Adele’s comebacksingle easily makes No. 1

It was no surprise. Everybody expected it. I mean after all those previous hits and all those Grammy wins, anything Adele comes out with will make No. 1 in the charts. After all, it has been five years since the album 25 and that gorgeous single Hello. So now, Adele is back with her latest No. 1 seller Easy on Me from the upcoming album titled 30.

Adele has sort of made it a tradition to title her albums with her age while she was working on the songs. So she had 19 as her debut, followed by 21 two years later, then 25, and now she is set to release 30 in a few weeks. I do like the fact that she refuses to flood the market with her recordings like most artists these days. She counts the years, it did seem unimaginative at the onset. Why her age? Can’t they think of something else?

On the other hand, though, if one goes through the songs in the albums, they do give a very clear picture of how Adele was feeling at that time in her life. A Daydreamer Chasing Pavements at 19; in love with her Someone Like You and Rolling in the Deep of success with a superb Album of the Year in 21; finding herself with Hello and getting introspective with When We Were Young in 25, which by the way is back in the Top 20 albums list.

So, now she has 30 coming up. A lot has happened to her these past five years. She has a son. She has just emerged from a broken marriage and is now building a new life. But not without regrets as she sings in the first single out, Easy on Me. “Go easy on me, baby/ I was still a child/ I didn’t get to feel the world around me/ I had no time to choose what I choose to do/ so go easy on me.”

Sad and brooding with a simple piano-based arrangement and achingly sweet vocals, Easy on Me, certainly mirrors Adele’s experience during these past five years. I suppose it also sets the tone for 30 in its entirety. So get your heart and your gut ready to wallow in pain with Adele. Agonizing, perhaps, but she will be singing and to listen to her, is always sheer pleasure.

Now as the year nears its end, I thought we should take a look at the US charts as per the Billboard hit lists this week. These, more or less, are the songs by which we will remember 2021. I must say that this year of the pandemic has produced an excellent batch.

The Top 20 of the Hot 100 are: Easy on Me by Adele; Stay by Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber; Industry by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow; Fancy Like by Walker Hayes; Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran; Way 2 Sexy by Drake featuring Future and Young Thug; Good 4 U by Olivia Rodrigo; Levitating by Dua Lipa; Shivers also by Sheeran; Kiss Me More by Doja Cat and SZA.

Need to Know by Doja Cat; Essence by Wizkid featuring Justin Bieber and Tems; My Universe by Coldplay and BTS; Heat Waves by Glass Animals; Beggin’ by Maneskin; You Right by Doja Cat and The Weeknd; Save Your Tears by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande; Knife Talk by Drake featuring 21 Savage and Project Pat; Who Want Smoke? by Nardo Wick featuring G. Herbo, Lil Duck and 21 Savage; and Bubbly by Young Thug with Drake and Travis Scott.

The Top 20 albums are: Punk by Young Thug; Certified Lover Boy by Drake; Faces by Mac Miller; Music of the Spheres by Coldplay; Let It Be, the soundtrack of the Beatles documentary by The Beatles; Sincerely, Kentrell by Young Boy Never Broke Again; Planet Her by Doja Cat; Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen; Sour by Olivia Rodrigo; Montero by Lil Nas X.

Dimension: Dilemma by ENHYPEN; Expensive Pain by Meek Mill; F*ck Love by Kid LAROI; Donda by Kanye West; Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish; 25 by Adele; The Highlight by The Weeknd; Welcome to Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2 by Ice Nine Kills; Soulfly by Rod Wave; and Life of A-Don by Don Tolivir.