Music Analysis number one. Someone Like You, by Adele
I have chosen the song “Someone Like You” by Adele for my Musical Analysis. This song was released in 2011 and is the most streamed song of hers, according to ChartMasters, in 2022. "Someone Like You" was written by Adele and Dan Wilson and based on the end of her past relationship. This song is in the pop genre area, and her others maintain around the same area, including Jazz and Soul music. Adele's song was also written in the United States, and the song's music video was filmed in Paris. I chose this song because I think Adele has a beautiful voice; she’s able to sing with high-pitched notes, and I feel like this is a song most people have heard or even know word by word. The three elements I have selected are Tempo, Timbre, and Duration.
Tempo: I chose Tempo because this sets the "mood" for the song overall, as well as helps us listeners understand the speed of this song. According to the article "Song-BPM," this song's Tempo is 135bpm. I feel like this is a pretty high-tempo for only a pop song! That's one of the reasons I really enjoy her song "Someone Like You." This song also has somewhat of a slow tempo but not far from average.
Timbre: Next, I chose Timbre, which is basically the tone of a song. In her song, the sound quality sounds very clear to me. You are able to hear the piano playing in the beginning before she begins singing, and we can also recognize the key used (which is an A major key). One thing I really find nice is that she includes background singers but not throughout the whole song!
Duration: Lastly, Duration. Which means how long or short a certain part is in the music. This one is my favorite element because I hear how long she carries out/sings certain words, and it definitely adds to the piano and sets up this masterpiece. I also appreciate the total length she kept this song, four minutes and forty-five seconds; some songwriters tend to stick to around three minutes, and I feel like there could always be extra added (but I also just tend to like longer songs because it allows to really "feel" the song).
Below is a website that goes over the Chords and Melody in the song "Someone Like You", which I found incredibly helpful when going over the notes and specific keys played throughout the song!
One article I came across was "The Mixed Review". To summarize, this article was designed by Simon-Claudious and goes over Adele's highs and lows throughout the song. One thing that was mentioned that stuck out to me was the comment about Adele's breathing while singing certain parts. I thought this was kinda crazy, but I understand why this was said. The article agrees it allows listeners to hear the "raw" parts, but I think she hit all the notes right, and that small breath added to her pitch when singing. I really wanted to see what someone else thought about this song, to see if I was misunderstanding something, and to understand a different point of view.
I love your song choice! Adele is such an icon! She is known for her impressive vocals for a reason and your musical elements described how and why perfectly. I found it interesting that you mentioned how the song's tempo is fast for a pop song.
Hi Claire! This song is always on repeat in our house. My wife is a huge fan of her music and she always gets to pick the music. My personal favorite part of the song are the lyrics. She is a lyrical genius and is so good at story telling through music.
I love your song choice! Adele is such an icon! She is known for her impressive vocals for a reason and your musical elements described how and why perfectly. I found it interesting that you mentioned how the song's tempo is fast for a pop song.
ReplyDeleteHi Claire! This song is always on repeat in our house. My wife is a huge fan of her music and she always gets to pick the music. My personal favorite part of the song are the lyrics. She is a lyrical genius and is so good at story telling through music.
ReplyDelete