Do you realise that if you put the time stamps in the description part of the video (instead of the comments section) the timestamps appear within the video timeline? 👍
I would love to see you do an analysis of the song Peace by Taylor Swift. She did that song in one take in the studio and from what I can tell I don’t think she uses auto tune, at least in that song. I know she uses it in other songs. If not that Peace just any song I’d love to see a Taylor song!
What's funny to me is that as a guitar player we sometimes talk about 1/4 step bends as brilliant techniques to add tension or feeling to notes that we play, but when a vocalist is a 1/4 step off many will say "she missed her pitch". Did she really miss, or does that "unnamed note" add tension or a longing for what what gets resolved? Just because it doesn't hit one of the 12 tones we have decided to call a note doesn't mean it shouldn't exist or that there's a lack of technique. She's actually delivering a master class on the topic...
@@stevetragg I see what you're saying, but I've heard some groaning, longish held off pitch bends that are just amazing. I also think context is important. It's hard to articulate what I'm trying to say, but there is a pretty well done pitch corrected version of Whitney's I will always love you. Listen to it back to back with the original and tell me the corrected version is better... I dare you...lol. I suppose some don't look at music as much as an art to convey emotion but more as a technical pursuit... that's just not me.
@@hawkgeoff nor me. I found Adam Neely's video on the thirds being played around with by different singers really interesting. But this, to me, for my ears as a singing teacher is singing out of key. If you have examples of guitar bends being screeched out and susained out of tune I'd be curious ;)
What she does is the way “real” music is made. No vocal correction. No fake attempts to be perfect, just raw emotion and a great take. When I worked in studios in the 70’s, we would often go with the take that was the most emotional and not necessarily the most perfect. This song is amazing and that’s the reason that her songs touch people to the core.
@@thediminished98 Interesting take, but I personally don't think that Adele is lazy. If you listen to any song pre-autotune, you will hear all kinds of vocal imperfections.
Hearing Adele reminds me of how starved we are for quality music and performances. So much of it is mass produced and formulaic. There is so much nuance and sophistication in this song, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this moved by a song. Total respect to Adele for choosing quality over quantity in her output.
Thank you once again for the work you out in to educating us. I’m 61 years old, and can’t sing or play any instruments, but I love music. I love the way you teach. Thank you.
So much respect for Adele recording her voice without pitch correction. She must have known people would analyze it and point out she was off-key in bits. But she trusted her voice and felt, like so many of us do, that such "imperfections" make it REAL. Again, tons of respect for her courage.
That is not courage. Absence of technique (we already knew). Karen Carpenter had no pitch correction on her voice... And above all, a passage can be easily and quickly recorded one more time aiming at more accuracy.
@@fredelin2580 Yes it is. She knows pitch, and likely knows when she misses. But she wraps it up anyway because she is looking at the bigger picture. That takes courage.
What's funny to me is that as a guitar player we sometimes talk about 1/4 step bends as brilliant techniques to add tension or feeling to notes that we play, but when a vocalist is a 1/4 step off many will say "she missed her pitch". Did she really miss, or does that "unnamed note" add tension or a longing for what what gets resolved? Just because it doesn't hit one of the 12 tones we have decided to call a note doesn't mean it shouldn't exist or that there's a lack of technique. She's actually delivering a master class on the topic...
I'd say Beth Hart is. Adele sings the same way in all of her songs. ruclips.net/video/pwhDEZANzrA/видео.html ruclips.net/video/uF2b0dQKcEk/видео.html ruclips.net/video/teV-s1D3XOo/видео.html ruclips.net/video/NJ7OCWPw8cs/видео.html ruclips.net/video/qmQuo3sKla4/видео.html ruclips.net/video/HkFY4lqKI5g/видео.html
After her vocal cord surgery, she learned how to sing better, so she wouldn't create nodules on her cords or hemorrhage again. You can really hear that easy technique in this recording. Well done, Adele!
She's got a hell of a beautiful and soulful voice, and with that vocal fry. I, musically, don't know how to describe in English the things she does with it, but she's got what we call here in Spain a "broken voice" (voz rota) -- this expression is meant to be a compliment. It's those little raw and raspy dips higher or lower than the rest of the phrase she's singing. It deepens the emotions a lot -the "broken voice" style I'm referring to. And she's someone talented and brave enough not to use autotune, a technology I really hate. I want a real voice, real emotions and talent. Good analysis!
Some of that is overtone singing, which is being able to vocalize 2 or more notes at the same time (made famous by Tuvan throat singers). Pretty cool talent to have.
@@vorthora got me curious about Freddie and found that he can create subharmonics, which are like overtones but lower in frequency instead of higher than the fundamental.
@@covers_girl Exactly. He was said to use not only his vocal cords, but also, inadvertently, his ventricular folds, subconscously, like Tuvan throat singers from Siberia. He was never trained in any type of singing, yet, by using these, he created subharmonics. RUclips look up throat singers. They don't use normal vocal cords. They push out air by means of their diaphragm
Fil: This is one of your best videos this year! Please continue to analyze (and teach) us all of the facets of modern pop and rock music by featuring popular (past and present) singers. You #ROCK!
Adele has said herself that she goes off pitch quite often. She laughs it off, saying she gets away with it because it's emotion. I love her - just the way she is.
That's why I love Adele, she's a real singer, no auto-tuning for her, the producer could have fixed the vocal, but it packs more of an emotional wallop leaving the vocal as is.
Great stuff, Fil. Note also that on the "easys", the first downward note in each sequence is consistently (and no doubt deliberately) quite sharp. The result is far superior to doing it perfectly in tune. It contributes to the slight sense of tension, that she releases when she backs right off the upturn on "baby". It is just so, so good.
This is the best description of auto tune that I've heard and exactly why it often can disconnect the listener from the song. Great information. Also, the first time I heard the song, I expected the song to end with strings, brass, and a huge choir!! Boy, was I wrong. The song seems so simple in its production (although it's probably not). Certainly, there's no 'wall of sound'!!! The song focuses on her voice, which is where it should be. It'll be interesting to see the impact this production has on future songs.
I have zero problem with her not hitting the note. It’s real and it’s true and suits the song. She sings about making mistakes and it’s perfect with the imperfection. Too much of the music today is auto tuned and so over produced. This piece is so powerful and beautiful. A true artist.
Amazing analysis, Fil. Whether you like the song or not, lets hope Adele encourages a new trend of less autotune and people playing real instruments. Bring back soul and harmonic and melodic complexity.
Love that Fil said Adele has had many influences. She is open. Readily acknowledges that she was influenced by Etta James and...the Spice Girlz. Amazes me, though, that she is bubbly, and out of her mind funny in conversation, and with some songs, sad. Love to see young kids do her music, sing along from the car seat, as soon as the music starts......hysterical. Maybe that's what Fil is talking about..human understanding that just clicks... like Fil himself.
@@nyobunknown6983 - Joni Mitchell does that for me, still, too. This song though, I love it and memories keep coming up from the 60s hit "Stay With Me Baby". Us teenagers adored that one so it's a nice point of reference for me.
At 18:02, you are right on when you say: "The connection is more important than the pitch ..." And it is just so damned refreshing to hear someone actually sing so beautifully and feel connected to the emotion of what she's saying.
I had not decided whether or not I liked this new song but after listening to your in-depth analysis, Fil, I can appreciate her voice and choices. Thanks for another brilliant video!
For those who don't know, every track in Adele's new album, including this one, is actually a demo recording. She just did one take for each song and that's it... crazy huh...only Ms Adkins would do it this way and that's why we ALL love her tremendously! 💖💖💖
I didn't know this. Single take, and it sounds great and is playing on pop radio! That right there is talent+dedication+stone-cold confidence. You couldn't do that without all three.
Whoa, Fil - surprised you did an analysis on a song that was JUST released (way to go!)! Loved the auto tune demo, as well as your comments on the overall production. One can only hope that preserving the emotion of vocals without the use of auto tune will influence others to follow suit when this song starts winning awards - because it WILL win awards. Enjoyed this analysis!
