I Drink Wine

"I Drink Wine" is a profound exploration of self-reflection, accountability, and the arduous process of shedding one's ego in the aftermath of a life-altering event, namely Adele's divorce from Simon Konecki. The song delves into the difficult realizations about her marriage, her life, and her own identity. At its core, it's a journey from self-destruction to self-redemption. Adele uses the conversational and introspective lyrics to ask herself a series of tough questions about her anxieties, her need for external validation, and why she has become a version of herself she doesn't recognize.

The titular phrase, "I Drink Wine," serves as a powerful metaphor. While it literally references using alcohol to cope, it symbolizes a broader act of numbing the pain and avoiding the difficult truths of adulthood, a stark contrast to the innocent way she 'soaked up' the world as a child. However, the song's meaning is ironically juxtaposed with Adele's decision to stop drinking while writing the album, a choice she made to truly get to know herself. Therefore, the song is less about the act of drinking and more about the reasons one might be driven to it. It’s about confronting the messy, painful feelings that lead to escapism.

Ultimately, the song carries a message of hope and personal growth. The recurring chorus, "I hope I learn to get over myself, stop tryin' to be somebody else," is the central thesis. It's an admission that true, unconditional love for another person is only possible after one achieves self-acceptance and lets go of the ego-driven insecurities that poison relationships. The song concludes that healing requires taking accountability and realizing that some paths, no matter how much effort is invested, are best left behind for the sake of finding peace.

The narrative begins with a poignant reflection on the loss of childhood wonder. As a child, the world was a source of endless fascination, a place to absorb experiences with pure joy. Now, in adulthood, that innocent absorption has been replaced by the act of consuming wine, a symbol of coping with the complexities and disappointments of life. The song contrasts the societal expectation of balancing hard work with hard play against the personal feeling that no one ever seems genuinely satisfied. This observation fuels a sense of striving, a continuous climb that paradoxically leads to no greater wisdom or clarity for either the singer or her partner.

The central theme unfolds in a chorus of self-realization and a yearning for authentic connection. There is a deep desire to overcome personal ego and insecurities—to stop trying to be someone else. This internal transformation is presented as the key to achieving a pure, unconditional love, free from the transactional nature of the world. The singer acknowledges a fundamental difference in desires: while everyone else seems to want something tangible from her, her partner simply wants her.

The second verse plunges into a series of introspective questions, a raw outpouring of anxiety and self-doubt. The singer questions her obsession with things beyond her control and her compulsive need for approval from strangers. In the midst of this 'crazy' modern existence, she searches for something real and substantial to hold onto, a truth to ground her. This verse is a confession of her emotional turmoil, admitting to having cried 'high tides' for her partner, driven by a desperate want that she recognizes cannot be won through destructive means, likening it to fighting 'fire with fire'.

The bridge offers a moment of profound vulnerability and direct address. The singer confesses her capacity for emotional lows and acknowledges that her partner often bears the brunt of her struggles because he is all she has left. It's a raw admission of dependence and the toll it takes on a relationship. This moment of painful honesty pivots towards a hope for future peace. There's an acknowledgment that sometimes the most challenging path—the 'road less traveled'—is one that is best to abandon, suggesting that their journey together may have reached its end for the sake of mutual well-being.

The song concludes with a final, powerful repetition of the chorus, reinforcing the core message. The ultimate goal is self-acceptance as the foundation for true love. The emotional weight of the song is encapsulated in an outro featuring a recorded voice memo, a fragment of a real conversation. This snippet reveals a mind grappling with self-doubt, a lack of self-love, and an acute awareness of feeling 'dizzy' from the relentless pace of life, further grounding the song's lyrical themes in a stark, unvarnished reality.

"I Drink Wine" was co-written by Adele and its producer, Greg Kurstin, a trusted collaborator who had previously worked on her albums 25 and 30. The song was born out of a turbulent period in Adele's life following her 2019 divorce from Simon Konecki. It was inspired by conversations she recorded with her friends and her therapist, which helped her process her feelings and provided the creative spark to return to the studio. One particularly significant inspiration was a six-hour, emotionally honest conversation with her friend, TV host James Corden, in January 2020. During a drive home from a vacation, Corden opened up about his own struggles, which moved Adele deeply and influenced the song's first verse, which she considered some of her best writing.

Adele described the song as being reminiscent of '70s Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and initially wrote it for herself and a friend to address a time when she was taking things too personally. The creative process was extensive; Adele revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that the original version of the song was a sprawling 15 minutes long. Her record label advised her to shorten it, concerned that a track of that length would never receive radio play. The final album version clocks in at six minutes and sixteen seconds. The song features a voice memo at the end, a technique Adele used to ground the album in reality. This particular recording was made at the suggestion of a friend, capturing a moment of raw self-doubt.

The song was released on November 19, 2021, as the seventh track on her fourth studio album, 30. It was later serviced to Italian radio on November 4, 2022, as the album's third official single.

"I Drink Wine" is structured as a soulful, piano-led ballad with a deliberate and emotionally resonant rhythm. The song's tempo is slow, allowing Adele's voice and the lyrical content to be the central focus. The rhythm is carried primarily by the gospel-inflected piano and organ, which create a steady, almost processional feel, particularly as the song builds. This pacing contributes to the song's contemplative and cathartic atmosphere, giving weight to each emotional realization.

