While her single “Hello” is still controlling the reigns on the Hot 100, Adele has released another gut-wrenching track that is sure to send the world into a flurry, as she tends to do with pretty much every move she makes.
“When We Were Young” is the second song to be revealed in full from the British singer-songwriter’s upcoming album 25, which is out this Friday. For now, the only full version available is a live recording, though when it comes to Adele, those are usually the most impressive. The song is a nostalgic look at two people who may be getting older, but who reminisce about when they were young. The themes of looking back are everywhere, with the singer belting that “it was just like a movie / it was just like a song”. At the end of the clip, which was recorded at The Church Studios in London, the cheeky singer smiles and claims, “It’s a whole new me.”
Co-written by newcomer Tobias Jesso, Jr. (who came out of nowhere to receive praise from Adele earlier this year) and produced by indie mainstay Ariel Rechtshaid, “Young” sounds like more of what we’ve come to know and love her for, and it comes complete with a backing choir and an especially impressive high note towards the end.
Releasing “Young” just days before her third album drops is perfect timing, as it ensures yet another news cycle dedicated to the singer, and just in time to remind people that there’s an entire collection just days away. A clip of “Young” first appeared online yesterday thanks to the trailer for a 60 Minutes Australia interview the singer did. Rather than let the TV program get all the attention, now Adele’s Vevo channel will nab millions of views, as it is the only place to hear the whole tune.
25 is out worldwide on Friday, and it is already set to be one of the biggest albums of the year, and it may even beat Taylor Swift’s massively-successful 1989 for the coveted title of the bestselling LP of the year. Industry sources are predicting that the album could move between two and two and a half million copies in its first week of availability, and that’s to say nothing of the next few months. With “Hello” selling hundreds of thousands of copies a week, gaining traction at radio, and now “Young” whetting people’s appetites even more, 25 probably couldn’t be in a better position to be released.