I have watched probably a dozen music video reactors try to analyze this song. You went more in-depth than any of them yet explained it all so much better! Great reaction! Thank you so much!!
I enjoyed this breakdown. Adele has been on my radar since Chasing Pavements. I love her voice. It's unique in a time where everybody sounds the same (thanks auto tune).
Great video! Pretty much everything you said is why she is one of my favourite artists. Also, fun fact (that I feel like *everyone* should know): Adele never redoes her vocals on any of her songs. The vocal tracks that you hear on the final album are always the original demos because (according to Adele) "demos have a charisma and an urgency that get lost if you rerecord them". She says “I never redo my vocals. Never. Never ever.” (She's talked about this in multiple interviews, most recently in her Vogue article). I admire this SO much, and it explains why people connect so deeply to her songs, because you can literally FEEL what she's singing about; all the raw emotion is packed in there. Nothing is ever overproduced. She is one of the realest artists we have today, and I love that she never puts out anything artificial.
Adele is a once in a lifetime singer. I’m mostly into metal, but I absolutely love to hear Adele sing. I just appreciate rare music on another level, like Tool, for example. Just like Adele does with her voice, Tool taps into something beyond “normal”, with their arrangements, and overall sound. It’s mesmerizing. There are 4-5 songs on Fear Inoculum that are truly other worldly. Great video, my friend.
Fabulous song! Lyrically and musically. INCREDIBLE control. Such a powerful emotional REAL vocal! No Auto Tune. Simply pure TALENT! Brilliant spot on analysis Fil! Thanks! 🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦
I, for one, as a singer DETEST auto tune. I'm a great believer that imperfection can create perfection when it comes to art, after all we're singing to humans not computers ;)
Two masterclasses on display here. A masterclass of a writing and vocal ability by Adele to connect with people on a deeply emotional level and a masterclass of analysis by you Fil. You have a wonderful ability to explain complex musical construction, at an accessible level, to us mere mortals . Thank you.
That was a great video. I watched a Rick Baeto video and he raised many of the points you did. It’s a stunning song. I loved Hello because I can relate to what she’s talking about. With this, I don’t have kids and have never been divorced but her voice just does something to you. She’s something else.
I just spent 28:43 of my night, not sleeping, listening to you explain a little bit about Adele. That's quite a long time actually. But you do this so well that I almost feel cheated when you wrap it up so early. I totally dig your insight to all that you talk about, and Adele is one of my all time favorite artists.
I'm not a fan of her musical style, but holy cow can she sing. When it's just you and the piano it's hard to hide. Great performance and great review as always Fil.
Adele can sing OK for a pop star, but there are many lesser known singers that sing better than her. The closest singer to her is Beth Hart who has been doing Adele style songs since Adele was a child. ruclips.net/video/r1y6CQcrUoU/видео.html Unlike Adele, she can go off in a complete different direction: ruclips.net/video/teV-s1D3XOo/видео.html
@@orlock20 Beth Hart to Adele??? Missing the point completely. Beth is a rock/blues singer.....Adele is mellow pop balladeer singing soppy songs....Beth is a beast....no way is she gonna sing soppy pop songs....apples and oranges! Adele is monster for her genre if you like songs you can sob to that is. Beth will make you angry and beat up the person next to you......not Adele....she wants you to hug the person next to you. Both are giants emotionally but for different reasons....again APPLES and ORANGES!
I wonder how Adele would react to your detailed analysis of what she's doing. I suspect most of it comes naturally to her, she does it intuitively, so she might be surprised to hear what she's doing when you describe it the clever way you do.
Before I watched this video, I thought you were going to savage Adele. I'm glad you didn't. Just yesterday I saw a review video of this song and thought, what a dull song. The reviewer was blown away by easy, but I wasn't. I came into your review expecting you to point out her many faults. But no. I got goosebumps throughout the song. It's very good and Adele deserves all the accolades she's getting. And your review made this song click me. Good job mate! Shout-out from Chicago!
All of this analyzing of her pitch vs autotune reminds me of an interview with Ginger Baker of Cream regarding a drum part someone had questioned him on. The guy asked something like, "I notice that in the second refrain, you hit the snare on the dotted-eighth instead of the eighth note, which I thought was brilliant! What was your thinking behind it?", and Ginger responded with something like, "Well, there was absolutely no thought behind it whatsoever. It wasn't brilliant, it was a fucking mistake! It was 1967! We didn't do triple track overdubs and slather on a vat of pigshit because we didn't have it!"
I love your smile when you start to listen. I actually just started to listen to Adele while Oprah interviewed her. What was striking to me was her cry. Thank you so much for your informative take on the sound and the song.
I've come to your channel because of Rick Beato. You both do great jobs in explaining songs. Rick is American, you are British, me is German, but both of you speaks very understandable English. BTW: I really like your smile -- keep on rockin'!
I know many people will point out the imperfections throughout the song. For me those are not imperfections. I call it music. This song is a heartfelt gem. Sadly it's a rare thing in pop music these days to hear something so minimal and beautiful. I don't know not anyone else felt the power upon first listen. The impact for me was so profound, it felt kind of baptismal in nature. Thanks so much Fil for what I believe is one of your greatest assessments of an artist. Listen to someone like Miles Davis. The music wasn't "perfect", it was real and that's what I felt after listening to this great song.😀👍
A voice that defines what music is, lyrics that have meaning and soulfulness, a piano, bass, well a kick drum that is real to the the song, a whole mountain top above everyone else. Adele is at a whole other level, a generational superstar.
She used to write all her song on an acoustic and have them transposed to piano, there's video on here of her playing Someone Like You on guitar and it's really good.
She has co writers. It's probably a similar process to how MSG wrote their songs. Singer gets to write most/all the lyrics, the other writers get to figure out the instruments, or add onto the ones the singer was playing originally. Respect to Adele for singing something that holds up in the modern pop charts *without* using pitch correction. Also, kudos to Greg Kurstin if he played the piano in real time and didn't sample/quantize it. Again, so much pop uses all 3 these days. The music elitist stereotype of having this committee of writers selling off fully finished pop songs to the highest bidder? That's probably more the exception than the rule now. Adele? Nope, obviously. Justin Bieber? Definitely not every time. Halsey? No. Billie Eyelash? Nope. Bruno Mars? Hell no! Swift, and especially Sheeran, *have* been involved in that kind of indirect pop manufacture, at least once or twice. Just ask Britni Hoover, Little Big Town and Kenny Chesny🤣.
I think this song is just so brilliant because it reminds us what music is about, what it’s for…it’s not just a performance, it’s not just to get in the charts and make money. It’s a conversation between hearts and minds, an expression of emotion that comes through the breath, it’s very intimate, to sing, and I feel that’s why people feel very naked when they’re singing. It’s storytelling, and so often that’s forgotten. Especially now, with so much in music and media that’s all about image and all that other rot that just gets in between us and an artists heart. So many people selling their music don’t seem connected to anything deep…to anything real. Adele has heart, that’s a gift, knowing how to convey it and being brave enough to as well. Thank you Fil❤️
You so obviously LOVE her voice that your smile beams. It’s great to see someone in the industry reflecting the same joy the public feels when hearing Adele belt out a great tune.
Great analysis Fil. I think another perfect example of this would be Frank Sinatra. My wife always used to think he was out of tune a lot and I tried to explain to her that it's his phrasing of notes that made him so great. Same for Adele. This song is absolutely amazing.
Great job as usual Fil....I love your channel brother!....As a singer & musician myself, I have always felt that the mark of a GREAT singer isn't just their voice, but also their ability to make you feel what they are feeling through their voice.... not only does Adele have an incredible voice but she is an amazing singer also.. In the first 10 seconds of her singing, I had tears welling up.... that's what every singer, that truly loves music in their soul, is hoping to accomplish....at least in my opinion... continued success, from Texas Fil..
