Best Adele songs, ranked: The 20 greatest hits from the singer on her 35th birthday
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Though Adele has only released three albums since she broke out more than a decade ago (“19” in 2008, “21” in 2011, and “25” in 2015), she has had an indelible impact on pop music, achieving such indomitable success that when she releases new music it’s usually best to just get out of her way. But what are the best achievements of her career? Check out our countdown of her greatest hits so far. Do you agree with what we picked as her best of all time?
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20. “Lovesong” (2011)
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19. “Million Years Ago” (2015)
18. “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” (2016)
17. “Water Under the Bridge” (2016)
16. “Don’t You Remember” (2011)
15. “All I Ask” (2015)
14. “Oh My God” (2021)
13. “Turning Tables” (2011)
12. “Rumor Has It” (2011)
11. “To Be Loved” (2021)
10. “Make You Feel My Love” (2008)
9. “Set Fire to the Rain” (2011)
8. “When We Were Young” (2016)
7. “Skyfall” (2012)
6. “Easy on Me” (2021)
5. “Chasing Pavements” (2008)
4. “Hometown Glory” (2007)
3. “Someone Like You” (2011)
2. “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
1. “Hello” (2015)
The British singer-songwriter’s signatures have always been her powerhouse vocals, her confessional lyrics about heartbreak, and her unabashed emotion — she’ll make you cry or die trying. Her breakthrough came in 2008 with the release of her album “19,” which appropriately dropped when she was still 19-years-old. That collection was a modest hit — modest by her standards that is — peaking at number-four on the Billboard 200 albums chart and certified triple platinum in the US. It produced the single “Chasing Pavements,” which earned her her first Grammy noms for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and she won Best New Artist.
But that was just a hint of what was to come. Her next album, “21,” was a global phenomenon. Its lead single, “Rolling in the Deep,” became her first chart-topper in the US. The collection went 14-times platinum and swept the Grammys in 2012, including Album of the Year, plus Record and Song of the Year for “Rolling.” She had the Midas touch from there on out. She won an Oscar for co-writing the title song from the 2012 James Bond film “Skyfall,” the first Bond theme ever to achieve that honor.
And she didn’t lose a single Grammy category in the 2010s, sweeping Album, Record and Song of the Year again in 2017 for her followup album “25” and its lead single “Hello.” Those wins were a little more controversial since she beat the heavily favored “Lemonade” by Beyonce in the Album of the Year race, continuing a troubling trend of Black artists — especially in R&B and hip-hop — under-performing in top categories. When Adele accepted that Album of the Year honor, she even declared from the stage that it should have gone to Beyonce.
That Grammy sweep made her the first artist ever to sweep Album, Record, and Song twice, and it made her only the second woman to win AOTY twice as a lead artist (the first was Taylor Swift). After “25” she laid lower than most pop stars do when they’re at the top of their game. Always leave them wanting more, and we always want to hear more from Adele.
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