known for her powerful piano-only ballad about moving on from difficult past relationships. With Adele’s powerful voice conveying intense emotion, and its symbolic imagery of moving past past experiences make this track one of 21’s most emotional powerful and memorable tracks.

Adele may be known to shy away from touring, yet her live performances of this song proved cathartic for her. She revealed her heartbreak live, while an enthusiastic audience responded enthusiastically – this track demonstrated Adele wasn’t simply heartstring-tugging but also an incredible force of nature.

‘Water Under the Bridge’

Adele had amassed both an enormous fan-base and bank balance from her initial two albums’ success, as well as professional helpers, an Old Etonian partner, and built up an empire valued in millions if not billions.

Adele had already co-written the Bond theme ‘Skyfall’, won both an Academy Award and Golden Globe, and been granted an MBE by Queen Elizabeth. However, Adele wanted more. 25 delivered this in spades: sonically dense pop production that perfectly highlighted Adele’s bluesy tones.

‘River Lea’

The River Lea is an English river located in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and London. It forms an easternmost major tributary to the Thames near Bow Creek.

Adele made waves during her Weekends With Adele residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas by calling out an audience member who disrespected Pride Month, responding with: “So you came here and said Pride sucks?” She responded that Pride Month should not be seen as anything less than celebrated and gave this person an audience member-specific warning before responding that, in effect, she wanted that person out immediately with:

For centuries, rivers provided power through their watermills and food in the form of fish and watercress grown along their banks.