@@TokyoShemp As was explained on this channel: Perfect Pitch is something else: perfect pitch is the ability A. RECOGNIZE notes by simply hearing them, and B: singing them directly ON pitch. However as Wings of Pegasus explained, there ARE people who have perfect pitch in the first sense, but that NOBODY, even top-singers like Pavaroti, can sing EXACTLY ON the line of the pitch, and certainly not all of the time. See also: ruclips.net/video/s7aDN3oujXI/видео.html&start_radio=1&rv=s7aDN3oujXI&t=760 ruclips.net/video/OBk7BnIA12c/видео.html
@@k.vn.k As was demonstrated on this channel: the records of Dimash are pitch corrected (which does NOT imply that Dimash has no perfect pitch: as demonstrated, even people with perfect pitch will not always hit all notes perfectly. See: ruclips.net/video/s7aDN3oujXI/видео.html&start_radio=1&rv=s7aDN3oujXI&t=760 ruclips.net/video/OBk7BnIA12c/видео.html
I mostly steer clear of pop music because it sounds so fake and processed but THIS, the first time I heard it instantly loved the song. Usually a song has to grow on you but not this, instant hit in my book. No need to understand the mechanics to feel emotion. Great stuff, i wish more mainstream music was like this and recorded with such integrity.
Thank you for this fantastic music lesson. I’ve been wrong when thinking what auto tune is. When I heard Adele hit that high part towards the end it sounds like added reverb. Sounds like an echo effect. I don’t know if you’ve heard of or reacted to Angelina Jordan. She just released a cover of this song with Republic Records and just a key board. At 15 years old she’s got thousands of us older folks crying our eyes out with so many of her covers an 5 originals. No auto tune with her. She won Norway’s Got Talent at 8 years old singing Summertime. Please react to this song by her. I know thousands of her fans will watch. I just liked and subscribed thanks from Alaska
Thank you for this analysis...as a singer, I appreciate your explanation of "out-of-tune", as opposed to the over-used auto-tuned vocals in so much of today's music. I would keep listening even if your comments went on for days about subjects like this. I always learn something, and oftentimes, you concur about things I already know/feel with regard to music. 🧡
Thanks for your input on this performance. You are on the same page as Rick Beato, and it shows how much you both understand the finer elements of production and performance. I'm sure Adele will appreciate both or your reviews of this record.
Give me a human singing with heart and emotion and conviction over the autotuned drek that poses as music and music production these days .There is a reason she touches people ,she has a wise producer and recording engineer .....she set a record for down loads and if she was selling vinyl would likely go triple diamond .....it is the humanity that kicks this digital age in the nuts ...
Phil, this is one of the best discussions I know of what makes a singer’s voice personal, expressive, able to move a listener’s emotions and leave a lingering sense of admiration and wonder. It has often struck me, reading criticism of popular kinds of music, that the voice, felt by nearly everyone to be a central part of a song’s effect, is rarely given the sort of granular attention freely meted out to (say) guitar tone. Two extremes are common. At one of them, voices are described as ‘beautiful’, ‘lyrical’, ‘gravelly’, ‘agile’ etc. This is good as a starting point but unsatisfying. Kelly Jones has a rasp in his voice. So does Rod Stewart, but of course they don’t sound the same even when singing the same song. At the other extreme you (much more rarely) find analysis of timbre, pitch, dynamic range and so on. But such discussions are often arid. What you offer here is both very precise (especially the bit about the ‘cry’ in Adele’s voice) and yet governed throughout by your sensitivity to the feeling in the song. You talk about it (I think) as musician, aware that when discussing any one thing, lots of others are at play. I wonder a lot about the exact nature of the songwriting process with megastar singers. There are teams involved often, long before the producer gets to work. But you bring out what each singer has which is all their own: their ability to express emotion through sung words. I know this is hard to do and wanted you to know it’s much appreciated by me and the many others who’ve praised you in the comments. One final thing. In some songs (Dylan’s for instance or those of the Manic Street Preachers) the words are directing emotion very powerfully. In other songs, maybe like this one of Adele’s, they release emotion, but in themselves seem fairly sparse. I don’t know if it’s ok to mention that I’ve discussed the question of how lyrics matter in a video of my own: ruclips.net/video/NLxOtO6jTyw/видео.html But regardless of that, thank you hugely for yours.
I love Adele. You say she speaks the language of music, Well put. Her music is real, with raw emotions, that why we all love her, I think. Thank you for this video. :)
I gravitate more to classic rock music, but your remark about the crying aspect in her voice is spot on. This song makes me feel sad, and I have not even listened to the end 😥😥😥 Thanks, Fil, for the great song review.
Great analysis, Fil. It’s odd how so many people say they’re not fans of her musical style but then go on to say that they really appreciate her musicianship. Kind of like a love-hate relationship that some people have with top athletes. I have been hearing snippets of this song all week and even yesterday someone at our work was humming it, but today with you was the first time I listened to properly and had the emotional connection. The words and the cry - you’re feeling what she’s singing and that’s no mean feat. Not a major fan either, but I recognise her talent. I feel that her Grammy performance of George Michael’s Fastlove is one of the best performances I have ever seen or heard.
@@amygreen9662 For a large part of that song, she’s carrying the tune on her voice alone - talk about perfect pitch. It’s also an excellent arrangement and when she gets to ‘the bam’ as you say, and belts out “I miss my baby,” it’s liking hearing the cry and heartbreak of someone who’s just lost a loved one. I can’t find a live version anymore, but when I saw it then, quite a few people in the audience were in tears at the end.
I'm not looking for perfection, just real, genuine music you can feel deep down in your gut, and Adele's new song is beautiful. If you don't feel anything after listening to this, something is missing. I've always admired singer/songwriters. Thanks for your analysis Fil. You are equally adept at analyzing vocalists, I enjoyed your take here! 👍🤘
I don't feel anything when hearing Adele's music. I usually find it too self-indulgent and depressing. This song is the first of hers I've genuinely enjoyed listening to, because it's a great tune and her voice is beautiful here, but not because of the lyrics.
Love her voice, so strong and powerful, there are only a few Female singers I love, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Jennifer Nettles and Adele, and boy can she sing, believe me in what I tell you, I never even heard of her before up until now and right away, she's another female singer I think I'm gonna love, hearing more of her voice sends chills up my spine. Thank you Fil for choosing this awesome singer, I appreciate it very much, God bless my friend, catch you on your next video.
This isn't the right place, but have you had a chance to watch "Beste Zangers", especially 2019 & 2021? There you can hear singers sparring with each other and having great fun.
Thank you for your analysis!! And, also the graphics, they helped quite a bit. I also liked watching your face, listening to this song. It is so good, you can't stop your face responding. Great reaction- thanks- SDK
As Rick Beato says that's what makes this song great! It's natural vocals NOT autotuned!! That's what II like about it- and let's face it, perfect pitch all the time is hard to achieve. Show a little emotion and that's what Adele does here. Most of the music we consider "classics" e.g. Eagles, Led Zeppelin etc. did not use autotune and they sounded good. You have explained it really well Fil.
I love music but unfortunately for me i am no musician so a great deal of YOUR knowledge goes over my head!. But i love your channel, to understand "how" music works/impacts us is so enthralling, ( my 1st love and teaching was /is in English Lit) but there is a commonality-it is always about emotion and communication. I love your work-you teach me so much-I just wish I knew more. All good "Teachers" ( in English Lit its the same) communicate knowledge through their passion-which is exactly what you do-thankyou so much. ( By the way I am 64- I hope being 64year old Music fan doesn't ruin your street cred! Thankyou so much!
Can you imagine the impressionists having their work put through the graphic equivalent of autotune. It seems to me that autotune is a device for people who cannot sing. Adele just starts at the beginning of the song, and sings. A genuine talent.
Thank you for pointing out all those things. I didn't knew anything about Adele until about a week ago. I read somewhere that she had won god knows how many grammies. Heard a pair of her songs and didn't quite get it. But you opened my ears - there is really a lot to find there!
As you suggested, I listened to Adele's video before your great and thorough analysis. I especially appreciated the way you explained the pros and cons of using Autotune when a singer sings out of tune, or otherwise not pitch perfect--that it's all about the journey. As always, thanks for of what I've learned as a musician and teaching me new things. Thanks for all you do, Fil!
I’ve seen her in concert 4 years ago and I’ll be going again when she comes back. This song as is most of her music, is SO good. I just love her voice, period! I’ve had this on repeat since the day it dropped. Great analysis.
