Adele released her second studio album, 21, in 2011. It became the world's best-selling album of the 21st century, with sales of over 31 million copies. It was certified 17× platinum in the UK (the highest by a solo artist of all time) and Diamond in the US. According to Billboard, 21 is the top-performing album in the US chart history, topping the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks (the longest for a female artist ever). She was the first female artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have three simultaneous top-ten singles as a lead artist, with "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire to the Rain", all of which also topped the chart. The album received a record-tying six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year. The success of 21 earned Adele numerous mentions in the Guinness Book of Records.
In 2012, Adele released "Skyfall", a soundtrack single for the James Bond film of the same name, which won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Her third studio album, 25, was released in 2015 and became the year's best-selling album and broke first-week sales records in the UK and US. 25 was her second album to be certified Diamond in the US and earned her five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and four Brit Awards, including British Album of the Year. The lead single, "Hello", became the first song in the US to sell over one million digital copies within a week of its release. Her fourth studio album 30, which contains the chart-topping single "Easy on Me", was released in 2021 and became the year's best-selling album worldwide including US and UK. 30 won the 2022 Brit Award for British Album of the Year.
Adele is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 120 million records. Her accolades include fifteen Grammy Awards and twelve Brit Awards. In 2011, 2012, and 2016, Billboard named her Artist of the Year. At the 2012 and 2016 Ivor Novello Awards, Adele was named Songwriter of the Year by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. In 2012, she was listed at number five on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music. Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world in 2012, 2016, and 2022. She was appointed a MBE at the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to music. Her third tour saw her break attendance records globally, including in the UK, Australia, and the US, and her album 21 has been listed in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020).
I'll Be
Adele Lyrics
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Say that you love me in your last goodbye
Please forgive me for my sins
Yes, I swam dirty waters
But you pushed me in
I've seen your face under every sky
Over every border and on every line
You know my heart more than I do
But we had time against us
And miles between us
The heavens cried
I know I left you speechless
But now the sky has cleared and it's blue
And I see my future in you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I'll put my hands up
I'll do everything different
I'll be better to you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I'll put my hands up
I'll be somebody different
I'll be better to you
Let me stay here for just one more night
Build your world around me
And pull me to the light
So I can tell you that I was wrong
I was a child then but now I'm willing to learn
But we had time against us
And miles between us
The heavens cried
I know I left you speechless
But now the sky has cleared and it's blue
And I see my future in you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I'll put my hands up
I'll do everything different
I'll be better to you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I'll put my hands up
I'll be somebody different
I'll be better to you
Time against us (time against us)
Miles between us (miles between us)
Heavens cried
I know I left you speechless
Time against us (time against us)
Miles between us (miles between us)
Heavens cried
I know I left you speechless
I know I left you speechless
I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I'll put my hands up
I'll do everything different
I'll be better to you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I'll put my hands up
I'll be somebody different
I'll be better to you
In Adele's song "I'll Be Waiting," she talks about a past love that she regrets losing. The song starts with her asking her former lover to hold her again and say that he loves her one last time before he says goodbye completely. She acknowledges her sins and admits to having swam in dirty waters, but blames her former partner for pushing her in.
Throughout the song, Adele reflects on the time they spent together and how she's seen his face under every sky, over every border, and on every line. She admits that he knows her heart better than she does, and they were great together.
However, time and distance came between them, and the heavens cried. Adele says that she knows she left her lover speechless, but now the sky has cleared, and she can see her future with him.
In the chorus, Adele declares that she'll be waiting for her lover when he's ready to love her again. She's willing to do everything differently and be better for him. She says that she'll stay with him for just one more night and build her world around him.
This song shows Adele's vulnerability and her willingness to admit her mistakes. She acknowledges that she's not perfect and that she's willing to change for her love.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold me closer one more time
Please hold me one last time
Say that you love me in your last goodbye
Please profess your love for me in your final farewell
Please forgive me for my sins
I want to apologize for my wrongdoing
Yes, I swam dirty waters
I made some bad choices
But you pushed me in
But you had a part in it too
I've seen your face under every sky
I have fond memories of us in different places
Over every border and on every line
We have traveled far and wide together
You know my heart more than I do
You understand my heart better than I do myself
We were the greatest, me and you
We were an amazing couple
But we had time against us
Unfortunately, time was not on our side
And miles between us
We lived far apart from each other
The heavens cried
It was a sad and emotional time for us
I know I left you speechless
I know I hurt you deeply
But now the sky has cleared and it's blue
But now things have gotten better
And I see my future in you
And I still see a future with you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I'll wait for you to come back to me
I'll put my hands up
I'm surrendering myself and my mistakes
I'll do everything different
I promise to change for the better
I'll be better to you
I promise to treat you better than before
Let me stay here for just one more night
Please let me have one more night with you
Build your world around me
I want you to make me a part of your life again
And pull me to the light
And help me see the good in life again
So I can tell you that I was wrong
So I can admit to my mistakes
I was a child then but now I'm willing to learn
I was immature before, but I'm now ready to grow and learn
Time against us (time against us)
Our time together was limited
Miles between us (miles between us)
We were far apart
Heavens cried
It was a sad and emotional time
I know I left you speechless
I know I hurt you deeply
I'll be waiting
I'll still wait for you to come back
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Paul Richard Epworth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joseaneribeiro4814
Hold me closer one more time
Say that you love me in your last goodbye
Please forgive me for my sins
Yes, I swam dirty waters
But you pushed me in
I've seen your face under every sky
Over every border and on every line
You know my heart more than I do
We were the greatest, me and you
But we had time against us
And miles between us
The heavens cried
I know I left you speechless
But now the sky has cleared and it's blue
And I see my future in you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I put my hands up
I'll do everything different
I'll be better to you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I put my hands up
I'll be somebody different
I'll be better to you
Let me stay here for just one more night
Build your world around me
And pull me to the light
So I can tell you that I was wrong
I was a child then, but now I'm willing to learn
But we had time against us
And miles between us
The heavens cried
I know I left you speechless
But now the sky has cleared and it's blue
And I see my future in you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I put my hands up
I'll do everything different
I'll be better to you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I put my hands up
I'll be somebody different
I'll be better to you
Time against us
Miles between us
Heavens cried
I know I left you speechless
Time against us
Miles between us
Heavens cried
I know I left you speechless
I know I left you speechless
I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I put my hands up
I'll do everything different
I'll be better to you
I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to love me again
I put my hands up
I'll be somebody different
I'll be better to you
@vandeBurri23
This song is far underrated! And her concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011 is absolutely stunning and a one-woman show at an incredible high level... Hats off lady! 🎩
@agnieszkahanak6453
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@aidanhatton7163
There are a few cases where the least streamed song on an album on Spotify is the song that stands out to me the most. This song is an example of that.
@toniahunter
Yesssssssss! So true
@MrTontito
Heard this tonight in a Whole Foods Store and had to hear it again! Love it!!
@loodog555
Randy Masters for me, it was TJ Maxx, years ago
@ladyrachel13
Love that jazz piano playing.
@luisferguerrero
My favorite adele's song ever!
@thejman7399
Killer album. Great mix of slow and upbeat funky stuff. Adele is an incredible singer! She curses like a sailor in casual conversation too. My kind of woman!
@michaelmercer8054
This song brings tears to my eyes its so beautiful! 😭