Hello

"Hello" is a deeply emotional song that primarily explores themes of nostalgia, regret, and the difficulty of reconciliation. On its surface, it's a narrative about attempting to contact a former lover to apologize for past heartbreaks. However, Adele has clarified that the song's meaning is broader, extending beyond a single romantic relationship. It is a 'make-up record' aimed at reconnecting with all the important people from her past—friends, family, and ex-partners—with whom she has lost touch over time.

A significant metaphor in the song is the line, “Hello from the other side.” Adele explained this doesn't refer to the afterlife, but rather “the other side of becoming an adult, making it out alive from your late teens, early twenties.” It’s about looking back at her former self and past relationships from the perspective of a grown woman. Some interpretations also suggest the song is an internal dialogue, where Adele is trying to reconnect with her former, pre-fame self. The song captures the universal feeling of looking back on one's life, acknowledging the changes, and grappling with the guilt or sadness over lost connections and the person one used to be. The apology in the song is not just for breaking a heart, but for the distance created by time, fame, and personal growth.

The narrative begins with a direct and simple greeting, “Hello, it’s me,” establishing an immediate sense of intimacy and history. The speaker is reaching out to someone from her past after a significant amount of time has passed, wondering if they would be open to meeting and talking through everything that happened between them. There’s an acknowledgment of the common saying that time heals all wounds, but she confesses that for her, this hasn’t been the case; the healing has been minimal. The setting then shifts to a more introspective space, as she mentions being in “California dreaming about who we used to be.” This line evokes a sense of longing for a past self, a time when they were “younger and free.” She admits to having forgotten the feeling of life before the weight of the world, or perhaps their shared history, fell upon them. This introduces a core theme of the disconnect between the past and the present.

The chorus is a powerful and desperate cry, a metaphorical “hello from the other side.” This “other side” represents the emotional and temporal distance that now separates them. She emphasizes her repeated, failed attempts to connect, stating, “I must’ve called a thousand times.” Her goal in these calls was to apologize for everything she did wrong, for breaking their heart. However, her attempts are met with silence; it seems the other person is never “home” to receive her call, which can be interpreted both literally and as a metaphor for their emotional unavailability. She reiterates the call from “the outside,” reinforcing her feeling of being an outsider to this person's life now. Despite the lack of response, she finds some solace in the fact that she has at least tried to make amends. A poignant and somewhat bitter realization follows: her apology and heartbreak don’t seem to matter anymore, as her actions clearly don’t “tear you apart” any longer.

The song continues with another attempt at connection, a simple “Hello, how are you?” This is immediately followed by a moment of self-awareness where she acknowledges her tendency to make the conversation about herself, calling it “so typical of me.” She expresses hope that the other person is well. The final verse takes a turn, wondering if the person ever managed to leave the stagnant town where nothing ever happened. This line reveals a shared past in a place that perhaps felt limiting. It’s no secret, she concludes, that they are both “running out of time,” a statement that adds a sense of urgency and mortality to her quest for reconciliation. The recurring plea of “hello from the other side” and “from the outside” drives home the central conflict: a desperate need for closure and forgiveness in the face of what appears to be a permanently closed door, leaving her apologies to echo in a void.

"Hello" was written by Adele and American producer Greg Kurstin, who also handled the production and played most of the instruments, including piano, bass, guitar, and keyboards. The writing process was notably slow, taking about six months to complete. The initial work began in a writing room at Metropolis Studios in London. Adele and Kurstin started with the verse, but the song remained incomplete for half a year. Kurstin was unsure if Adele would ever return to finish it.

Adele was experiencing writer's block during the creation of her album, 25, and initially struggled to find her voice for the new record. She and Kurstin discussed wanting to create a song that was honest and real, drawing inspiration from storytellers like Tom Waits rather than following a standard pop formula. The song's very first lyrical idea was "Hello misery," but Kurstin found it too strange, leading to the change to the iconic opening "Hello, it's me." After the long pause, Adele contacted Kurstin again, and they finally crafted the powerful chorus that completed the song. "Hello" was officially released on October 23, 2015, as the lead single from 25, after being teased in a 30-second TV commercial during The X Factor in the UK, an event which caused a massive stir online.

"Hello" is composed in 4/4 time with a slow tempo of approximately 79 beats per minute. Its rhythmic structure is characteristic of a power ballad, starting sparsely and building in intensity. The verses feature a more speech-like, contemplative rhythm, allowing the lyrics to resonate. The chorus introduces a stronger, more deliberate pulse with the entry of drums, emphasizing the emotional weight of the lyrics.

