I’ve been a fan of Adele from the beginning. A slightly overweight English girl with a penchant for smoking, a mouth full of ready swear words and a cackle of a laugh, Adele had me at 19. But it wasn’t until the world shaking smash hit of 21, funnelled of course by everyone’s favourite sad song, Someone Like You, that the rest of world seemed to sit up and take notice too.
My favourite Adele song isn’t however any of the big singles. It’s the quiet, confident, almost sensual Lovesong. Simply named, powered by quiet guitar and soft percussion, Lovesong is not a song that shouts. Nor is it a song that whispers, rather, its power lies in its stark truth and purity. It’s a song of immense confidence, of unflagging reassurance, that says trust me not because I’m the best or brightest, but because what I say is, and will remain. “I will always love you.” are lyrics to be found in almost every poem or love song worth mentioning- no surprise that it forms part of the refrain of Adele’s Lovesong. The reason of course is the same reason humans keep anything alive- because it speaks to a part of us that is universal and immortal- a desire to find in another being a tireless, fathomless comfort. A place where, regardless of words said or actions taken, regardless of our inevitable flaws and failures as humans, we can find peace, acceptance and warmth.
I love this song because it is utterly without guile. It is vulnerable and slightly broken. It’s a song of moonlight and heads lying together on a pillow, of truths told in the fragile bubble of honesty lovers create in the dark. The song begins and ends without Adele’s magnificent voice- a repetitive guitar refrain to start, which serves as the building block for the entire melody and the mournful wail of a cello ushering in the silence. The tale Adele tells in Lovesong seems almost to be an afterthought- her voice is singing things we already know, telling us a story without suspense. There is an endless beauty in the simplicity of this song, and a familiarity to it that means it is easily overlooked by many, but those are precisely the qualities that make Lovesong my very favourite Adele song in the world.
*written by Mia