It was the night of the 2011 BRIT Awards. Everyone expected a show. What they didn't expect was a girl in a black dress, standing alone with a piano, essentially having an emotional breakdown on live television.
When people search for Adele Someone Like You, they usually want to know who it’s about or why it makes them want to lie on the kitchen floor and cry. Honestly? It's because the song isn't just a "breakup track." It’s a funeral for a version of yourself that you thought was going to exist forever.
Adele Adkins was 21 when she wrote it. She was exhausted. She had spent months being "bitter" in songs like Rolling in the Deep and Rumour Has It. She'd been trashing her ex to anyone who would listen. But then, she found out he was engaged.
He moved on in months. She was still stuck.
That realization—that the person you thought you’d marry is giving "your" life to someone else—is the DNA of this song. It’s not just sad; it’s haunting.
The Mystery Man Behind the Lyrics
For years, fans have obsessed over the identity of the man who inspired 21. Adele has never officially named him. We know he was an older guy—about ten years her senior—and they were together for 18 months.
Basically, he was her first "adult" love.
She wrote the first verse on her acoustic guitar in her bedroom. Then she took it to Dan Wilson, the lead singer of Semisonic. They sat at a grand piano in a small studio and finished it in two days.
Wilson actually thought they were just making a demo. He didn't realize that the "ragged" vocal they recorded on the second day would become the version that sold over 17 million copies.
The lyrics are brutal in their simplicity.
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"I heard that your dreams came true / Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you."
That line right there? That’s the knife. It’s the admission that you weren't enough, or at least, you weren't the "right" kind of enough.
Why the Brit Awards Performance Changed Everything
Before the BRITS, Someone Like You wasn't even supposed to be a single. It was just the closing track of the album.
Then she sang it.
If you watch the footage, you can see her voice waver. She’s not "performing." She’s reliving. She later admitted she was terrified that her ex was watching at home, laughing because she was still "wrapped around his finger."
But the audience didn't laugh. They stood up.
Within hours, the song was #1 on iTunes. Sales of her albums 19 and 21 shot up by 800%. It was a "where were you" moment in British pop culture. It turned Adele from a successful singer into a global deity of heartbreak.
What People Get Wrong About the Meaning
A lot of people think the song is a "begging" song. They see the line "I beg, I remember you said" and think she’s trying to win him back.
But it’s actually the opposite.
Adele has said that writing this was her way of setting herself free. By the time she gets to the chorus—"Never mind, I'll find someone like you"—she’s trying to convince herself as much as him. It’s a brave face.
She knows she won't find someone "like him," because there isn't another him. That’s the tragedy of it. You’re promising the world you’ll move on while your heart is still parked in his driveway.
The Science of the "Crying" Song
There is actually a scientific reason why Adele Someone Like You makes people sob.
Psychologists have pointed to the "appoggiatura" in the melody. These are ornamental notes that clash slightly with the melody, creating a sense of tension. When the tension resolves, it triggers an emotional release in the brain.
Basically, the song is engineered to make you leak from the eyes.
The Music Video: A Lonely Walk in Paris
While the song feels like it should be set in a rainy London suburb, the video was shot in Paris.
Director Jake Nava filmed it in black and white. It’s just Adele walking along the Seine, over the Pont Alexandre III. No dancers. No plot. Just a woman in a heavy coat looking like she hasn't slept in three days.
The lack of color reflects the "monotone" feeling of grief. When you’re in that state, the world doesn't have a palette. It’s just grey.
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At the end of the video, a man walks away from her. He doesn't look back. It’s the finality that kills you.
How to Actually Move On (The Adele Way)
If you’re listening to this song on repeat because you’re in the thick of it, there are actually some "Adele-approved" ways to handle the fallout.
- Stop the "Bitchy" Phase Early: Adele admitted she was "exhausted" from being angry in Rolling in the Deep. Anger is a shield, but it’s heavy. Eventually, you have to let it go to heal.
- Write It Out: You don't need to be a Grammy winner. Just getting the "I heard you're settled down" thoughts out of your head and onto paper stops them from looping.
- Don't Show Up at the House: In the song, she shows up uninvited. In real life? Don't do that. It doesn't look like a movie; it looks like a restraining order.
- Acknowledge the "Beautiful Wife" Fear: It’s okay to be scared that they found something better. Adele was terrified of seeing him at 40 with a happy family. Naming the fear makes it less powerful.
The legacy of this track is that it gave us permission to be "not okay" with a breakup. It’s been covered by everyone from Ben Platt to Katy Perry, but nobody quite captures that specific, shaky breath at the end like Adele.
It reminds us that even if we haven't found "someone like you" yet, we survived the person who broke us.
To really process the weight of this era, go back and watch the 2011 BRITs performance without any distractions. Pay attention to the moment her voice cracks at the end. It’s a masterclass in vulnerability that hasn't been matched in pop music since.
Once you've done that, put the phone down and let yourself feel the silence. That’s where the healing actually starts.