Quote:
Originally posted by blackbeatxx
i´ve realised it for quite a while, but even more now recently, that Adele really is a masterful lyricist, her metaphoric lyrics (esp on her "break-up" albums) are amazing, RITD is underrated as a lyric imo.
Also how she makes her "love/lost love" songs more subtle in lyrics, and not the clicheed "i will Always love you, i´d do anything for you..." blabla kind of lyrics.
And several media outlets in Sweden who reviewed her albums Points this out too, but i´m usually not delving into the lyrics that much.
i kinda was inspired by Dylan´s nobel prize win to check this more  |
OMG YESS! She's an amazing lyricist, and I don't think many people realize that she isn't just a singer, but she's a talented songwriter: the best of both worlds! People focus a lot on her unique voice, which is fine to focus on that, but because of that they sometimes take her lyrics for granted. Not only is she capable of creating unique phrases (Chasing Pavements, Turning Tables, Set Fire To The Rain, and so much more) but she can make it into a complete story or feeling rather than just words thrown onto a song, and actually make
us feel it.
21 showed a true improvement from 19 lyrically, and I absolutely love it for that alone. She was finally able to hone her skills to write not only emotions, but actual narratives that convey those emotions. Rumour Has It, He Won't Go, Someone Like You are lyrically amazing because they have narratives that have a beginning, a middle, and an end. And they have subtlety to them. For example, HWG (honestly her best lyrics EVER!), the song inspired by her friend haunted by drug addiction: It starts with the partner of the drug addict doubting him and their relationship; "
I won't go," is repeated throughout the song, showing how she wants to keep the relationship alive but he is giving up on it because of drugs. But towards the end there is a narrative shift, and when the guy finally realizes that he needs help to overcome his addiction, the lyric changes to "
He won't go" and "
WE're willing to take the risk." And this finally shows that not only is he willing to work on his problems, but now both of them are in this together, instead of being one-sided as it was before.
See, her lyrics are so simple yet so ****ing profound. HWG is truly a work of art.
To be honest, one of the problems I have with 25 is the lack of depth in her lyrics, while 21 had a lot of depth in them. While the leap between 19 and 21 was huge lyrically, there wasn't much of a jump between 21 and 25. Which isn't to say that the songs on 25 are bad. In fact, WWWY and River Lea are among her best lyrics ever as well because they have depth in them. But then we also have really cliched lyrics like Remedy (I'm sorry Angelo, but your songs don't produce the best lyrics
I'm sorry!). And cliches aren't inherently bad, because Adele has shown to be able to work around cliches and weave them uniquely to make it much deeper than cliches and into her own story, like Hello, WWWY. But songs like Remedy don't add anything new to the table. Those songs lack depth and subtlety.
Good to know I'm not alone with this.
I think SD is a little different because it takes into account her own personal changes, rather than just 'I love you, I'd do anything for you', but obviously the overall feeling/message is stronger than the lyrics there. I think she could go deeper in that area, she has a bit in interviews, the question is if she would find it too personal.