5 O'Clock

5 O'Clock

Not the Nine O'Clock News is a television comedy sketch show which was broadcast on BBC 2 from 1979 to 1982.

Originally shown as a comedy "alternative" to the BBC Nine O'Clock News on BBC 1, it featured satirical sketches on current news stories and popular culture, as well as parody songs, comedy sketches, re-edited videos and spoof television formats. The series featured Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones, as well as Chris Langham in the first series. Its format was similar to Monty Python's Flying Circus, including sketches that lasted from a few seconds to several minutes.

The series launched the careers of several high-profile actors and writers, and also led to other comedy series such as Blackadder and Alas Smith and Jones.

Not the Nine O'Clock News was produced by John Lloyd. Lloyd pitched the idea to the heads of BBC Comedy and Light Entertainment and was given a six-show series on condition that he collaborate with Sean Hardie, who had worked in current affairs at the BBC.

The original cast was Rowan Atkinson, Christopher Godwin, John Gorman, Chris Langham, Willoughby Goddard and Jonathan Hyde, and the show was planned for 2 April 1979. As the show was originally scheduled to air after Fawlty Towers, John Cleese was to have introduced the first episode in a sketch referring to a technicians' strike then in progress, explaining (in character as Basil Fawlty) that there was no show that week so a "tatty revue" would be broadcast instead. However the 1979 general election intervened, and the show was pulled as too political.[1] The sketch with Cleese was broadcast later that year, when the final episode of Fawlty Towers went out during the broadcast run of the first series of Not the Nine O'Clock News, though the significance of the sketch was lost. This link is included on the Region 2 Fawlty Towers DVD boxset.

Lloyd and Hardie decided to recast the show, retaining Langham and Atkinson. They wanted to bring in a woman. Victoria Wood turned the show down. Lloyd met Pamela Stephenson at a party and she agreed to join. Atkinson, Langham and Stephenson were joined by Mel Smith.[1] The first series was criticised for being "a poor mix of stand up, and a mild portion of sketches". This left the BBC with sketches which depended upon a second series; seven episodes were commissioned. Langham was replaced by Griff Rhys Jones, who had already appeared in minor roles.[2] The second series won the Silver Rose at the Montreux Festival and a BAFTA award for Best Light Entertainment Programme in 1982.[3]

The series has rarely been repeated; eight re-cut and condensed (to make it "faster and funnier than ever"[4]) "episodes" are shown instead. This is primarily because the original episodes in their entirety lampooned events that were in the news at the time.

The main writers included David Renwick, Colin Bostock-Smith, Andy Hamilton, Peter Brewis, Richard Curtis, and Clive Anderson.[5] However, the producers accepted scripts for sketches from a wide range of writers and ensured the show remained topical by recording sketches only days before broadcast. Howard Goodall (subsequently composer of the Red Dwarf, Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley theme music) was musical director. Bill Wilson directed the first three series, Geoff Posner the fourth.

Not the Nine O'Clock News became a stage show in Oxford and London in 1982, but the main performers decided to end the project while it was a success: Stephenson began a Hollywood film career, Atkinson recorded the first series of Blackadder in 1983, and Smith and Jones became a double act in Alas Smith and Jones. An American adaptation, Not Necessarily the News ran for seven years, from 1983–90 on the Home Box Office cable television channel.[1]



In 2005, Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Pamela Stephenson, Chris Langham and John Lloyd reunited to talk to Sue MacGregor about the show. Langham's departure was touched upon, with Lloyd seeming to take the blame, though Atkinson had campaigned for Langham to be kept in the cast. The Reunion was broadcast on Radio 4 on 31 July 2005.[6]

A documentary featuring the cast reminiscing about the making of the programme was shown on BBC 2 on 28 December 2009,[7] before one of the 1995 compilation shows was aired (despite a "complete episode" being billed in television listings).
[edit] Name and format

The show's name derived from its schedule – it was originally on BBC 2 at the same time as the Nine O'Clock News on BBC 1.

The series benefited from video editing and recording techniques. The pace was enhanced by jump-cutting between library clips, usually of politicians, royalty or celebrities. Margaret Thatcher complained when, by adroit image editing, the show implied she had crashed a car. Effects used in pop videos, provided by the Quantel Paintbox, were often a highlight of the musical numbers.
[edit] Commercial releases
[edit] Video and DVD

Two highly edited videos of the show, entitled Nice Video, Shame about the Hedgehog and The Gorilla Kinda Lingers, were released in 1995.

In August 2003 these videos were released on DVD under the title of The Best of Not the Nine O'Clock News: Volume One. The Best of Not the Nine O'Clock News: Volume Two came a year later. Both of these are available in one set, unavailable separately, in R1 as well in North America.

The full episodes were repeated in 1993 on UKTV Gold. They have not been repeated since. The eight 1995 compilation shows are regularly shown on Comedy Central X
[edit] Audio

Three vinyl albums were released at the time the series was screening, entitled Not the Nine O'Clock News, Hedgehog Sandwich and The Memory Kinda Lingers respectively. These albums were very successful, with the first two both reaching the top ten of the UK albums chart, a rare feat for a spoken word album.

The original version of The Memory Kinda Lingers was a double LP. The second disc is titled Not in Front of the Audience and is a live recording of the cast's stage show. Hedgehog Sandwich and the first disc of The Memory Kinda Lingers were later combined on a BBC double-length cassette and double-CD set.

