The Narrative of Adele's "Someone Like You" music video

Snapshot of Adele from her music video, "Someone Like You" via YouTube

THERE ARE SOME people who find refuge in expressing their feelings through music – and British singer-songwriter Adele is one of them. The crooner’s own songs mirror her painful experiences with love; in her lyrics, she is able to retell her story and all the emotions evoked – bitterness, sadness, and loneliness.

This is certainly the case in “Someone like You,” a four-minute music video which depicts a woman who goes to visit a former love (with hopes of reconciliation) only to be confronted by the fact that he has moved on and gets married. Though she is broken-hearted, she bravely claims to find someone else. But the ironic thing here is that she wants to find “someone like him,” indicating that she is not ready to let go.

In an interview with Q Magazine, a popular music magazine in UK, the 23-year-old singer confessed that the song is dedicated to the man she thought she would marry. “…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.”

The narrative starts with Adele, who acts as the main character, wandering in desolate streets of Paris in early hours of the morning, gazing in Seine River almost breaking into tears. Sardonically, Paris is popularly known as the City of Love and Lights.

In the first verse, she is seen walking down the roadway, without looking at the camera. Using medium close-up shots, her eyes are directed straight to her path, at times on the sides. But when the chorus comes in, she will look in the camera (facing the viewer), with a close-up shot. This effect shows the degree of emotion that she’s bursting out through these lines:

Never mind I’ll find someone like you

I wish nothing but the best for you, too

Don’t forget me, I begged, I remember you said

Sometimes its lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

It must be noted that the video is shot in black-and-white film adding to the sombre feel of the music especially to the haunted aura of the main character. The video also gets away with sophisticated camera tricks, sound and editing effects to give emphasis on Adele’s facial expressions particularly her fixed glances. The melody of music, Adele’s acting and appearance (clothing, hair style and make-up), and the video’s overall appeal particularly the setting complement each other.

At some point, the camera moves around the place (in circular motion) not only to give a wide-angle view of the scene but also to reflect the woozy and empty feeling of a broken-hearted.

At the end of the video, Adele is seen sitting in a coffee shop looking out the window at a man walking away. It is assumed that this is the scene when she went to see her ex-boyfriend and the man in the coffee shop makes her remember that painful moment. 

The melancholic feel of her other music videos such as “Rolling in the Deep” or “Set Fire to the Rain” make Adele not only a singer-songwriter but also an actress of her own story. She uses her music to relate and to give advice to those who share the same experience like her.

Tearjerker of a song

What made this song heartrending? A Wall Street Journal story revealed that musically, “it [Someone like You] is very much about small, unexpected changes in the melody. What they call “ornamental notes" appear all over the song, which create a kind of melancholy tension. Tearjerkers often move from soft to loud and contain some dramatic shifts at key moments - in "Someone Like You," this is when Adele's voice jumps an octave and becomes much louder in the chorus. Of course, none of this would help without heartfelt lyrics delivered with conviction.”

Adele truly knows how to pull and tag heartstrings with her soulful voice, and her reflective, lovelorn lyrics.

Quick facts:

•  Adele won her six trophies in the 54^th Grammy awards last February 12 for her album “21”.
• Her album “21”raplaced the late Whitney Houston’s “The Bodyguard” as the longest running no.1 album by a woman.
• Her album has sold 18 million copies worldwide since its release in February 2011.

(this article was submitted as a final requirement in my subject, "Popular Culture")