Someone Like You (Adele Song)
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"Someone like You" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter
Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
. She and Dan Wilson wrote and produced the track for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). XL Recordings released the song as the second single from the album on 24 January 2011 (the same day the album was released) in the United Kingdom and on 9 August 2011 in the United States. Accompanied only by a piano in the song (played by co-writer Wilson), Adele sings about the end of the relationship with her ex-partner who has moved on with someone else. "Someone like You" received universal critical acclaim, with reviewers choosing it as a highlight of ''21'' and praised the lyrics, its simple sound and Adele's vocal performance. It became a global success, topping the charts in nineteen countries and reaching the top 10 in various other regions. Following a universally acclaimed performance of the song at the 31st Brit Awards, it became Adele's first number-one single in the UK and stayed atop the chart for five weeks, and was the best-selling single of the year in the region, as well as in Ireland and Italy. It also became Adele's second number one in the US, making her the first British female solo artist in history to have two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones from the same album. In July 2011, it became the first single of the decade to be certified 6× Platinum in both the UK and US. It is also certified Diamond in Canada. The song's
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was directed by Jake Nava and filmed in
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, France, showing Adele walking alone through the streets. Critics praised the video for being simple and perfect for the sound of the song. She added "Someone Like You" to the set list of her second tour Adele Live. The song has been covered by various artists, including the cast of the series ''
Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...
''. The official MV uploaded to
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on 30 September 2011 has accumulated over 2.24 billion views and 10 million "Likes" as of 19 October 2024, similar to that of
Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
's another hit '' Rolling in the Deep'' whose official MV was uploaded ten months earlier. 'Someone Like You' has been crowned as the UK's most popular karaoke selection for 2011, 2012. In 2012, "Someone like You" was voted the third-favourite number-one single of the last 60 years in the UK. "Someone like You" appeared on many year-end lists about the best songs of 2011, and was the inaugural recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, at the 54th ceremony in 2012. The song also received a nomination for the Brit Award for British Single at the 32nd ceremony and also several other nominations. , "Someone like You" is the fourth best-selling single of the 21st century and is the 36th-best-selling single in the history of the UK Singles Chart.


Writing and inspiration

"Someone like You" is about a boyfriend who broke up with Adele. She wrote it with American songwriter and producer Dan Wilson. It was one of the last songs written for ''21''. The track, which epitomizes the lyrical content of ''21'', summarizes the now defunct relationship that the record is all about. Adele has openly discussed the genesis of it saying, "Well, I wrote that song because I was exhausted from being such a bitch, with ' Rolling in the Deep' or ' Rumour Has It' ... I was really emotionally drained from the way I was portraying him, because even though I'm very bitter and regret some parts of it, he's still the most important person that's ever been in my life, and 'Someone like You,' I had to write it to feel OK with myself and OK with the two years I spent with him. And when I did it, I felt so freed." Adele revealed that she was struggling emotionally when she composed it: "When I was writing it I was feeling pretty miserable and pretty lonely, which I guess kind of contradicts 'Rolling in the Deep'. Whereas that was about me saying, 'I'm going to be fine without you', this is me on my knees really." She discussed further the inspiration of the song: "I can imagine being about 40 and looking for him again, only to turn up and find that he's settled with a beautiful wife and beautiful kids and he's completely happy... and I'm still on my own. The song's about that and I'm scared at the thought of that." Adele had said that she began writing it on her acoustic guitar in the wake of the break-up of her 18-month relationship with the 30-year-old man she thought she would marry. A few months after their split, he was engaged to someone else. "We were so intense I thought we would get married. But that was something he never wanted... So when I found out he does want that with someone else, it was just the horrible-est feeling ever. But after I wrote it, I felt more at peace. It set me free... I didn't think it would resonate... with the world! I'm never gonna write a song like that again. I think that's the song I'll be known for." She also said that "I wrote that song on the end of my bed. I had a cold. I was waiting for my bath to run. I'd found out that he'd got engaged to someone else."


