

Or is there something in the music itself which has made this song an unrivalled success? Is it the lyrics or the song’s theme, tugging at everyone’s heartstrings? Was it recognition of her unmistakeable voice that sparked her fans to start the hype about the single’s pending release? A 30-second teaser, without introduction, was first heard during an advertisement break on the X-Factor, sparking social media speculation that Adele “was back”. The release date of the single was a closely guarded secret. The evidence suggests there is something unique about “Hello”. Is the song about the same guy as her previous hit “Someone like you”? Already there are numerous cover versions and (of course) a Lionel Richie mashup. Why is she using a flip-phone in the video? There’s outrage from Brits at the way she makes a cup of tea. It seems the only person who hasn’t been bewitched by the song is Lionel Richie, who claims the the new Adele single resembles his 80s hit of the same name.

Even Adele herself cried when the single was played for the first time on BBC Radio 1. The opening of the song is being described as “iconic” by the BBC and the song seems to have moved its listeners to tears in an inexplicable way. On Friday it was unsurprisingly number one in the UK chart – the biggest number one for three years, in fact – and it has now become the first song to sell over 1 million U.S. “No single has ever been Shazamed so much in its first day”