The rhyme scheme in the verses is notable. For example, the first verse uses an AAAA scheme: "me" / "meet" / "everything" / "healing". While "everything" and "healing" are slant rhymes, they maintain a cohesive sound. This consistent rhyming enhances the song's lyrical flow and musicality. The chorus follows a more complex but effective pattern. For instance, in the first chorus, you see a rhyme between "side" and "times," and another between "done" and "home," with "tried" and "heart"/"apart" rhyming in the subsequent section. The interplay between the lyrical rhythm and the steady, melancholic musical rhythm is crucial in building the song's dramatic arc, from quiet reflection to a powerful emotional release.

Literary Techniques:
"Hello" employs several literary devices to convey its story and emotion. The song is structured as a direct address or an apostrophe, speaking to a person who is absent or unresponsive. The lyrics use a conversational and confessional narrative voice, making the listener feel like they are overhearing an intimate moment. Repetition is key, with the phrase "Hello from the other side/outside" acting as a powerful refrain that reinforces the themes of distance and longing. Adele also uses hyperbole in the line "I must have called a thousand times" to emphasize her desperation. The verses are narrative and observational, while the chorus shifts to a more raw and emotional tone, a classic songwriting technique.

Musical Techniques:
Musically, "Hello" is a quintessential piano ballad with soul influences. The arrangement is minimalistic in the verses, focusing on Adele's low, intimate vocal register and a repeating four-chord progression (Fm–A♭–E♭–D♭), which creates a sense of moody ambiguity between the keys of F minor and A♭ major. The song builds dynamically, creating a powerful crescendo into the chorus. Here, Adele's voice soars into a powerful, sustained belt, layered with backing vocals and drums to create what has been described as a "luscious wall of sound." The production uses techniques like low-pass filtering on the drums, which gives the beat energy without overwhelming the vocal performance, until the filter opens up in the final choruses for a dramatic lift. The vocal delivery is central, shifting from a hushed, speech-like quality in the verses to an anguished, cathartic cry in the chorus, showcasing her wide vocal range (F3 to A♭5).

"Hello" was a monumental global success that had a significant cultural impact upon its release. It topped the charts in a record-setting 36 countries. In the United States, it debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for ten consecutive weeks. It shattered digital sales records, becoming the first song to sell over a million digital copies in a single week in the US (1.11 million). The accompanying music video, directed by Xavier Dolan, broke the Vevo record for most views in 24 hours (27.7 million) and became the fastest video to reach one billion views on YouTube at the time (87 days).

The song received widespread critical acclaim and won numerous prestigious awards, including three Grammy Awards in 2017 for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance, as well as the Brit Award for British Single. Its popularity led to countless parodies, memes, and covers, cementing its place in the pop culture zeitgeist of the mid-2010s. The video's use of a flip phone also sparked a viral conversation and renewed interest in the outdated technology. "Hello" marked a triumphant return for Adele after a multi-year hiatus and reaffirmed her status as one of the most dominant and universally popular artists of her generation.

"Hello" is rich with symbolism and metaphors that deepen its emotional impact.

• The Phone Call: The entire song is structured around the metaphor of a one-sided phone call. This symbolizes a desperate attempt at communication and connection that is not being reciprocated. The line "when I call you never seem to be home" suggests emotional unavailability or a refusal to engage with the past.
• "The Other Side" / "The Outside": This recurring phrase is the song's central metaphor. Adele has stated it represents "the other side of becoming an adult." It symbolizes the profound distance between her present self and her past self, as well as the emotional gulf between her and the people she once knew. It's a place of reflection and nostalgia.
• "A Million Miles": The lyric "There's such a difference between us / And a million miles" is a hyperbole that functions as a metaphor for the vast emotional distance that has grown between the speaker and the subject, emphasizing how much they have changed and grown apart.
• "California dreaming about who we used to be": This line uses imagery to contrast a present reality (California, a place often associated with dreams and new beginnings) with a longing for the past. It highlights the theme of nostalgia and the act of looking back on a simpler, freer time.

The most significant recurring motif in "Hello" is the act of making a phone call, which frames the entire song as an attempt to bridge a communicative gap.

The central recurring lyrical phrase is the hook: "Hello from the other side", which is mirrored by "Hello from the outside." This refrain is the song's emotional core, repeated multiple times to hammer home the themes of distance, separation, and longing. Its repetition, combined with the soaring melody, makes it incredibly memorable and poignant. Each time it is sung, it reinforces the singer's isolation and her desperate, unanswered plea for connection.

The phrase "To tell you I'm sorry" also recurs, appearing in the chorus to underscore regret as a primary motivation for the song's narrative. It's repeated in the context of both "everything that I've done" and "for breaking your heart," highlighting a deep-seated need to atone for past mistakes. The repetition of these key phrases provides structural integrity and ensures the song's central message is powerfully and clearly communicated.