Recording and composition

Adele later collaborated with famed musician and producer Dan Wilson to write "Someone like You" which was one of the final songs composed for the album. Prior to meeting with Wilson, Adele said she wrote some of the lyrics using her acoustic guitar.Adkins, Adele. KMTT. Personal Interview by Shawn Stewart. December 2010. The two sat around the piano for two days and brainstormed various melodies and lyrics, and ultimately decided to keep the musical production sparse: "We just wrote it on the piano and then we recorded it when it was written. It wasn't sort of like recording it and listening to it thinking 'where can we go next?' It was really old school." During an interview with ''
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'', Wilson stated that while writing the song, they wanted to make it as personal as possible. He added "We didn't try to make it open-ended so it could apply to 'anybody.' We tried to make it as personal as possible. She may not have had a melodic hook or a specific lyrical idea, but she always knew what she wanted to say. She definitely had a master plan." The song was recorded at Harmony Studios in West
Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
with Wilson playing piano. Philip Allen engineered in the studio. The mixing was done by Tom Elmhirst and Dan Parry while the mastering was finished by Tom Coyne. According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony Music Publishing, "Someone like You" is a slow tempo of 67.5
beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
. Written in
common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...
, the song is in the key of
A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...
. The song follows three chord progressions. Adele's vocal range spans from F3 to E5 during the song. A slow, plaintive ballad pairing Adele's voice with a looping piano line, "Someone like You" is the lyrical opposite of " Rolling in the Deep" on which the singer narrates coming to terms with the end of the relationship: "Nevermind, I'll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don't forget me, I beg/I'll remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead." According to Sean Fennessey of ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'', the singer's "nuanced" voice goes up a full
octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...
and "into a near-shrieked whisper" as she sings parts of the chorus. However, she "rebounds and gathers herself", and her voice descends into its fuller and more melancholy state. Critics praised its introspective lyrics and maturity. "Someone like You" has been compared to the song " Hometown Glory" (2008) from the album '' 19''. John Murphy of ''
MusicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...
'' said that the song "casts Adele as the spurned lover, turning up outside her ex's house, now moved on and settled down, begging for a second chance." According to Aamir Yaqub of Soul Culture, "Talking of a lost love, this an extremely touching track with a vocal performance that makes the narrative almost tangible ... It really captures the experience of the story and puts it across in both a credible and incredible fashion." Cameron Adams of ''
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'' called the song a "spine-tingling sparse piano ballad." Lyrically, the song talks about the end of Adele's first "real relationship", which was with her long-time friend and lover, and it shows her confronting his marriage. At the beginning of the song, she sings the lines "I heard that you're settled down/That you found a girl and you're married now. I heard that your dreams came true/Guess she gave you things I couldn't give to you" with a soft voice and accompanied just by a simple piano melody. The lyrics of "Someone like You" are talking about what once was and what could have been as stated by a writer of '' Daily Herald''. Finding the strength to bounce back from hardship and heartache, Adele sings the lines, "Never mind, I'll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead." Talking about the meaning and the composition of the song, Jer Fairall of
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
said: "The song's subject—Adele mentally addressing an old lover who has since found happiness elsewhere—is familiar, but the detail she colors it with are vibrantly tactile and resonant, from the sense-memory setting of 'we were born and raised in a summer haze' to her recollection of his cruel kiss-off line 'I remember you said, 'sometimes it lasts in love and sometimes it hurts instead and how she comes to take solace in the statement as an empowering mantra." During her concert tour in August 2024, Adele revealed that this song had changed her life.


