Send My Love (To Your New Lover)

"Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" is a song of liberation and mature closure following a breakup. Adele describes it as a "happy you're gone" song. It moves away from the raw heartbreak of her previous album, 21, and into a more empowered, reflective space. The central message is about forgiving a past lover, not for their sake, but for one's own freedom. The singer directly addresses an ex who made grand promises of an "everlasting love" but couldn't commit. The act of "sending love to his new lover" is layered; it is partly a genuine wish for him to be a better partner in the future, and partly a sassy, passive-aggressive kiss-off. The line "We both know we ain't kids no more" serves as a crucial anchor, signifying a conscious decision to handle the end of the relationship with adulthood and finality, leaving behind the 'ghosts' of their past. Ultimately, the song is about recognizing one's own strength, acknowledging a partner's weakness, and finding freedom in letting go.

The narrative begins with a clear placement of blame. The singer addresses a former lover, stating unequivocally that the relationship's failings were his, not hers. She recalls his grand promises, his declarations that she would be his "last love everlasting." He made these vows while being physically intimate, suggesting a disconnect between his words and his true level of commitment. It was he who claimed to be ready for a significant, permanent leap, a promise he ultimately couldn't keep.

Having laid this foundation, the singer declares her decision to move on. She is "giving him up," but does so from a place of strength, not bitterness. She claims to have forgiven everything, a forgiveness that has liberated her. This leads into the central message, a seemingly benevolent but subtly sharp instruction: "Send my love to your new lover, treat her better." It's a call for him to learn from his past mistakes. The sentiment is coupled with a mature acknowledgment that they are no longer children and must let go of their "ghosts"—the lingering issues and memories of their shared past. It's a declaration of closure and a demand for mutual growth.

The second verse delves deeper into the power imbalance that defined their relationship. The singer posits she was "too strong" while he was "trembling," unable to handle the intensity of her personality and the relationship's potential. She uses the metaphor of her "rising" while he was merely "walking," unable to keep pace and ultimately "falling down." This imagery paints a picture of a dynamic where her strength and readiness for progression overwhelmed his hesitance and fear of commitment.

This realization reinforces her decision to break free. The chorus repeats, cementing the song's core theme of moving on with a mix of well-wishes and pointed advice. It’s a recurring motif of liberation through forgiveness. A bridge section shifts the focus, posing a hypothetical question: "If you're ready... I am ready." This isn't an invitation for reconciliation, but rather a final, confident assertion of her own readiness to move forward, challenging him to do the same. It’s a final turn of the tables, where she is now in control, ready for a future he wasn't prepared to build with her. The song concludes by reiterating the main refrain, a final, definitive act of letting go and wishing him well, but on her own empowered terms.

"Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" was written by Adele with acclaimed pop producers Max Martin and Shellback for her third studio album, 25. Interestingly, Adele was not familiar with the hugely successful Martin before their collaboration. The idea was sparked when Adele was with fellow musician Ryan Tedder and heard Taylor Swift's song "I Knew You Were Trouble." Impressed by its sound, she asked who produced it, and Tedder introduced her to the work of Martin.

Adele then met with Martin in London. She brought a guitar riff she had written when she was around 15 years old, which formed the skeleton of the song. Together, they quickly developed the track. Adele described the collaboration with Martin as a fun and positive experience, stating, "You ain't got to be dark all the time." The song was recorded at MXM Studios in Stockholm and Eastcote Studios in London. Initially, the track was titled "We Ain't Kids No More," but Adele changed it at the last minute, feeling the original title made the album sound "old."

The song employs several key metaphors to convey its message of liberation and emotional growth.

• Ghosts: The lyric, "We've gotta let go of all of our ghosts," is a central metaphor. The 'ghosts' represent the lingering memories, unresolved issues, and past versions of themselves that haunt the relationship. Letting them go is symbolic of achieving closure and moving on without baggage. The music video, directed by Patrick Daughters, visually interprets this by layering multiple overlapping images of Adele, suggesting these different past selves or 'ghosts' that are being shed.
• Rising vs. Falling: The second verse contrasts the singer's and her ex-lover's dynamic through metaphors of movement and temperature. She sings, "I was too strong, you were trembling / You couldn't handle the hot heat rising... I was running, you were walking / You couldn't keep up, you were falling down." This imagery symbolizes her personal growth and readiness for commitment ('rising' with 'hot heat') versus his inability and fear ('trembling,' 'walking,' 'falling'). It paints a vivid picture of incompatibility and her outpacing him emotionally.