Fil, so glad I found your channel. You are a beast. I've learned more about music and music theory from you and Rick Beato in the past 6 months than in my entire life. I have especially enjoyed hearing your analysis of some of my favorite female vocalists like Karen Carpenter and here with Adele. Listening to Adele is pure joy, even when her music brings you to tears. I find myself smiling when I listen to her more than anything, and to watch you side by side as the song is playing, I see you smiling in exactly the same way. Adele just seems to bring that kind of response out of people who appreciate the voice as an instrument, even if they don't have the talent or the gift of understanding to be able to articulate just why that is, as you so eloquently and elegantly do. Thanks for that, and thanks for your engaging personality and humble demeanor.
Exceptional analysis and you hit the nail right on the head when you mentioned vocal gymnastics. So many singers overdo it and to the point of it sounding like they are screaming and trying too hard (Jennifer Hudson). Adele always shows restraint in her singing and doesn't feel the need to show off....her music is emotionally impactful and she uses her vocals to channel that so perfectly.
I don't listen to Adele often, but when I do I am impressed. She is smoking with her pipes. Doesn't this song qualify as word painting (that might not be the technical term) where the music in the song match the lyrics? She talks about making mistakes and to go easy on her for being herself (human). The "out of pitch" singing is part of the meaning of the song. BTW there is a video of Adele who shows up for an Adele sing-alike contest. It's really pretty funny and worth the watch. Especially since everyone realizes that the frumpy funny lady is really Adele when she starts singing.
Beautiful analysis and Adele herself has mentioned that she wrote this song for her young son. So, it's a mom trying to explain to her young son what happened and why she and his daddy are no longer together. Adele and his daddy are divorced now, but what a wonderful song and lyric for her son and ex-husband. I would think so many divorced parents can relate to what she's saying here in this song. It's like she's asking her son, their child, to please forgive her, try to understand and go easy on her for the mistakes she had made. I don't have children that would have experienced the breakup of their parents but what a place to come from to write a song for your child in this case, basically asking for forgiveness for the hurt caused to the child, as the parents could no longer make their relationship, and staying together as a couple work. Such a powerful song and lyric. And it's sung with her emotions, thankfully, minus any autotune.
Excellent breakdown Fil of this fabulous composition by the one-and-only Adele. That's a great point you make about the "perfect" versus the "imperfect" when it comes to music. She hits the heart full center. Love it !
You are absolutely brilliant at explaining and teaching us about all facets of music, voice, etc. I cannot thank you enough for this video on Adele (and so many other great talents). I had the privilege of attending one of Adele's concerts and she was amazing.
Hey, Fil, what a remarkably astute and heartfelt analysis. I would not count myself as a die-hard Adele fan, but I have found myself captivated by this latest release of hers. I an not a musician, but many of the points you made resonated with me very strongly. In addition, I would also observe that this song represents a new level of maturity in her writing, in that it embraces her own fallibility, and begs a degree of compassion and forgiveness for her own mistakes and shortcomings. The imperfections you identify in her vocal performance encapsulate her humanity, and it is those imperfections that make this a beautiful and humane work of art, that anyone who has ever screwed up, or had an emotional failure, can identify with. The absence of autotune, or grandiloquent effects in the instrumentation and production, demonstrate an acceptance of her own limitations, and responsibility for causing pain to others. It shows self-awareness, maturity and nobility that far outstrips the neurotic obsession with 'perfection' that is encapsulated by the widespread use of autotune elsewhere in contemporary pop. Your analysis is completely in accord with that of another superb chronicler of rock and pop, Rick Beato. You two should do a jam together sometime!
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
TIME STAMPS -
1:19 Intro/Verse
1:48 Question/Answer
6:31 Chorus
7:02 Adele's Cry
9:44 Real Singing (Chorus Continued)
17:00 Singing 'Out of Tune' not 'Pitch Perfect'
18:39 Pitch Analysis
19:31 No Autotune = Expression
20:09 Real Voice/Autotune Comparison
22:25 Imperfection = Perfection (for humans!)
25:12 Lower Range
26:18 Adele's Influences
Autotune draws the soul off the music.
Do you realise that if you put the time stamps in the description part of the video (instead of the comments section) the timestamps appear within the video timeline? 👍
@@IbadassI Was wondering how that was done..thanks mate! 🍻
@@jeffrey.a.hanson you're welcome dude!
I would love to see you do an analysis of the song Peace by Taylor Swift. She did that song in one take in the studio and from what I can tell I don’t think she uses auto tune, at least in that song. I know she uses it in other songs. If not that Peace just any song I’d love to see a Taylor song!
What's funny to me is that as a guitar player we sometimes talk about 1/4 step bends as brilliant techniques to add tension or feeling to notes that we play, but when a vocalist is a 1/4 step off many will say "she missed her pitch". Did she really miss, or does that "unnamed note" add tension or a longing for what what gets resolved? Just because it doesn't hit one of the 12 tones we have decided to call a note doesn't mean it shouldn't exist or that there's a lack of technique. She's actually delivering a master class on the topic...
True. It's the imperfections that make it so human. Ironically, it's what makes it perfect
Amen 💖
Because when you do it on guitar you don't hold it for several seconds as a focal point of your run.
@@stevetragg I see what you're saying, but I've heard some groaning, longish held off pitch bends that are just amazing. I also think context is important. It's hard to articulate what I'm trying to say, but there is a pretty well done pitch corrected version of Whitney's I will always love you. Listen to it back to back with the original and tell me the corrected version is better... I dare you...lol. I suppose some don't look at music as much as an art to convey emotion but more as a technical pursuit... that's just not me.
@@hawkgeoff nor me. I found Adam Neely's video on the thirds being played around with by different singers really interesting. But this, to me, for my ears as a singing teacher is singing out of key. If you have examples of guitar bends being screeched out and susained out of tune I'd be curious ;)
What she does is the way “real” music is made. No vocal correction. No fake attempts to be perfect, just raw emotion and a great take. When I worked in studios in the 70’s, we would often go with the take that was the most emotional and not necessarily the most perfect. This song is amazing and that’s the reason that her songs touch people to the core.
Toataly agree
There is a diference between real and lazy just because you can,
@@thediminished98 Interesting take, but I personally don't think that Adele is lazy. If you listen to any song pre-autotune, you will hear all kinds of vocal imperfections.
@@mtmyers55 I don't think that's what @The Diminished was saying, MT - I think he was saying (that) lazy is using auto just because you can.
@@mckendrick4046 If that is what he was saying, then please accept my apologies. I misunderstood and I completely agree with him.
Hearing Adele reminds me of how starved we are for quality music and performances. So much of it is mass produced and formulaic. There is so much nuance and sophistication in this song, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this moved by a song. Total respect to Adele for choosing quality over quantity in her output.
👏
I concur. 👊🏼 Music, like this keeps us grounded in real talent, in music.
Adele, seems to be, the kind of person, Lady, you could share an ale with.
They had to dumb music down to make it ' diverse'
Hell yes.
Amen!
Adele singing out of tune is better than everyone else singing perfectly, I’m good with it. I love her natural approach to recording.
Except that everyone else do not actually sing perfectly. Auto tune kills emotion and realism
Thank you once again for the work you out in to educating us. I’m 61 years old, and can’t sing or play any instruments, but I love music. I love the way you teach. Thank you.
Same here!
I absolutely LOVE the way you smile while listening to the performances you enjoy. You just can't help it! The joy is real 👍🏼👍🏼
Absolutely! I love the joy he gets listening to good musicians.
yes this, it is incredibly charming and kind of pure.
1st thing i loved about this station-wouldn’t have stayed to learn about music if it hadn’t been for Fil’s beautiful, sincere smile!
He smiles a lot when listening to music because he has a passion for it.
So much respect for Adele recording her voice without pitch correction. She must have known people would analyze it and point out she was off-key in bits. But she trusted her voice and felt, like so many of us do, that such "imperfections" make it REAL. Again, tons of respect for her courage.