Critical reception

Upon release, the song received widespread acclaim from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, with many citing it as the highlight of '' 21''. In a track-by-track review for ''21'', Joanne Dorken of MTV UK noted the track's placement at the end of the album saying, "It maybe a cliché, but Adele has saved the best until last with this heartfelt and enchanting piano ballad. ... It's sad but beautiful and displays Adele at her best – marking the perfect end to what has been in our eyes, a faultless album." Will Dean of ''
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'' claimed the song was the album's "highlight", characterizing it as "gorgeous". That was echoed by ''Slant'' Magazines Matthew Cole who also called the song "gorgeous". ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s Chris Parkin also marked the song as a highlight, describing it as "surprisingly weighty" and comparing it favorably to the work of American
Country blues Country blues (also folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or downhome blues) is one of the earliest forms of blues music. The mainly solo vocal with acoustic fingerstyle guitar accompaniment developed in the rural Southern United States in t ...
singer
Karen Dalton Karen J. Dalton (born Jean Karen Cariker; July 19, 1937 – March 19, 1993) was an American country blues singer, guitarist, and banjo player. She was associated with the early 1960s Greenwich Village folk music scene, particularly with F ...
. Tom Breihan of
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selected "Someone like You" as a song of the day, claiming it served as a reaffirmation of popular music: "Sometimes, pop music can still break your heart." Writing for
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, Ian Wade noted that the "final track Someone Like You, just voice and piano, is an actual thing of beauty, placing the listener in one of those moments where you feel you're in the presence of a future standard." Bill Lamb of
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wrote that "the piano melody is gorgeous and combined with Adele's heartfelt reading of her words, the effect is highly emotional. You can imagine it being both honked through by talent show contestants and transcended by veterans alike." Lamb went to write that the song is one of the "top songs of 2011" and that "romantic pain has rarely been so utterly beautiful." Jer Fairall of PopMatters called the song "absolute magic" and praised Adele's performance by saying, "Though it is unquestionably her finest vocal showcase to date, it is less remarkable for its more powerful moments than for the small ones where her voice dips, with rueful melancholy on the line 'I heard that your dreams came true' or cracks on the 'I beg' in the chorus, like she's startled at the revelation of her own vulnerability." He further called her vocal performance of the song "stunning" and "finally worthy of her talents". Writing for the website No Ripcord, Gary McGinley said that the song "has an aching beauty and the hallmarks of a modern standard." He further added that it "sounds poised to soundtrack atmospheric TV trailers over the coming months." A writer of ''URB'' magazine called "Someone like You" "a heart-wrencher made all the more real by reeling phrasing and bare-voiced pleading, 'I wish nothing but the best for you, too.'" John Murphy of ''MusicOMH'' categorized "Someone like You" and " Turning Tables" as "the two best songs on the album." He concluded that the song was "desperately sad and utterly, utterly gorgeous." Bary Walters of '' Spin'' wrote that on "the piano-led finale, she vows, 'I'll find someone like you,' as if that's progress. It's a statement that's utterly WTF and yet true to the cyclical nature of psychological damage." Sputnikmusics Joseph Viney called the song "an ode to stalking with a perverse attitude that lies underneath the fragile composition, looks set to become the soundtrack to a million messy break-ups." Allison Stewart of ''
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'' put the song on her list "Recommended tracks". ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''s
Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
annual critics' poll of the best songs of 2011 ranked "Someone like You" at number nine; Adele's previous single "Rolling in the Deep" topped the same critics' poll. In 2019, ''
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'', ''
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'', and ''
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'' ranked the song as the 39th, 64th, and 71st best song of the 2010s, respectively. ''
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'' and ''
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'' both ranked the song number six on their lists of Adele's greatest songs.


