Someone Like You

When you come across Someone Like You, the first thing that catches your attention is its nakedness. It is a song that stands on its own with just the voice and a piano, and that simplicity is precisely what makes it so powerful. The lyrics, written by Adele alongside Dan Wilson, are a direct account of the end of a relationship, about seeing the person who was your partner move on with someone else. Adele herself has shared that she composed this track to process the pain and feel better about herself, especially after writing other songs for the album 21 with a more vengeful tone. She described the writing process as a moment of great emotional exhaustion, feeling miserable and alone, which contrasts with the strength she projected in other tracks.

The recording of Someone Like You took place in 2010 at Harmony Studios in West Hollywood, CA. It was one of the last tracks added to the album 21, released in 2011. The production remained intentionally sparse, relying on Adele’s vocal performance and Dan Wilson’s piano playing. This minimalist approach was key to the song resonating worldwide. After its release as the second single from the album on January 24, 2011, in the United Kingdom and August 9, 2011, in the United States, Someone Like You became a global hit. It reached number one in nineteen countries and the top 10 in many other regions. Following a celebrated performance at the Brit Awards, it became Adele’s first number one in the United Kingdom, staying at the top for five weeks and becoming the best-selling single of the year there, as well as in Ireland and Italy. In the United States, it was her second number one, making history as the first British female artist to achieve two number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 from the same album. By July 2011, it was already the first single of the decade to earn 6× Platinum certification in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and also received Diamond certification in Canada. In 2012, the song was voted the third favorite number one single of the past 60 years in the United Kingdom. It also won the first Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 54th ceremony in 2012. By 2015, it ranked as the fourth best-selling single of the 21st century and the 36th in the history of the UK Singles Chart.