That is not courage. Absence of technique (we already knew). Karen Carpenter had no pitch correction on her voice... And above all, a passage can be easily and quickly recorded one more time aiming at more accuracy.
@@fredelin2580 Yes it is. She knows pitch, and likely knows when she misses. But she wraps it up anyway because she is looking at the bigger picture. That takes courage.
What's funny to me is that as a guitar player we sometimes talk about 1/4 step bends as brilliant techniques to add tension or feeling to notes that we play, but when a vocalist is a 1/4 step off many will say "she missed her pitch". Did she really miss, or does that "unnamed note" add tension or a longing for what what gets resolved? Just because it doesn't hit one of the 12 tones we have decided to call a note doesn't mean it shouldn't exist or that there's a lack of technique. She's actually delivering a master class on the topic...
@@hawkgeoff yup.
I bet she just doesn’t care what other people think which is awesome! 👌
Adele is a MASTERCLASS of singing with emotion. But Phil my gosh, you put on a masterclass yourself! Excellent explanation. Cheers.
I'd say Beth Hart is. Adele sings the same way in all of her songs.
ruclips.net/video/pwhDEZANzrA/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/uF2b0dQKcEk/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/teV-s1D3XOo/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/NJ7OCWPw8cs/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/qmQuo3sKla4/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/HkFY4lqKI5g/видео.html
@@orlock20 I agree - there is no 'guts' or 'feel' with Adele - an 'ordinary' trend!
Very much agree with this. Excellent, informative analysis.
Please listen to Angelina Jordan's
Versjon!!!!
@@palnorstad993 Just checked it out and it was beyond amazing!
After her vocal cord surgery, she learned how to sing better, so she wouldn't create nodules on her cords or hemorrhage again. You can really hear that easy technique in this recording. Well done, Adele!
She's got a hell of a beautiful and soulful voice, and with that vocal fry. I, musically, don't know how to describe in English the things she does with it, but she's got what we call here in Spain a "broken voice" (voz rota) -- this expression is meant to be a compliment. It's those little raw and raspy dips higher or lower than the rest of the phrase she's singing. It deepens the emotions a lot -the "broken voice" style I'm referring to. And she's someone talented and brave enough not to use autotune, a technology I really hate. I want a real voice, real emotions and talent. Good analysis!
I agree and I do not like autotune either. It's ruined many a performance.
Some of that is overtone singing, which is being able to vocalize 2 or more notes at the same time (made famous by Tuvan throat singers). Pretty cool talent to have.
@@covers_girl yup, like Freddie Mercury. But I think she also sings in the breaks between head and chest voice (checked that out yesterday)
@@vorthora got me curious about Freddie and found that he can create subharmonics, which are like overtones but lower in frequency instead of higher than the fundamental.
@@covers_girl Exactly. He was said to use not only his vocal cords, but also, inadvertently, his ventricular folds, subconscously, like Tuvan throat singers from Siberia. He was never trained in any type of singing, yet, by using these, he created subharmonics. RUclips look up throat singers. They don't use normal vocal cords. They push out air by means of their diaphragm
Fil: This is one of your best videos this year! Please continue to analyze (and teach) us all of the facets of modern pop and rock music by featuring popular (past and present) singers. You #ROCK!
Absolutely beautiful….none of that fake auto tune.
Adele has said herself that she goes off pitch quite often. She laughs it off, saying she gets away with it because it's emotion. I love her - just the way she is.
That's why I love Adele, she's a real singer, no auto-tuning for her, the producer could have fixed the vocal, but it packs more of an emotional wallop leaving the vocal as is.
Great stuff, Fil. Note also that on the "easys", the first downward note in each sequence is consistently (and no doubt deliberately) quite sharp. The result is far superior to doing it perfectly in tune. It contributes to the slight sense of tension, that she releases when she backs right off the upturn on "baby". It is just so, so good.
I love this comment. It takes more talent to purposefully be all over the place and land perfectly on the note than to just hold it for a long time.
This is the best description of auto tune that I've heard and exactly why it often can disconnect the listener from the song. Great information. Also, the first time I heard the song, I expected the song to end with strings, brass, and a huge choir!! Boy, was I wrong. The song seems so simple in its production (although it's probably not). Certainly, there's no 'wall of sound'!!! The song focuses on her voice, which is where it should be. It'll be interesting to see the impact this production has on future songs.
I have zero problem with her not hitting the note. It’s real and it’s true and suits the song. She sings about making mistakes and it’s perfect with the imperfection. Too much of the music today is auto tuned and so over produced. This piece is so powerful and beautiful. A true artist.
Amazing analysis, Fil. Whether you like the song or not, lets hope Adele encourages a new trend of less autotune and people playing real instruments. Bring back soul and harmonic and melodic complexity.
I couldn't agree more! I also HATE autotune. Imperfections really do count! So, a thumbs up for your important and timely comment!!!👍😀
Could not agree more.
well she won't encourage people to actually sing in key, that's for sure...
@@stevetragg she sure gets a lot of praise
@@leahflower9924 yeah...
Love that Fil said Adele has had many influences. She is open. Readily acknowledges that she was influenced by Etta James and...the Spice Girlz.
Amazes me, though, that she is bubbly, and out of her mind funny in conversation, and with some songs, sad.
Love to see young kids do her music, sing along from the car seat, as soon as the music starts......hysterical.
Maybe that's what Fil is talking about..human understanding that just clicks...
like Fil himself.
Like her or not, Adele's talent is heads above the current herd of "performers" out there. Another great analysis, Fil.
And she does it all without doing a choreographed dance and five other dancers behind her doing the same dance moves!
Lady GaGa isn't far behind talent wise.
@@nyobunknown6983 - Joni Mitchell does that for me, still, too. This song though, I love it and memories keep coming up from the 60s hit "Stay With Me Baby". Us teenagers adored that one so it's a nice point of reference for me.
@@MrMmcdaid9 I came of age in the 60s but the song "Stay With Me Baby" doesn't ring a bell. Who was the artist?
A duet with Freddie Mercury would have been interesting . Your thoughts x
At 18:02, you are right on when you say: "The connection is more important than the pitch ..." And it is just so damned refreshing to hear someone actually sing so beautifully and feel connected to the emotion of what she's saying.
I had not decided whether or not I liked this new song but after listening to your in-depth analysis, Fil, I can appreciate her voice and choices. Thanks for another brilliant video!
For those who don't know, every track in Adele's new album, including this one, is actually a demo recording. She just did one take for each song and that's it... crazy huh...only Ms Adkins would do it this way and that's why we ALL love her tremendously! 💖💖💖
I didn't know this. Single take, and it sounds great and is playing on pop radio! That right there is talent+dedication+stone-cold confidence. You couldn't do that without all three.
@@deltab9768 Amen 💖
Reminds me of Karen Carpenter then. She was One Take Karen. Her voice was amazing!
Jamie Cullum performed and recorded his albums one song after another. Another great artist as well 🎨
& she's a soul singer, babeeeee
Whoa, Fil - surprised you did an analysis on a song that was JUST released (way to go!)! Loved the auto tune demo, as well as your comments on the overall production. One can only hope that preserving the emotion of vocals without the use of auto tune will influence others to follow suit when this song starts winning awards - because it WILL win awards. Enjoyed this analysis!
I have watched probably a dozen music video reactors try to analyze this song. You went more in-depth than any of them yet explained it all so much better! Great reaction! Thank you so much!!
Thanks!
I enjoyed this breakdown. Adele has been on my radar since Chasing Pavements. I love her voice. It's unique in a time where everybody sounds the same (thanks auto tune).
Great video! Pretty much everything you said is why she is one of my favourite artists. Also, fun fact (that I feel like *everyone* should know): Adele never redoes her vocals on any of her songs. The vocal tracks that you hear on the final album are always the original demos because (according to Adele) "demos have a charisma and an urgency that get lost if you rerecord them". She says “I never redo my vocals. Never. Never ever.” (She's talked about this in multiple interviews, most recently in her Vogue article).
I admire this SO much, and it explains why people connect so deeply to her songs, because you can literally FEEL what she's singing about; all the raw emotion is packed in there. Nothing is ever overproduced. She is one of the realest artists we have today, and I love that she never puts out anything artificial.