Commercial performance

"Someone like You" achieved international commercial success, topping the
record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...
s in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries. The song debuted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart in late-January 2011 due to strong digital downloads from ''21''. Following a live performance of the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards, it climbed 46 places from the previous week to number one, beating
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
's single " Born This Way" (2011), although it was at number 18 on the mid-week chart update. While "Someone like You" was at number one on the chart, Adele's previous single, "Rolling in the Deep" was placed at number four. With that achievement, Adele has become the first living artist since
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
in 1964 who simultaneously had two top five hits in both the charts (''21'' and ''19'' were also in the top five on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
). It stayed atop the chart for four consecutive weeks before slipping to number two on 26 March. Following a performance on
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, the song returned to number one for a fifth week. It has been certified 6× Platinum by the BPI, denoting sales and streams of 3,600,000 units. On 5 July 2011, it was announced that the song had sold 1 million copies in the UK, becoming the first single of the decade to reach the threshold and the sixteenth song released in the 21st century to do so. It became the biggest selling single of 2011 in the United Kingdom, selling over 1,240,000 copies. By June 2015, UK sales stood at 1,570,000 copies, making "Someone like You" the second best-selling single of the 2010s and the third-best-seller of the 21st century. As of November 2015, the song has sold 1,584,000 copies in the UK. In
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, "Someone like You" debuted at number 14 in October 2011 and rose to number one in its 12th week in early 2012—the week when Adele had three simultaneous top-ten songs (" Rolling in the Deep" at number two and " Set Fire to the Rain" at number seven). In France, despite not having been certified, "Someone like You" has sold 350,800 copies and became one of the best-selling singles in the country. The song debuted at number 47 on the
Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...
. "Someone like You" remained at the top position of the chart for seven consecutive weeks and it was certified 4× Platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA). It has also peaked at number one in New Zealand for five weeks, ending an 11-week run at number one for " Party Rock Anthem". The single sold 51,000 copies its first week in the US, debuting at number 65. The single re-entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 97 on the week ending 30 July 2011. Upon its radio release in the United States, and a surge in popularity following her performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, "Someone like You" climbed 18 positions to number one from number 19, and became her second consecutive number-one single on the Hot 100 and making Adele the first ever British female singer to spawn two consecutive number-one singles from the same album. After the performance, "Someone like You" moved from number 11 to number one on the Digital Songs chart with 275,000 downloads sold (191% increase), according to
Nielsen SoundScan Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...
. On Radio Songs, the track moved from number 42 to number 19 with 46 million all-format audience impressions (59% increase), according to Nielsen BDS. The song made Hot 100 history by achieving the biggest jump to number 1 in the chart's 53-year history that was not spurred by the release of a single. "Someone like You" became the first strictly voice-and-piano ballad to top the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song also became the first "unquestionably slow song" to top the Hot 100 chart since
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
's song, " Take a Bow" (2008). It topped the chart for 1 week and then slipped from number 1 to number 2 being replaced by
Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, d ...
and
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
s "
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". A few days after the release of its video, on 6 October 2011, the song returned to number one and spent 4 more weeks at the top, where it was later replaced by "
We Found Love "We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna released as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Talk That Talk'' (2011). The song features Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, whose 2012 album '' 18 Months'' also includes the track. Produ ...
" by
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featuring
Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris (and sometimes under the stage name Love Regenerator), is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'' (2007 ...
. With " Rolling in the Deep" spending 7 weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and "Someone like You" spending 5 weeks, Adele is the first female solo artist to log 12 weeks at No. 1 in a calendar year with two strictly solo recordings.
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
, Monica and
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
also did it (in 2003, 1998 and 1995, respectively), if collaborations are included. As of April 2015, it has sold 6 million downloads in the United States alone.


