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 Now, in adulthood, that innocent absorption has been replaced by the act of consuming wine, a symbol of coping with the complexities and disappointments of life.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 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 emotional landscape of "I Drink Wine" is complex and dynamic, charting a course from melancholy and confusion to a state of resolute hopefulness. The song opens with a tone of nostalgia and quiet disappointment, as Adele contrasts the vibrant curiosity of her youth with the cynical escapism of her adulthood. This introspective mood deepens into raw vulnerability and anxiety in the second verse, where she directly confronts her insecurities and emotional turmoil through a series of pained questions.

The chorus acts as the emotional anchor, shifting the tone towards a powerful yearning for self-improvement and authentic connection. It is both a confession of her own ego-driven faults and a hopeful prayer for a future where she can love freely. A significant emotional shift occurs in the bridge, where the tone becomes one of raw, painful honesty. She admits her partner bears the brunt of her struggles, creating a moment of intense, almost uncomfortable intimacy. However, this confession clears the way for the song's final emotional state: a cathartic and empowering resolution. The final, belted chorus doesn't feel like a sad plea but a triumphant declaration of intent, leaving the listener with a sense of hard-won peace and the hopeful possibility of redemption through self-acceptance.

"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 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.

What is the song 'I Drink Wine' by Adele about?

The song is a deep self-reflection on letting go of one's ego, dealing with the aftermath of her divorce, and the difficult realizations about her life and marriage. It's about learning to love herself in order to love others freely.

Was 'I Drink Wine' really supposed to be 15 minutes long?

Yes, Adele confirmed in an interview with Rolling Stone that the original version of 'I Drink Wine' was 15 minutes long. Her record label asked her to shorten it, concerned that radio stations wouldn't play a song of that length.

What inspired Adele to write 'I Drink Wine'?

The song was inspired by a period of intense personal change following her divorce. A key inspiration was an emotional, six-hour conversation she had with her friend James Corden about their respective life struggles, which formed the basis for the first verse.

What does the lyric 'now I only soak up wine' mean?

This lyric contrasts her current adult self with her childhood. As a child, she would 'soak up' everything with wonder and joy. Now, as an adult facing hardship, that innocent absorption has been replaced by 'soaking up wine' as a way to cope and numb her feelings.

Who wrote and produced 'I Drink Wine'?

Adele co-wrote the song with Greg Kurstin, who also produced the track. Kurstin is a frequent collaborator, having also worked with her on hits like 'Hello' and 'Easy on Me'.

What is the significance of the voice memo at the end of 'I Drink Wine'?

The voice memo is a real recording of Adele expressing her anxieties and feelings of self-doubt. It was included to add a layer of raw authenticity to the album, showing the real-life turmoil behind the polished song.

What do the gospel influences in 'I Drink Wine' represent?

The gospel elements, like the prominent piano and organ, give the song a 'churchy' or confessional feel. This musical style enhances the lyrical themes of testimony, self-reflection, and seeking a form of redemption or personal salvation.