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Adele’s Top 10 Songs Ranked: From ‘Rolling in the Deep’ to Her Emotional First Grammy-Winning Hits

Adele announced a break from music—here are her top 10 hits from her 2008 debut to her latest work to keep you going.

Adele’s smashing success of a career took over the world when she began releasing music in 2008. Winning 16 Grammy Awards, among dozens of other accolades, Adele topped the charts with each of her four studio albums. From her lead single “Chasing Pavements” on her debut album, 19, to her more recent tracks, she has released hit after hit. Along the way, she won the Academy Award for Best Original Song  for the Bond theme “Skyfall,” title track of the 23rd James Bond film. 

Adele recently announced that she will be taking an extended break from music following the end of her Las Vegas residency, explaining, “I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself, and I want to live it..” Adele added that she may not take the stage again “for an incredibly long time.”

Check out a few of our favorite Adele hits from over the years and give them a listen if you’re mourning her break from music.

10. “Make You Feel My Love” (2008)

Adele covered this Bob Dylan track on her debut album, 19, and it was a hit. “Make You Feel My Love” was the only cover featured on the album and she has shared it is one of her favorites from that particular disc.

9. “Rumour Has It” (2011)

Her 2011 album, 21, was a smashing success and “Rumour Has It” was no different. Co-written by One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, it came in at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was her 4th consecutive top 20 hit. Take a listen and remember exactly why you played this song over and over in 2011.

8. “When We Were Young” (2015)

“When We Were Young,” which came off Adele’s 2015 album, 25, was no different from the rest of her songs in that it was a success, peaking at No. 14. Adele described it in an interview, saying,“[It] was based on us being older, and being at a party at this house, and seeing everyone that you’ve ever fallen out with, everyone that you’ve ever loved, everyone that you’ve never loved … And you’re all thrown together at this party when you’re, like 50, and it doesn’t matter and you have so much fun and you feel like you’re 15 again.”

7. “Chasing Pavements” (2008)

From the very beginning of her career, Adele was putting out successful songs, which is what she did with “Chasing Pavements.” It was also the one that scored the singer her first Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The song was also the recipient of two more Grammy nominations and peaked at No. 21 on the Hot 100 chart.

6. “All I Ask” (2015)

This Adele song may not have been a smashing success on the charts, but it is a beautiful one. Peaking at No. 77, “All I Ask” details the final escapade in a failing relationship.

5. “Easy On Me” (2021)

Winning yet another Grammy award, “Easy On Me” peaked at No. 1 on the charts, won for Best Pop Solo Performance and was nominated for three additional Grammys.

4. “Someone Like You” (2011)

If you couldn’t already predict it, “Someone Like You” was yet another Grammy-winning hit. Adele won for Pop Solo Performance and scored the No. 1 slot on the Hot 100 chart. Written for her 2011 album, 21, “Someone Like You” details the same broken relationship that many of her songs on the album are about. However, in this one, she is coming to terms with the end.

3. “Rolling in the Deep” (2011)

This 3-time Grammy winning record was, not surprisingly, a No. 1 hit for Adele, who wrote the song about someone being unfaithful and her telling him off. “It’s me saying, ‘Get the f— out of my house’ instead of me begging him to come back.”

“Rolling In The Deep”, co-written with Paul Epworth, earned Adele three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Music Video/Short Form. 

2. “Hello” (2015)

Adele immediately got listeners when she opened this track with, “Hello, it’s me.” Produced by Greg Kurstin, it was so popular, in fact, that it hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart and scored the singer another 3 Grammys. 

No, it’s not about anyone specifically,” Adele explained in an interview. “It’s about friends, ex-boyfriends, it’s about myself, it’s about my family. It’s also about my fans as well.”

1. “Set Fire to the Rain” (2011)

While Adele didn’t win at the 54th Grammy Awards when the song was released, she did score one later — at the 55th Grammys in 2013, winning Best Pop Solo Performance for the song’s live version. It did, however, hit No. 1 on the charts.

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