Music video

The
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for the song was filmed in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
by English director Jake Nava who said: The video begins with a shot of a road in Paris and Adele is seen walking on it alone. She continues to walk and starts singing the song with a sad look as the camera makes circles and shots more locations in Paris including the
Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...
. During the second chorus, Adele stops singing and pauses on the
Pont Alexandre III The Pont Alexandre III () is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the ...
to look over the
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
. She continues walking through the deserted streets during the
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
before finally entering a building in which she sees her ex-lover. After seeing her, he starts to walk away and several shots of Adele looking at him follow. The video premiered on
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and
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on 29 September 2011, and as of June 2023, the video has received over 2 billion views on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. It received glowing reviews from music critics; James Montgomery of MTV News called the video "a somber, black-and-white affair, featuring Adele wandering the early morning streets and pining for her long-lost love. It's a perfect match for the song's jaw-dropping emotional range—raw and unfiltered and incredibly sad but also, in a lot of ways, beautiful and resolute." In another review of the video he praised its black-and-white shots saying that "director Jake Nava made the smart decision to shoot it in arty, smudgy black-and-white, which only adds to the clip's desolate, haunted feel." He added that "there are no special effects, no camera tricks or elaborate choreography, because those are quick fixes" and called Adele the "Queen of Pain." A writer of the website HitFix concluded that the video is "in keeping with the singer's subdued style" and added that its vibe fits with the "melancholy tune." ''
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''s Tanner Stransky called the video "quiet" and said that "it's just what you'd want to see for this break-up heart-wrencher." Krista Wick of ''
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'' praised the video for being "more than enough to accompany Adele's soulful vocals." Amanda Dobbins of ''New York'' magazine concluded that "the secretly devastating video" for "Someone like You" will remind Adele's ex-lover what he has done by leaving her. A writer of ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' praised the simplicity and the sadness in the video. Sarah Dean of the same publication called it an "uncomplicated, moving film" and wrote, "the video is nothing more than Adele wandering around the deserted city of love alone, under its grey skies, singing her sorrowful notes, but because it's her, we don't need any more." That was echoed by Jason Lipshutz of ''Billboard'' magazine who said that the video was "as simply constructed as the song's vocal-and-piano arrangement." Marc Hogan of ''Spin'' said that the scene in which Adele looks in the camera, "speak for itself" about the sadness in the video. Andrew Matson of ''
The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...
'' said, "the song of the year now has a simple, perfect video: Adele in Paris, singing and strolling, apparently processing the breakup detailed in the song's lyrics. The look on her face during the 'I wish nothing but the best for you' line is the best, just gutting, a real achievement how she plays it cold but not sarcastic. I think in times of emotional devastation, everyone wants stand on a bridge over the Seine on a cold day, squinting into the wind, sorting it out." A writer of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' wrote: "this clip for the ballad 'Someone Like You' sticks to the singer's simple but emotionally direct approach with black-and-white footage that lingers on her subtly expressive face as she lip-synchs to the tune while walking along sad, grey city streets." Andrea Devaro of '' Long Island Press'' concluded, "its simplicity beautifully portrays the complexity of emotions invoked in the song." Leah Collins of '' Dose'' called Adele "'60s bombshell glam" and said that the video's "simplicity is its strength." She added: "There's something about streetlamps, cafes and the River Seine that lend an air of melancholic elegance to what would otherwise be just another walk of shame by a girl with two-day-old hair. Not everyone gets to indulge in moments as tragic but beautiful as a weepy solitary walk through Paris landmarks. But then, we don't all have voices as tragic and beautiful as Adele's either." A more mixed review was given by AOLs Ashley Percival who called the video predictable and added "It's all very pleasant, but after all this time, what's the point?". Nicole Eggenberger of ''
OK! ''OK!'' is a British weekly magazine that primarily specialises in royal and celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly magazine, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, ''OK''! launched in Australia as a monthly ...
'' wrote that Adele "created the perfect music video to go along with her hauntingly beautiful ballad" and further described it as "simple yet stunning."


Accolades

At the 2011
Q Awards The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...
, "Someone like You" was nominated in the category for Best Track. The song was also nominated in the category for Best Song at the 2011
Music of Black Origin Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...
. "Someone like You" won the first Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, at the 54th Grammy Awards, which were held on 12 February 2012. Song also nominated for Brit Award for British Single at the 32nd Brit Awards, but lost to " What Makes You Beautiful" by
One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, were an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group consisted of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik (until his departure in 2015), Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. The group sold o ...
.