The lyrical rhythm is conversational and fluid, with Adele often stretching vowels and phrasing her lines in a way that feels spontaneous and heartfelt rather than strictly metrical. The rhyme scheme is not rigidly fixed but often follows patterns within verses, such as the AABB-like structure in the lines: "When I was a child every single thing could blow my mind / Soaking it all up for fun but now I only soak up wine / They say to play hard you work hard find balance in the sacrifice / Yet I don't know anybody who's truly satisfied." This use of perfect rhymes provides a sense of cohesion and musicality to her introspective thoughts. The interplay between the free-flowing vocal rhythm and the steady musical pulse creates a powerful tension that reflects the internal struggle described in the lyrics.

"I Drink Wine" employs a range of musical and literary techniques to convey its powerful message.

• Musical Style and Instrumentation: The song is a powerful ballad rooted in gospel and soul traditions. Critics noted its "churchy" feel, achieved through the prominent use of piano and organ, which gives the track a hymnal and confessional quality. The arrangement builds gradually, creating a dynamic emotional arc that mirrors the lyrical journey from introspection to catharsis. Influences from 1970s artists like Elton John, Carole King, and Tom Waits have been noted by critics.
• Vocal Delivery: Adele's vocal performance is a key stylistic element. She uses "soft, vowel-stretching cadences" that allow her to play with rhythm and rhyme. Her voice escalates from a gentle, conversational tone in the verses to powerful, belted notes in the chorus, conveying a spectrum of emotions from quiet contemplation to raw, defiant declaration. The hint of grit in her lower register adds a layer of raw vulnerability and emotional weight.
• Literary Techniques: The lyrics function as an internal monologue, utilizing direct and conversational language. A prominent technique is the use of rhetorical questions to drive the self-examination in the second verse ("Why am I obsessing about the things I can't control? / Why am I seeking approval from people I don't even know?"). This stylistic choice makes the listener a party to her deepest anxieties. The song also employs a strong narrative voice, telling a story of disillusionment and the search for authenticity.
• Structural Elements: The inclusion of a recorded voice memo at the end of the song is a significant stylistic choice. It breaks the fourth wall, moving from a polished musical performance to a raw, unedited glimpse into her emotional state, adding a layer of profound authenticity and vulnerability to the track.

"I Drink Wine" was immediately identified by critics and fans as a standout track from the album 30 and a career highlight for Adele. Rolling Stone magazine, for instance, called it one of the most ambitious and best songs of her career, later ranking it as her third-best song ever and the 10th-best song of 2021. The song achieved significant commercial success upon the album's release, charting within the top 10 in numerous countries, including the UK (peaking at number 4), Australia, Canada, and Ireland, and reaching number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Adele performed the song live at high-profile events, including her television specials Adele One Night Only in the US and An Audience with Adele in the UK. Her performance at the 2022 Brit Awards, where she sang in a glittering lime green gown against a gold curtain, was particularly acclaimed for its vocal perfection and emotional intensity.

The long-awaited music video, directed by Joe Talbot, was released in October 2022. It depicts Adele floating down a river in a glittery Valentino gown, drinking wine, and observing scenes of love and life around her. The video, described by Adele as "campy" and "hilarious," quickly garnered attention for its lavish visuals and symbolic imagery, sparking fan discussions about its deeper meanings related to self-acceptance and moving on.

"I Drink Wine" is rich with symbolism and metaphors that deepen its emotional impact.

• Wine as a Symbol: The central symbol is wine. On one level, it represents a coping mechanism, a way to numb pain and escape the overwhelming feelings of adulthood ("When I was a child... now I only soak up wine"). More broadly, it symbolizes all worldly pleasures and distractions—fame, money, possessions—that are chased in place of true, innocent joy but never fully satisfy. The act of drinking wine becomes a metaphor for living an inauthentic life to suppress the pain of not being true to oneself.
• The River Metaphor: In the music video, Adele floats down a river in an inner tube, symbolizing a journey where she has limited control over her destiny. This visual metaphor suggests a feeling of being carried along by life's currents, particularly in the wake of her divorce. The river can be seen as her 'complex river of thoughts,' a journey through her own consciousness to find clarity and acceptance.
• Climbing as Striving: The lyric, "You better believe I'm trying to keep climbing / But the higher we climb feels like we're both none the wiser," uses the metaphor of climbing to represent the effort put into the relationship and personal growth. However, the climb is futile, suggesting that their efforts to fix the marriage were not leading to enlightenment or happiness, but rather a shared confusion.
• Fighting Fire with Fire: The line "but you can't fight fire with fire" is a powerful metaphor for the destructive patterns within the relationship. It signifies the realization that responding to negativity with more negativity, or trying to solve problems with the same energy that created them, is ultimately a losing battle. It speaks to a need for a new approach—one of letting go rather than escalating conflict.

The most significant recurring phrase in the song is its title, "I Drink Wine." While only appearing once in the lyrics—"but now I only soak up wine"—its placement in the title makes it the central motif of the entire piece. It encapsulates the theme of adult disillusionment and the use of coping mechanisms to deal with a world that has lost its childhood magic.

The chorus contains the song's key lyrical motif, a plea for self-acceptance and authentic love: "So I hope I learn to get over myself / Stop trying to be somebody else / So we can love each other for free / Everybody wants something, you just want me." This passage is repeated with increasing emotional intensity, reinforcing it as the core message of the song. Each repetition feels like a stronger affirmation of this necessary personal transformation. One notable variation occurs where Adele sings, "Oh, I just wanna love you, love you for free," shifting the focus from a hope to a direct expression of desire.

Another recurring element is the use of direct, self-interrogating questions in the second verse: "Why am I obsessing...?" and "Why am I seeking...?" This pattern of questioning serves as a motif of anxiety and the search for self-awareness, highlighting the internal conflict that drives the narrative of the song.