No wonder her voice is so shit in all i ask n when we were young..
Lol.
I hv seen many utube cover way better than her..
Love adele, but that's a fact
Nothing is over produced? Her last album was swamped with it.
Like the way a sketch can convey more emotion and bring you into the moment of creation than a slowly worked-on painting
Adele is a once in a lifetime singer. I’m mostly into metal, but I absolutely love to hear Adele sing. I just appreciate rare music on another level, like Tool, for example. Just like Adele does with her voice, Tool taps into something beyond “normal”, with their arrangements, and overall sound. It’s mesmerizing. There are 4-5 songs on Fear Inoculum that are truly other worldly. Great video, my friend.
Fabulous song! Lyrically and musically. INCREDIBLE control. Such a powerful emotional REAL vocal! No Auto Tune. Simply pure TALENT! Brilliant spot on analysis Fil! Thanks! 🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦
I, for one, as a singer DETEST auto tune. I'm a great believer that imperfection can create perfection when it comes to art, after all we're singing to humans not computers ;)
Love your channel! I learn so much!
Two masterclasses on display here. A masterclass of a writing and vocal ability by Adele to connect with people on a deeply emotional level and a masterclass of analysis by you Fil. You have a wonderful ability to explain complex musical construction, at an accessible level, to us mere mortals . Thank you.
That was a great video. I watched a Rick Baeto video and he raised many of the points you did.
It’s a stunning song. I loved Hello because I can relate to what she’s talking about. With this, I don’t have kids and have never been divorced but her voice just does something to you. She’s something else.
I just spent 28:43 of my night, not sleeping, listening to you explain a little bit about Adele. That's quite a long time actually. But you do this so well that I almost feel cheated when you wrap it up so early. I totally dig your insight to all that you talk about, and Adele is one of my all time favorite artists.
I'm not a fan of her musical style, but holy cow can she sing. When it's just you and the piano it's hard to hide. Great performance and great review as always Fil.
Adele can sing OK for a pop star, but there are many lesser known singers that sing better than her. The closest singer to her is Beth Hart who has been doing Adele style songs since Adele was a child.
ruclips.net/video/r1y6CQcrUoU/видео.html
Unlike Adele, she can go off in a complete different direction:
ruclips.net/video/teV-s1D3XOo/видео.html
@@orlock20 Beth Hart to Adele??? Missing the point completely. Beth is a rock/blues singer.....Adele is mellow pop balladeer singing soppy songs....Beth is a beast....no way is she gonna sing soppy pop songs....apples and oranges! Adele is monster for her genre if you like songs you can sob to that is. Beth will make you angry and beat up the person next to you......not Adele....she wants you to hug the person next to you. Both are giants emotionally but for different reasons....again APPLES and ORANGES!
@@orlock20 Beth Hart is a genuine talent. She is magical on stage
@@orlock20 ha ha
@@orlock20 pfffft...
I wonder how Adele would react to your detailed analysis of what she's doing. I suspect most of it comes naturally to her, she does it intuitively, so she might be surprised to hear what she's doing when you describe it the clever way you do.
Before I watched this video, I thought you were going to savage Adele. I'm glad you didn't. Just yesterday I saw a review video of this song and thought, what a dull song. The reviewer was blown away by easy, but I wasn't. I came into your review expecting you to point out her many faults. But no. I got goosebumps throughout the song. It's very good and Adele deserves all the accolades she's getting. And your review made this song click me. Good job mate! Shout-out from Chicago!
Fil’s only savage on the guitar. Haha
Thanks Barry, and Carla lol!
@@wingsofpegasus when do you sleep? It's midnight in Chicago and you replied 05:30 UK time, so - are you a vampire?
@@barryrahn5957 Quietest time to do the recording...
All of this analyzing of her pitch vs autotune reminds me of an interview with Ginger Baker of Cream regarding a drum part someone had questioned him on. The guy asked something like, "I notice that in the second refrain, you hit the snare on the dotted-eighth instead of the eighth note, which I thought was brilliant! What was your thinking behind it?", and Ginger responded with something like, "Well, there was absolutely no thought behind it whatsoever. It wasn't brilliant, it was a fucking mistake! It was 1967! We didn't do triple track overdubs and slather on a vat of pigshit because we didn't have it!"
You bring something so unique and valuable to RUclips. Your videos are an invitation to listen deeper - a wonderful gift to all of us. Thank you!
I love your smile when you start to listen. I actually just started to listen to Adele while Oprah interviewed her. What was striking to me was her cry. Thank you so much for your informative take on the sound and the song.
I just come here to see Fil smile, and his eyes brighten! 😊❤
I could watch him all day long! 💋
🌲Washington State🌲
Real voice and not autotuned! She is amazing.
@The Progressive Boomer you're a very naughty troll 😜
I've come to your channel because of Rick Beato. You both do great jobs in explaining songs. Rick is American, you are British, me is German, but both of you speaks very understandable English. BTW: I really like your smile -- keep on rockin'!
Agreed, Fil is a natural teacher.
Adele is one of the best female vocalists of all time. That's no exaggeration, her voice is magical.
I know many people will point out the imperfections throughout the song. For me those are not imperfections. I call it music. This song is a heartfelt gem. Sadly it's a rare thing in pop music these days to hear something so minimal and beautiful. I don't know not anyone else felt the power upon first listen. The impact for me was so profound, it felt kind of baptismal in nature. Thanks so much Fil for what I believe is one of your greatest assessments of an artist. Listen to someone like Miles Davis. The music wasn't "perfect", it was real and that's what I felt after listening to this great song.😀👍
She has a one-in-a-generation voice. Her ability to convey emotion is remarkable.
Great analysis again, Fil 👍
A voice that defines what music is, lyrics that have meaning and soulfulness, a piano, bass, well a kick drum that is real to the the song, a whole mountain top above everyone else. Adele is at a whole other level, a generational superstar.
Fil, I don't know what is more impressive: Adele's voice or the pure joy one can see in your smile while you're listening to her singing.
Same!
Your smile, Fil, says so much about your respect and appreciation for true musical artists . You make us appreciate you and them. Thank you.
Her ability to sing and compose with a piano as the only major instrument sets her apart from all the other wanna bees that require gimmicks.
She used to write all her song on an acoustic and have them transposed to piano, there's video on here of her playing Someone Like You on guitar and it's really good.
There are hundreds that do that well!
She can play guitar for sure.
She has co writers. It's probably a similar process to how MSG wrote their songs. Singer gets to write most/all the lyrics, the other writers get to figure out the instruments, or add onto the ones the singer was playing originally. Respect to Adele for singing something that holds up in the modern pop charts *without* using pitch correction. Also, kudos to Greg Kurstin if he played the piano in real time and didn't sample/quantize it. Again, so much pop uses all 3 these days.
The music elitist stereotype of having this committee of writers selling off fully finished pop songs to the highest bidder? That's probably more the exception than the rule now. Adele? Nope, obviously. Justin Bieber? Definitely not every time. Halsey? No. Billie Eyelash? Nope. Bruno Mars? Hell no!
Swift, and especially Sheeran, *have* been involved in that kind of indirect pop manufacture, at least once or twice. Just ask Britni Hoover, Little Big Town and Kenny Chesny🤣.
I stand corrected - apparently she composes on guitar.
I think this song is just so brilliant because it reminds us what music is about, what it’s for…it’s not just a performance, it’s not just to get in the charts and make money. It’s a conversation between hearts and minds, an expression of emotion that comes through the breath, it’s very intimate, to sing, and I feel that’s why people feel very naked when they’re singing. It’s storytelling, and so often that’s forgotten. Especially now, with so much in music and media that’s all about image and all that other rot that just gets in between us and an artists heart. So many people selling their music don’t seem connected to anything deep…to anything real. Adele has heart, that’s a gift, knowing how to convey it and being brave enough to as well.
Thank you Fil❤️
You so obviously LOVE her voice that your smile beams. It’s great to see someone in the industry reflecting the same joy the public feels when hearing Adele belt out a great tune.