Live performances

Adele performed "Someone like You" for the first time in October 2010 at The Current studios in
Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...
. During a November 2010 performance on the BBC music show '' Later... with Jools Holland'', there was a notable stunned silence from the audience as the performance finished, before bursting into applause. Adele has since described this performance as a career defining moment. Later, she performed the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards held at
The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seat ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
on 15 February 2011. She appeared on stage backed just by her pianist while "special effects were limited to a shower of glitter and Adele's own tears, as she almost broke down delivering her lovelorn plea to an ex-boyfriend" as stated by Neil McCormick of ''The Daily Telegraph''. Speaking on the
ITV2 ITV2 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the fiv ...
after show, Adele explained why she had cried at the end of the performance saying, "I was really emotional by the end because I'm quite overwhelmed by everything anyway, and then I had a vision of my ex, of him watching me at home and he's going to be laughing at me because he knows I'm crying because of him, with him thinking, 'Yep, she's still wrapped around my finger'. Then everyone stood up, so I was overwhelmed." A writer of ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' said that "Adele stole the show ..with her praised performance of Someone Like You." Neil McCormick of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' chose the song as a highlight on the show saying that Adele knocked "everyone for six with no bells and whistles, just a piano, her gorgeous voice and a monster song, Someone Like You." Later, the song was performed during a VH1 special called "Unplugged". Adele also performed the song at ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...
'' on 24 February 2011. The same day she performed "Someone like You" on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
''. The singer also performed the song at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on 28 August 2011. After being introduced by American singer
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...
, Adele appeared in a black scalloped lace dress by Barbara Tfank, and standing alone on the stage, only with her pianist behind her. Her hair was pulled back and a signature ponytail draped over one shoulder she sang the song and "did vocal aerobics and dripped her soulful, sultry sound over the dark ballad, while a transfixed audience watched her" as stated by Kelley L. Carter of
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. After the performance she received a standing ovation from fans and critics. According to ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''s Cindy Clark she "captivated the audience with her powerful performance". Wesley Case of ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...
'' concluded, "Adele's 'Someone Like You' could make a tough guy weep. Her tone was gorgeous." Rating the performance with A, Claire Suddath of ''Time'' magazine said "it's heartening to hear a truly talented woman sing a mournful
torch song A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...
for someone who has left her for someone better. And if her stellar performance, accompanied by only a piano, isn't enough to melt your heart, then her nervous wave to the audience at the end definitely will." A writer of ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' called her vocals "strong and direct, and tackles grief by moving with the melody rather than trying to pummel it" and added that it was "less-is-more performance, a tactic award-show producers rarely indulge in, but Adele needs few adornments to impress." A writer of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' said that Adele brought a "big dollop of elegance to the VMAs with a spare, moving rendition of 'Someone Like You'" and added that "amid all the pop art glitz, it was a refreshing palate cleanser." Gina Sepre of
E! Online E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable television network. It is owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The channel focuses primarily on pop culture, celebrity based reality shows and movies. ...
praised the performance saying, "When Adele took the stage to perform her understatedly stripped-down and hugely impactful performance of 'Someone Like You,' there were no pyrotechnics, no acrobatics, no lavender hair, and no autotune. And guess what? We didn't miss it. There may be hope yet for MTV to remember just what the 'M' in their name actually stands for." Writing about the performance, Chris Coplan of
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...
concluded that "Someone like You", "highlighted the power a bare-bones, booming performance can have in netting people's attention. Simple is not a bad word, pop music." Giving the performance an A+, Lindsey Ward of
Jam! Jam! was a Canadian website which covered entertainment news. It was part of the Canoe.com online portal, formerly owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division, and now owned by Postmedia Network. Jam! was the only media outl ...
said: "When I learned British chart-topper Adele would be performing at Sunday's awards I thought, 'Whew – at least we're guaranteed five solid, meaningful minutes of quality music television'. I was right; her frill-free performance of breakup ballad Someone Like You was just that." Kyle Anderson of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' highlighted the performance calling it "one of the best performances of the show." Another writer of the same publication gave the performance a grade of A+ and wrote: "It takes a real super power to make the seizure-inducing lasers stop, and that power's name is Adele. The broadcast temporarily abandoned its frantic mission of nonstop overstimulation, bowing to the 23-year-old English soulstress's soaring, nearly
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
(well done, subtle piano man) rendition of her heart-wrecking ballad "Someone Like You." In a modest black dress and with a few spare hand movements, she delivered all the shock and awe of a million-watt showstopper. Who needs special effects, when God gave you your own? Even
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
looked like she had to fix her
mascara Mascara (, ) is a Cosmetics, cosmetic commonly used to enhance the upper and lower eyelashes. It is used to darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, powder, or cream—the modern mascara p ...
when it was all over." "Someone like You" was also added to the set list of the second concert tour by Adele, Adele Live, and it was performed during the encore. While reviewing a concert by Adele, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK, said "There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Adele powered her way through the ballad, encouraging the audience to help her sing the somewhat beautiful, yet emotional chorus – giving everyone goosebumps. The sounds of Someone Like You bounced off every wall and tugged at every heart-string, making it a truly special moment and something that every member of the Apollo crowd will never forget." Jim Harrington of ''
San Jose Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...
'' chose the song as a highlight on the show adding that the song showed "her supreme vocal talent."


