AdeleJarrett WebsterMusic 1010

Life History• 1988- Born in Tottenham, London• 1992- Began singing for fun and obsessing over

voices• 2004- Recorded a few songs privately• 2006- Graduated from BRIT School in Croydon• 2006- Signed with XL Records in September• 2008- Released her first album “19”• 2010- Won two Grammy's for her debut album• 2011- Releases second album “21”• 2012- Sweeps all six Grammy’s for sophomore

album

Early Influences

Carol King

Etta James

Pink

Debut Album “19”• Released January of 2008 in the

UK• Named for her age at the time

she wrote it• June release in the US didn’t go

so well• An appearance on SNL sky

rocketed “19” to the top of the charts

• By the end of July 2009, “19” sold more than 2.2 Million records

Sophomore Album “21”• Released January 2011 in

the UK• Released February 2011 in

the US• Also named for her age at

the time she recorded the album

• Described as contemporary sound with country roots

• Became one of the longest running #1 albums in history

Tragedy Averted

Adele was forced to cancel her tour after suffering a hemorrhage on her vocal cords. She underwent surgery in November of 2011.

Triumph!

The same month as her surgery, Adele released the dvd/cd “Live at the Royal Albert Hall”. This proved to increase her popularity in the US.

After healing from the procedure, Adele performed at the 2012 Grammy’s and took home all six awards she was nominated for.

Composition History• “Set fire to the

Rain”

• “Someone Like You”

• “Rolling in the Deep”

“Set Fire to the Rain”

• Written by Adele Adkins and Frasier Smith• Fifth track on her second album “21”• Written in the key of D minor and

characterized as a power ballad• String, percussion and piano used to

compliment Adele’s voice• Reached #2 on the Billboard chart and

sold over a million downloads in the US alone

“Someone Like You”• Written by Adele Adkins and Dan

Wilson• It’s the 11th track on her album “21”• A slow ballad written in A minor• She’s only accompanied by a piano• Sold almost 4 million downloads in

the US alone

Adele…… Again…….“Someone Like You” was banned from being played in the Opus ii store in Dublin because the workers were tired of customers trying to play the song on their keyboards. The workers put a sign on the store which stated “Strictly NO Adele”. A shop assistant said, “It’s becoming the piano equivalent of ‘Stairway to Heaven’, everyone thinks they can play it. The sign was a bit of a joke, but the song can drive you mad.”

“Rolling in the Deep”• Written by Paul Epworth and Adele

Adkins• Also from her second album “21”• Written in C minor• Described as a “dark, bluesy gospel,

disco tune”• At the Billboard #1 spot for seven

weeks• Sold over six million copies in the US

alone

Listening Guide: “Set Fire to the Rain”

Setup Intro, Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Bridge,

Chorus, Coda

The song was written in the key of D minor and her voice expands from Bb3 to D5

Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain“ 04:02

Lyrics

Listening Guide: “Someone Like You”

SetupIntro, Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Bridge,

Chorus, Coda

The song was written in A major and her voice ranges from Ff3 to E5

Adele's "Someone Like You“ 04:44

Lyrics

Listening Guide: “Rolling in the Deep”

SetupIntro, Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Bridge,

Coda

The song was written in C minor and her voice spans from Db3 to D5

Adele's "Rolling in the Deep“ 03:48

Lyrics

Works Cited*Lyrics downloaded from https://lyrics.com NOTE- After listening to the songs a million times, some of the lyrics on the website are incorrect1. Biography of Adele, www.adelefans.info/adele-biography2. People Magazine 20 February 2012 P.94 by Joey Bartolomeo3. Biography of Adele, www.mtv.com/music/artist/adele/artist.jhtml#biographyEnd4. Album notes for 21, Columbia Records/XL Recordings 20115. Billboard . New York: Prometheus Media www.billboard.com/#/column/chart/adele6. 60 Minutes Interview of Adele by Anderson Cooper, February 12th 2012 on NBC7. Rolling Stone Magazine October 4th 2011 www.rollingstonemagazine.com8. “The Village Voice” http://www.villagevoice.com/search/results/#keyword:adele/type:all/

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