{"id":421,"date":"2011-03-07T22:48:46","date_gmt":"2011-03-08T06:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/?p=421"},"modified":"2015-01-12T09:31:54","modified_gmt":"2015-01-12T17:31:54","slug":"racking-up-plays-rolling-in-the-deep-by-adele","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/2011\/03\/racking-up-plays-rolling-in-the-deep-by-adele\/","title":{"rendered":"Racking Up Plays: “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele"},"content":{"rendered":"

These are the posts where I gush about some song that I\u2019ve got a huge crush on at the moment, and you put up with it and listen because you\u2019re a good friend.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Fun fact: Adele is a reminder of a time when singers' voices weren't processed to sound like slutty androids. (by Jelmer de Haas via adele.tv)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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“Rolling in the Deep,” Adele<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Although we here at All The City Lights tend to skew toward writing about maniacs who perform in little more than briefs and dungy animal masks<\/a>, we are not immune to the charms of mainstream pop. While we could do without grating, brainless trash like Ke$ha, a catchy song by someone demonstrating actual vocal talent is always worthy of celebration, whether it be a local unknown or a starlet burning up the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

The latter is definitely the case with this week’s featured song. Adele is currently riding the top of the Billboard 200<\/a> album chart, and the single “Rolling in the Deep” has climbed to No. 13 on the Hot 100<\/a> singles chart. In Europe it has been a No. 1 hit in five countries. A surprising number of my ignorant American friends remain unaware of the song, but that probably won’t be the case for much longer. That gives me a very short window to blab about it without looking totally out of touch, like the time I wrote about the “Bed Intruder Song” after 27 million people had already watched the YouTube video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Grammys are notorious for awarding Best New Artist to future punch lines, but they may have actually got it right in 2008<\/a> when they gave the award to the relatively unknown 20-year-old British soul singer. At the time I remember thinking that the industry was just blindly grasping around for the next Amy Winehouse, and maybe it was. Maybe she is.<\/p>\n

I was one of the people saying, “Who the heck is Adele?” the next day. I immediately listened to “Chasing Pavements<\/a>” to satisfy my curiosity, then immediately forgot it. “Rolling in the Deep” is infinitely more memorable and mature, as Adele’s voice roils with bluesy grit accompanied by a gospel stomp. The subject matter is typical “you’ll be sorry you did me wrong” anguish, but something to which literally everyone can relate is a good place to start when writing an international hit.<\/p>\n

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Adele’s show on June 4 at The Warfield<\/a>, 982 Market St., San Francisco, is already sold out. Sorry, procrastinators!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Share\"<\/a>\n