Great analysis Fil. I think another perfect example of this would be Frank Sinatra. My wife always used to think he was out of tune a lot and I tried to explain to her that it's his phrasing of notes that made him so great. Same for Adele. This song is absolutely amazing.
Great job as usual Fil....I love your channel brother!....As a singer & musician myself, I have always felt that the mark of a GREAT singer isn't just their voice, but also their ability to make you feel what they are feeling through their voice.... not only does Adele have an incredible voice but she is an amazing singer also.. In the first 10 seconds of her singing, I had tears welling up.... that's what every singer, that truly loves music in their soul, is hoping to accomplish....at least in my opinion... continued success, from Texas Fil..
Fact: everyone sings "out of tune" without autotune. That is life.
There's something called perfect pitch, genius.
I respectfully disagree. Example: John Farnham
Some singer do have perfect pitch. Listen to Dimash Kudaibergen.
@@TokyoShemp As was explained on this channel: Perfect Pitch is something else: perfect pitch is the ability A. RECOGNIZE notes by simply hearing them, and B: singing them directly ON pitch. However as Wings of Pegasus explained, there ARE people who have perfect pitch in the first sense, but that NOBODY, even top-singers like Pavaroti, can sing EXACTLY ON the line of the pitch, and certainly not all of the time. See also:
ruclips.net/video/s7aDN3oujXI/видео.html&start_radio=1&rv=s7aDN3oujXI&t=760
ruclips.net/video/OBk7BnIA12c/видео.html
@@k.vn.k As was demonstrated on this channel: the records of Dimash are pitch corrected (which does NOT imply that Dimash has no perfect pitch: as demonstrated, even people with perfect pitch will not always hit all notes perfectly. See:
ruclips.net/video/s7aDN3oujXI/видео.html&start_radio=1&rv=s7aDN3oujXI&t=760
ruclips.net/video/OBk7BnIA12c/видео.html
I mostly steer clear of pop music because it sounds so fake and processed but THIS, the first time I heard it instantly loved the song. Usually a song has to grow on you but not this, instant hit in my book. No need to understand the mechanics to feel emotion. Great stuff, i wish more mainstream music was like this and recorded with such integrity.
Thank you for this fantastic music lesson. I’ve been wrong when thinking what auto tune is. When I heard Adele hit that high part towards the end it sounds like added reverb. Sounds like an echo effect.
I don’t know if you’ve heard of or reacted to Angelina Jordan. She just released a cover of this song with Republic Records and just a key board. At 15 years old she’s got thousands of us older folks crying our eyes out with so many of her covers an 5 originals. No auto tune with her. She won Norway’s Got Talent at 8 years old singing Summertime.
Please react to this song by her. I know thousands of her fans will watch. I just liked and subscribed thanks from Alaska
Thank you for this analysis...as a singer, I appreciate your explanation of "out-of-tune", as opposed to the over-used auto-tuned vocals in so much of today's music. I would keep listening even if your comments went on for days about subjects like this. I always learn something, and oftentimes, you concur about things I already know/feel with regard to music. 🧡
Thanks for your input on this performance. You are on the same page as Rick Beato, and it shows how much you both understand the finer elements of production and performance. I'm sure Adele will appreciate both or your reviews of this record.
Gosh, yes. I loved watching Rick Beato analyze this. Could have been a "What Makes This Song Great" entry
i thought this was infinitely better than Beato's- Fil gave so much more depth to the why's
Agreed!
Thank you, Fil. I am glad I found your videos. So much knowledge, enthusiasm and respect, so much to learn, thank you.
Woo-hoo! Adele is back 😃 Beautiful song, beautiful singing voice, beautiful video.
Thank you, Fil 🖤🤘🏽
Give me a human singing with heart and emotion and conviction over the autotuned drek that poses as music and music production these days .There is a reason she touches people ,she has a wise producer and recording engineer .....she set a record for down loads and if she was selling vinyl would likely go triple diamond .....it is the humanity that kicks this digital age in the nuts ...
Phil, this is one of the best discussions I know of what makes a singer’s voice personal, expressive, able to move a listener’s emotions and leave a lingering sense of admiration and wonder. It has often struck me, reading criticism of popular kinds of music, that the voice, felt by nearly everyone to be a central part of a song’s effect, is rarely given the sort of granular attention freely meted out to (say) guitar tone. Two extremes are common. At one of them, voices are described as ‘beautiful’, ‘lyrical’, ‘gravelly’, ‘agile’ etc. This is good as a starting point but unsatisfying. Kelly Jones has a rasp in his voice. So does Rod Stewart, but of course they don’t sound the same even when singing the same song. At the other extreme you (much more rarely) find analysis of timbre, pitch, dynamic range and so on. But such discussions are often arid. What you offer here is both very precise (especially the bit about the ‘cry’ in Adele’s voice) and yet governed throughout by your sensitivity to the feeling in the song. You talk about it (I think) as musician, aware that when discussing any one thing, lots of others are at play. I wonder a lot about the exact nature of the songwriting process with megastar singers. There are teams involved often, long before the producer gets to work. But you bring out what each singer has which is all their own: their ability to express emotion through sung words. I know this is hard to do and wanted you to know it’s much appreciated by me and the many others who’ve praised you in the comments. One final thing. In some songs (Dylan’s for instance or those of the Manic Street Preachers) the words are directing emotion very powerfully. In other songs, maybe like this one of Adele’s, they release emotion, but in themselves seem fairly sparse. I don’t know if it’s ok to mention that I’ve discussed the question of how lyrics matter in a video of my own: ruclips.net/video/NLxOtO6jTyw/видео.html But regardless of that, thank you hugely for yours.
I love Adele. You say she speaks the language of music, Well put. Her music is real, with raw emotions, that why we all love her, I think.
Thank you for this video. :)
I gravitate more to classic rock music, but your remark about the crying aspect in her voice is spot on. This song makes me feel sad, and I have not even listened to the end 😥😥😥
Thanks, Fil, for the great song review.
Great analysis Fil. Love the piano and the voice with it, she is truly blessed. When you know you can sing🎙🎹🎸
Great analysis, Fil. It’s odd how so many people say they’re not fans of her musical style but then go on to say that they really appreciate her musicianship. Kind of like a love-hate relationship that some people have with top athletes. I have been hearing snippets of this song all week and even yesterday someone at our work was humming it, but today with you was the first time I listened to properly and had the emotional connection. The words and the cry - you’re feeling what she’s singing and that’s no mean feat. Not a major fan either, but I recognise her talent. I feel that her Grammy performance of George Michael’s Fastlove is one of the best performances I have ever seen or heard.
Yes! It was masterful. The slow build and then, bam! So great.
@@amygreen9662 For a large part of that song, she’s carrying the tune on her voice alone - talk about perfect pitch. It’s also an excellent arrangement and when she gets to ‘the bam’ as you say, and belts out “I miss my baby,” it’s liking hearing the cry and heartbreak of someone who’s just lost a loved one.
I can’t find a live version anymore, but when I saw it then, quite a few people in the audience were in tears at the end.
@@buggyboogle9 I just love her so much. I see why it takes so long between albums because she works on a song for months. So excited for the album!
Very informative, great analysis! I just love your videos.
I am absolutely enjoying Adele's new song. Beautiful voice. Causes you to feel deeply down to the soul.
I'm not looking for perfection, just real, genuine music you can feel deep down in your gut, and Adele's new song is beautiful. If you don't feel anything after listening to this, something is missing. I've always admired singer/songwriters. Thanks for your analysis Fil. You are equally adept at analyzing vocalists, I enjoyed your take here! 👍🤘
I don't feel anything when hearing Adele's music. I usually find it too self-indulgent and depressing. This song is the first of hers I've genuinely enjoyed listening to, because it's a great tune and her voice is beautiful here, but not because of the lyrics.
It's an ugly song that should make you feel uncomfortable.
Artistically it's great - but not beautiful.