Cover versions

Charlie Puth Charles Otto Puth Jr. (; born December 2, 1991) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His initial exposure came through the viral success of his cover (music), song covers uploaded to YouTube. Puth signed with the record labe ...
first gained notice for his cover of "Someone like You", sung as a duet with fellow
Berklee Berklee College of Music () is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level ...
student Emily Luther, and uploaded to YouTube in September 2011.
Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...
saw this video and invited Puth to appear twice on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
'', and she signed Puth to eleveneleven, her record label. This was the start of Puth's fame. Amber Riley, Naya Rivera and Heather Morris sang a mash-up of "Someone like You" and Adele's other song " Rumour Has It" (2011) during ''
Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...
''s episode " Mash Off" which aired on 15 November. However, the cover was posted online on 10 November. Jenna Mullins of E! Online praised the cover, saying that it will "knock your socks right off" and a writer for ''OK!'' described it as "AMAZE-ing". Erica Futterman of ''Rolling Stone'' noted that the cover was "one of the greatest things the show has done o far" Similarly, ''Billboard''s Raye Votta commented that the cover was "arguably the best performance 'Glee' has done since ' Don't Stop Believin''." Their version of the song peaked at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 while selling 160,000 digital downloads in its first week and became the fifth highest digital sales week by a ''Glee'' Cast single. As of March 2015, it remains the ninth best-selling ''Glee'' Cast recording in the show's history, having sold 413,000 copies in the United States. In Canada, the song made a "Hot Shot Debut" on the
Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...
at number 12, selling 14,000 downloads. The song peaked at No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart, the first Glee recording to make the UK top 40 since "I Feel Pretty / Unpretty". Country musician
David Nail David Brent Nail (born May 18, 1979) is an American singer/songwriter and country music artist. In 2002, he debuted the single "Memphis" from an unreleased album for Mercury Records Nashville. Five years later, he signed with MCA Nashville, fo ...
recorded a cover of "Someone like You", which was posted on his YouTube account on 15 May 2012. The song is featured on Nail's three-track digital EP, ''1979'' which was released on 17 July 2012. Nail's version debuted at number 57 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
chart in September 2012, reaching as high as number 52. Metalcore band Ice Nine Kills released a cover version in 2012. Andy Black and
Juliet Simms Juliet Nicole Simms (born February 26, 1986), also known as Lilith Czar, is an American singer and songwriter. She established a fan base as the front woman of the band Automatic Loveletter. In 2007 – in the band's earliest years – she bec ...
released a cover version in 2017 for the Album Punk Goes Pop Vol.7 Dan Wilson recorded "Someone Like You" with the
Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical musi ...
on his 2017 Re-Covered album of songs he wrote for or with other performers.


Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from ''21''
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
. * Adele Adkins
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
,
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
,
songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
, producer * Dan Wilson – songwriter, producer,
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
*Philip Allen –
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
* Tom Coynemastering * Tom Elmhirstmixer * Dan Parry – assistant mixer


Track listings


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


All-time chart


Certifications and sales


Release history


See also

*
List of best-selling singles This is a compendium of the best-selling single (music), music singles. The criterion for inclusion is to sell at least ten million copies worldwide. The singles listed here were cited by reliable sources from various media, such as digital j ...
*
List of best-selling singles in the United States This list compiles the best-selling singles in the United States, based on reported sales figures. Some of the singles have been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In music, a single is a song considered commerciall ...
* List of million-selling singles in the United Kingdom * List of Adult Top 40 number-one singles of 2011 * List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2011 (U.S.) * List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2012 (Brazil) * List of number-one singles from the 2010s (UK) * List of number-one singles and albums of 2011 (Ireland) * List of number-one singles of 2011 (Australia) * List of number-one singles from the 2010s (New Zealand) * List of number-one hits of 2011 (Italy) * List of number-one singles of 2011 (Poland) * List of number-one hits of 2011 (France) * List of number-one hits of 2011 (Switzerland) * List of number-one pop hits of 2011 (Brazil) * List of Ultratop 40 number-one singles of 2011 * List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 2011 and 2012 (U.S.)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Someone like You (Adele song) 2010s ballads 2011 singles 2011 songs Adele songs David Nail songs Black-and-white music videos Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Columbia Records singles Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Jake Nava Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Iceland Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Poland Number-one singles in Scotland Number-one singles in Switzerland Pop ballads SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Songs about heartache Songs about marriage Songs written by Adele Songs written by Dan Wilson (musician) Soul ballads UK singles chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles XL Recordings singles Torch songs Breakup songs UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles