As we say “Hello” to Adele’s 35th birthday, we’re celebrating by looking back at some of the hits that helped make her one of the world’s best-selling music artists of all time.
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The lead single from '21' rolled into the No. 1 spot on May 28, 2011. Her first No. 1 reached the top of the charts in 12 countries and propelled her to international superstardom.
With sales of over 20.6 million copies, "Rolling in the Deep" is one of the bestselling digital singles of all time and spent 64 weeks (a year and three months!) on the charts.
Here's Adele holding six Grammys for '21', including one for Best Video for "Rolling In The Deep".
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'Set Fire To The Rain'
“But I set fire to the rain / Watched it pour as I touched your face / Well, it burned while I cried / 'Cause I heard it screaming out your name / Your name”.
This. This the level of drama and passion required of a Valentine’s Day No. 1, and so it was in 2012 when “Set Fire To The Rain” topped the charts. Billboard readers voted it as their favourite No. 1 of 2012 and her rendition on her “Live at the Royal Albert Hall” film won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th annual ceremony. During her acceptance speech, she recognized her fellow women nominees, saying, "We work so hard, we make it look so easy.
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After she performed it at the 2011 Brit Awards, the second single from ‘21’ rose an astonishing 46 chart places to hit No. 1, edging out Lady Gaga's "Born This Way". It won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance and spent 46 weeks on the charts.
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The James Bond theme was a windfall for Adele. The single peaked at No. 3 on October 27, 2012, and although a No. 1 hit is nice, a No. 3 can still earn you an Oscar, as shown here: that’s Adele with the Oscar she won for Best Original Song.
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This kiss-off song is an absolute jam. It broke the top 10, peaking right at No. 10 on August 13, 2016. It spent more than six months on the charts. Adele plays guitar on this one, and it was part of her 2016 Glastonbury setlist.
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The second single from her debut album, ‘19’, spent seven weeks on the charts. Adele performed this on her “SNL” debut as a musical guest on October 18, 2008, hosted by Josh Brolin. The following year, “Chasing Pavements” peaked at No. 21 on the charts on February 28.
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“I remember all of the things that I thought I wanted to be / So desperate to find a way out of my world and finally breathe / Right before my eyes I saw, my heart it came to life” — Adele told 'Rolling Stone' that she teared up writing the song, which is inspired by her son. Maybe the heavy emotional resonance is why she has never performed it live. The track from ‘25’ peaked at No. 87 on December 12, 2015.
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Adele performed this No. 37 hit on her November 2015 TV special, “Adele Live in New York City”, and a month later, she performed it on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”.
It reached the No. 2 spot on Canada’s adult contemporary chart on January 21, 2017. "Water Under The Bridge" was the third-bestselling song from the 2015 album ‘25’, selling more than 104,000 copies.
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This No. 9 hit from 2015 spent 22 weeks on the charts. She performed it on "SNL" on her second appearance as musical guest, on November 21, 2015, with host Matthew McConaughey. Adele co-wrote the song with North Vancouver gem Tobias Jesso Jr.
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Co-written by OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, this catchy 2012 single from ‘21’ peaked at No. 16 on May 5 and spent 27 weeks on the chart.
"Rumour Has It" also charted in the top 20 across Europe. ‘21’ became the biggest selling album not just of 2011, but of 2012 as well.
With sales of over 31 million copies worldwide, it is the bestselling album of the 21st century, and one of the bestselling albums of all time.
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The lead single from ‘25’ was, like, “Hi!” to the No. 1 spot back on November 14, 2015, and it made itself welcome on the charts for 32 weeks.
The soulful piano ballad from her third album topped the charts in a record-breaking 36 countries. "Hello" won three Grammys: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
The video broke a Vevo record with over 27.7 million views in a 24-hour span, breaking the record set by Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood". “Hello” also broke the YouTube record for shortest time to reach one billion views, hitting the mark in just 87 days. "Hello", Adele's biggest hit to date, stayed at the top of the charts for 10 straight weeks.
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"Turning Tables" came off of her hit 21 album. and while it was overshadowed by the stellar success of "Rolling in the Deep" and "Rumor Has It", it still charted like the rest of the record.
It stayed on the top charts for 3 weeks, peaking at #6.
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"Oh My God" showcases Adele's versatility beyond power ballads with a groovy bop about anxiety.
It reached #5 on the top charts where it stayed for 16 weeks.
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Adele's love for wine is well-known and documented in song form with "I Drink Wine", a track off of her album 30.
The track was even a drink option during her launch party for the record.
This song peaked on number 18 on the top charts, where it remained for two weeks.
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Fans were excited to get a new hit after a five-year wait with Easy On Me.
While not perfect, Adele fans still showed the lead song love, with the track hitting #1 on the charts and stayed on them for 31 weeks.