@@miaschu8175 yeah
Love her voice, so strong and powerful, there are only a few Female singers I love, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Jennifer Nettles and Adele, and boy can she sing, believe me in what I tell you, I never even heard of her before up until now and right away, she's another female singer I think I'm gonna love, hearing more of her voice sends chills up my spine. Thank you Fil for choosing this awesome singer, I appreciate it very much, God bless my friend, catch you on your next video.
This isn't the right place, but have you had a chance to watch "Beste Zangers", especially 2019 & 2021?
There you can hear singers sparring with each other and having great fun.
You'd like Joan Osborne.
Thank you for your analysis!! And, also the graphics, they helped quite a bit. I also liked watching your face, listening to this song. It is so good, you can't stop your face responding. Great reaction- thanks- SDK
As Rick Beato says that's what makes this song great! It's natural vocals NOT autotuned!! That's what II like about it- and let's face it, perfect pitch all the time is hard to achieve. Show a little emotion and that's what Adele does here.
Most of the music we consider "classics" e.g. Eagles, Led Zeppelin etc. did not use autotune and they sounded good. You have explained it really well Fil.
I love music but unfortunately for me i am no musician so a great deal of YOUR knowledge goes over my head!. But i love your channel, to understand "how" music works/impacts us is so enthralling, ( my 1st love and teaching was /is in English Lit) but there is a commonality-it is always about emotion and communication. I love your work-you teach me so much-I just wish I knew more. All good "Teachers" ( in English Lit its the same) communicate knowledge through their passion-which is exactly what you do-thankyou so much. ( By the way I am 64- I hope being 64year old Music fan doesn't ruin your street cred! Thankyou so much!
Haha no problem!
I'm not an Adele fan but your analysis was so good. I always learn so much every time I watch your one of your analysis. Excellent as always.
Thanks!
Can you imagine the impressionists having their work put through the graphic equivalent of autotune. It seems to me that autotune is a device for people who cannot sing. Adele just starts at the beginning of the song, and sings. A genuine talent.
What a poignant song! It goes straight thru the ears right to the heart. Thanks for explaining just how she and her producers make it do that!
Check out Mary Spencer’s channel on YT, on the intimate songwriting process and where the soul of this song comes from. It’s fascinating...
@@CatsInHats-S.CrouchingTiger Thanks, Cats!
@@lynndow3185 - absolutely. Her vlogs are really nice into the dimensions of music and experiences. I hope Fil can look into her. She’s English.
FANTASTIC explanation of auto-tune. Much appreciated!
Just found your channel. Big fan already
Thank you Fil for your choice and awesome analysis. Much appreciated.
Thank you for pointing out all those things. I didn't knew anything about Adele until about a week ago. I read somewhere that she had won god knows how many grammies. Heard a pair of her songs and didn't quite get it. But you opened my ears - there is really a lot to find there!
Beautiful song. As always, phenomenal analysis Fil! Thoroughly enjoy your enthusiasm.
As you suggested, I listened to Adele's video before your great and thorough analysis. I especially appreciated the way you explained the pros and cons of using Autotune when a singer sings out of tune, or otherwise not pitch perfect--that it's all about the journey. As always, thanks for of what I've learned as a musician and teaching me new things. Thanks for all you do, Fil!
I’ve seen her in concert 4 years ago and I’ll be going again when she comes back. This song as is most of her music, is SO good. I just love her voice, period! I’ve had this on repeat since the day it dropped. Great analysis.
@@tygersflowerz I’m not sure what you would expect her to do on stage except sing, It’s not dance music. It’s not rock music. It’s easy listening.
@Dixene Lee I hope you forget the song that you don't enjoy instantly, no need to prolong the suffering.
@@lynndow3185 😎
@@tygersflowerz I remember when the Eagles were accused of just "loitering" around the stage. Still they came in droves to see them.
@Dixene Lee Oops, sorry. I should have typed "dirge". I stand corrected.
Absolutely loved it Sir !!
Learnt more than any RUclips video in past 5 years
Awesome analysis Fil! I love this song, and you really illuminated why it is great.
Fil, so glad I found your channel. You are a beast. I've learned more about music and music theory from you and Rick Beato in the past 6 months than in my entire life. I have especially enjoyed hearing your analysis of some of my favorite female vocalists like Karen Carpenter and here with Adele. Listening to Adele is pure joy, even when her music brings you to tears. I find myself smiling when I listen to her more than anything, and to watch you side by side as the song is playing, I see you smiling in exactly the same way. Adele just seems to bring that kind of response out of people who appreciate the voice as an instrument, even if they don't have the talent or the gift of understanding to be able to articulate just why that is, as you so eloquently and elegantly do. Thanks for that, and thanks for your engaging personality and humble demeanor.
Exceptional analysis and you hit the nail right on the head when you mentioned vocal gymnastics. So many singers overdo it and to the point of it sounding like they are screaming and trying too hard (Jennifer Hudson). Adele always shows restraint in her singing and doesn't feel the need to show off....her music is emotionally impactful and she uses her vocals to channel that so perfectly.
Excellent video as usual Fil....beautiful song...Adele does it again !
I don't listen to Adele often, but when I do I am impressed. She is smoking with her pipes.
Doesn't this song qualify as word painting (that might not be the technical term) where the music in the song match the lyrics? She talks about making mistakes and to go easy on her for being herself (human). The "out of pitch" singing is part of the meaning of the song.
BTW there is a video of Adele who shows up for an Adele sing-alike contest. It's really pretty funny and worth the watch. Especially since everyone realizes that the frumpy funny lady is really Adele when she starts singing.
Yeh I love watching the Adele tribute acts..
Another stellar review Fil! Your musical knowledge and ability to cut to the good stuff is so entertaining.
Beautiful analysis and Adele herself has mentioned that she wrote this song for her young son. So, it's a mom trying to explain to her young son what happened and why she and his daddy are no longer together. Adele and his daddy are divorced now, but what a wonderful song and lyric for her son and ex-husband. I would think so many divorced parents can relate to what she's saying here in this song. It's like she's asking her son, their child, to please forgive her, try to understand and go easy on her for the mistakes she had made. I don't have children that would have experienced the breakup of their parents but what a place to come from to write a song for your child in this case, basically asking for forgiveness for the hurt caused to the child, as the parents could no longer make their relationship, and staying together as a couple work. Such a powerful song and lyric. And it's sung with her emotions, thankfully, minus any autotune.
Excellent breakdown Fil of this fabulous composition by the one-and-only Adele. That's a great point you make about the "perfect" versus the "imperfect" when it comes to music. She hits the heart full center. Love it !
Brilliant breakdown. I learned a great deal and appreciate your videos. Adele proves “less is more”. Thanks much, Fil.
Thank you so much! Your way of sharing information about music is a treat!
Great analysis Fil... Thank you so much. 😊
You are absolutely brilliant at explaining and teaching us about all facets of music, voice, etc. I cannot thank you enough for this video on Adele (and so many other great talents). I had the privilege of attending one of Adele's concerts and she was amazing.
Hey, Fil, what a remarkably astute and heartfelt analysis. I would not count myself as a die-hard Adele fan, but I have found myself captivated by this latest release of hers. I an not a musician, but many of the points you made resonated with me very strongly. In addition, I would also observe that this song represents a new level of maturity in her writing, in that it embraces her own fallibility, and begs a degree of compassion and forgiveness for her own mistakes and shortcomings. The imperfections you identify in her vocal performance encapsulate her humanity, and it is those imperfections that make this a beautiful and humane work of art, that anyone who has ever screwed up, or had an emotional failure, can identify with. The absence of autotune, or grandiloquent effects in the instrumentation and production, demonstrate an acceptance of her own limitations, and responsibility for causing pain to others. It shows self-awareness, maturity and nobility that far outstrips the neurotic obsession with 'perfection' that is encapsulated by the widespread use of autotune elsewhere in contemporary pop.
Your analysis is completely in accord with that of another superb chronicler of rock and pop, Rick Beato. You two should do a jam together sometime!
Great analysis. It's great to see how this content brings you energy up.
Perfect analysis. Can you kindly consider reacting to Angelina Jordan, same song? She gives the song a bit of a soul & jazz spin
BTW, LOVE your channel . Glad I found it 😀😍👍🎼🎵🎶