Adele - 'Make You Feel My Love'
Is it wrong of me to want to hold Adele responsible for the fact that we've got lots of kooky white girls singing soul with affected voices on The X Factor this year? I mean, it's no more her fault than it is the fault of The Beatles that Oasis exist, but still, I find myself looking for someone to blame, and my brain always jumps to Adele. So I would like to take this opportunity, first and foremost, to say: sorry Adele. I know it's not your fault really, and I shall endeavour to blame Simon Cowell in future, as I do for most things.
With that out of the way: 'Make You Feel My Love' is about as stripped-down as it's possible for a song to get without becoming either acapella or an instrumental, featuring as it does just Adele's voice and a piano, telling a heartfelt and straightforward story of being willing to do anything to prove your love for someone. If it helps, think of it as Dido's 'Thank You' told from the other person's perspective.
There's a lot to be said for songs which appreciate the value of being low-key, but there is a slight problem with it in this instance: after a while, the lack of very much going on in the song draws your attention to the lyrics, which are a bit pedestrian, to say the least. They're not as abysmal as the lyrics to 'Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔtown Glory', admittedly, but there's not really anything profound or original in here. To be honest, the whole thing feels like it was written specifically for the purpose of being played on the soundtrack during a particularly overwrought scene in Grey's Anatomy.
I suspect the thing with a song like this is that it stands or falls on whether it makes an emotional connection with you. I'm sure there are people out there who find this song incredibly meaningful and I'm not about to sit here and tell them they're wrong, but as far as I'm concerned, it feels like someone singing about feelings as she thinks feelings might feel. Nice piano, though.
Download: Out now
CD Released: October 27th
(Steve Perkins)
Comment number 1.
At 26th Oct 2008, XxlivsxX wrote:Whoever's to blame for the kooky white girls, they're bloomin' annoying. It's all so unnatural and mannered.
Diana is like a cross between Amy Winehouse and Kate Bush, who's then been dipped in sugar. Her,"look at me, aren't I sweet and naive" act, is really beginning to get on my nerves. She's 17 for God's sake, not 5.
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Comment number 2.
At 27th Oct 2008, carlgnicholls wrote:erm...it's a cover of a bob dylan song. not sure you can blame adele for the lyrics.
c'mon now. let's do a little bit of research shall we?
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Comment number 3.
At 27th Oct 2008, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:And having done this research, will that make the lyrics magically be better?
OK, I'll give it a go!
Steve didn't say the lyrics were by Adele, Carl, he said they are pedestrian. Which is kind of funny, given 'Chasing Pavements'...
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