The predominant emotional tone of "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" is one of defiant empowerment and liberation. Unlike the sorrow and anger that characterized much of her earlier work on 21, this song is what Adele calls a "happy you're gone song." It radiates a sassy, confident, and almost joyful energy. This atmosphere is created primarily through the upbeat, rhythmic instrumentation—a stark contrast to her usual somber piano ballads. The calypso-like guitar riff and steady pop beat provide a feeling of moving forward. Adele's vocal delivery is lighter and more playful, especially in the verses, conveying a sense of release rather than mourning. While there's a clear history of hurt in the lyrics, particularly the accusation "This was all you, none of it me," the overall feeling is not bitterness but freedom. The forgiveness she sings about ("I've forgiven it all / You set me free") feels genuine, positioning her as the one who has grown and moved on from the relationship's toxicity.

"Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" was released on May 16, 2016, as the third single from the critically and commercially successful album 25. The song was praised by critics for showcasing a more playful, pop-oriented side of Adele and for being an earworm with undeniable attitude. It became a significant international chart success, peaking at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 5 in the UK, and reaching the top 10 in Canada, among other countries.

The accompanying music video, directed by Patrick Daughters, premiered at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. Its minimalist aesthetic, featuring Adele singing against a black background with layered, ghost-like images of herself, was visually striking and received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the MTV Video Music Awards. The song was a staple on her Adele Live 2016 tour and was also performed during her headline set at Glastonbury 2016. While not having the same monumental impact as "Hello" or "Someone Like You," the song is significant in Adele's discography for demonstrating her artistic versatility and her ability to craft a major pop hit outside of her signature ballad style.

The song is composed in the key of D major with a moderate, danceable tempo of approximately 82 beats per minute (BPM). Its rhythmic structure is a significant departure from Adele's typical ballads, driven by a persistent, syncopated acoustic guitar riff and a simple, yet infectious, percussive beat with hand claps. This gives the song an upbeat, pop-reggae or calypso feel.

The lyrical rhythm is conversational and flows naturally over the music. The rhyme scheme is relatively straightforward, primarily using couplets and simple end rhymes within its verse-chorus structure, which enhances its pop accessibility. For instance, in the second verse, "trembling" is paired with "rising" (a slant rhyme), and "walking" with "falling down," creating a simple but effective structure. The repetition in the chorus ("lover"/"better," "ghosts"/"more") makes it incredibly catchy and memorable. The interplay between the crisp, staccato guitar rhythm and Adele's flowing vocal melody is a key element of the song's energetic and confident feel.

"Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" marks a notable stylistic departure from Adele's signature power ballads.

Musical Techniques:

• Instrumentation: The song is built around a distinctive, staccato, almost-African or calypso-style acoustic guitar riff that Adele wrote in her teens. This is paired with a simple, upbeat percussive beat and hand claps, creating a sprightly, rhythmic foundation that contrasts with her more common piano-led arrangements.
• Production: The collaboration with Max Martin and Shellback brings a distinct pop sensibility, cleaner and more rhythmic than much of her previous work. The production is relatively sparse in the verses, focusing on the guitar and vocals, before building with layered backing vocals in the chorus.
• Vocal Delivery: Adele's vocal performance is more playful and sassy than melancholic. She uses a conversational tone, especially in the spoken intro, "Just the guitar. O.K., cool." Her delivery in the chorus is bright and layered, creating an anthemic feel.

Literary Techniques:

• Direct Address: The lyrics are written in a direct, second-person narrative ("This was all you"), making the song feel like a personal and confrontational, yet liberating, message to her ex.
• Irony: The title and central refrain, "Send my love to your new lover / Treat her better," are laced with irony. While appearing benevolent, there's a strong undercurrent of sass and warning, a classic example of saying one thing while meaning another.