The group re-recorded "Oh Bosanquet" (a tribute to the then recently retired newsreader Reginald Bosanquet) and "Gob on You" for single release. The latter had the same – less hard-hitting – lyrics as featured in Not in Front of the Audience.

"The Ayatollah Song" b/w "Gob on You" (as featured in the TV show) and "I Like Trucking" b/w "Supa Dupa" were also released as singles.

(The 1980 single "Typing Pool" by 'Pam and the Paper Clips' (EMI 5015), is variously ascribed to Pamela Stephenson and NtNON. It was written by Roger and Nigel Planer.)[8]
[edit] Books and miscellaneous

Three books were released to tie in with the series; Not! the Nine O'Clock News, a collection of classic material rewritten and restructured as a parody of the short-lived Now! magazine, Not the Royal Wedding (the royal wedding in question being the marriage of Charles and Diana), and Not the General Election, a tie in with the 1983 General Election. The first was reprinted in 1995 as Not for Sale. Not the Royal Wedding was promoted by a little-known radio spinoff, Not the Nuptials, transmitted on BBC Radio 1. The same station had also previously produced a behind-the-scenes documentary on Not the Nine O'Clock News as part of their magazine series Studio B15.

Two 'page-a-day' tear-off calendars, edited by John Lloyd and containing several contributions from Douglas Adams were released in the early 1980s (Not 1982 and Not 1983). Also published around this time was a spoof Orwellian edition of The Times newspaper, Not The 1984 Times, which although widely assumed to be, was not actually connected to the series and involved no relevant personnel.

Moves Like Jagger

Moves Like Jagger

"Moves Like Jagger" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5 featuring American pop singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera. It was released as the fourth single for the group's third studio album, Hands All Over (2011). The song was written by Adam Levine, Benjamin Levin, Ammar Malik and Shellback, and was produced by Shellback and Benny Blanco. Musically, "Moves Like Jagger" is a electropop song with influences of rock and funk, and is backed by grinding synths and electronic drums. Its lyrics refer to a male's ability to impress a female with his dance moves, which he compares to those of Mick Jagger, frontman for the English band The Rolling Stones.

"Moves Like Jagger" was well-received by music critics, who praised the song's chorus. Points of acclaim also went to the vocals of Levine and Aguilera, with critics pointing out solid chemistry between the two. Likewise, the song was a commercial success, going on to top the charts in seventeen countries. In the United States, "Moves Like Jagger" making Maroon 5's first top ten single since "Makes Me Wonder" (2007), as well as Christina Aguilera's first top-ten single since "Keeps Gettin' Better" (2008).

An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. Released worldwide on August 8, 2011, it features old video footage of Jagger and his iconic dance moves. "Moves Like Jagger" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards. The song was first performed in June 2011 on an episode of The Voice. It also became the eighth song in the chart's history to spend at least 26 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

"Moves Like Jagger" was written and produced by Benjamin Levin and Shellback, while additional writing was done by Adam Levine and Ammar Malik.[2] When asked about the song, Levine said, "It was one of those songs that was definitely a risk; it's a bold statement. We've never really released a song like that. But it's exciting to do something different, do something new. I'm just happy everyone likes it." [3] "Moves Like Jagger" is a disco-pop and electropop song[4] with elements of rock and soul.[5] It features a "throbbing" synth, fast-paced beat and electronic drums.[6][7] Robbie Daw from Idolator wrote that "Moves Like Jagger" slightly echoes the Rolling Stones’ chart-topping 1978 classic "Miss You", and added that "Levine’s voice is distorted via Auto-Tune on the chorus."[6] The song is introduced by a whistle melody and light, funky guitar in the key of B minor. Levine tries his best to impress his female interest with dance moves like Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger: "I don't need to try to control you / Look into my eyes and I'll own you / With the moves like Jagger / I got the moves like Jagger / I got the mooooooves like Jagger."[8] Aguilera appears mid-way through the song's bridge, playing her role as a tease: "You want to know how to make me smile / Take control, own me just for the night / But if I share my secret / You gonna have to keep it / Nobody else can see this."[1]



Bill Lamb from About.com gave the song a positive review, giving the single four-and-a-half out of five stars.[9] Lamb wrote that, "The funky, whistle driven melody here is loose, light, and irresistibly funky. The punchy guest vocal from fellow judge Christina Aguilera is simply icing on the cake. There is a real vocal chemistry between Aguilera and Levine."[9] Lamb called the song an "outstanding summer song", writing that "It is light, danceable, and would sound great in the car with the top down."[9] Robbie Daw from Idolator wrote that "It takes a full two minutes and 15 seconds for Christina's soulful pipes to begin trilling on "Moves Like Jagger." But once she does, she immediately steals the show."[6] Daw concluded by writing that "this is the best thing from either of these two in years."[6]

While naming the song "a contender for 2011's song of the summer", James Dinh from MTV Newsroom wrote that "Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera have turned their friendly rivalry on NBC's The Voice into some studio chemistry."[1] Scott Schelter from Pop Crush awarded "Moves Like Jagger" four-and-a-half out of five stars.[5] Schelter called the song "danceable and fun" and wrote that "the song would've been great even without Aguilera, but her fiery cameo makes it that much better."[5] Robert Copsey wrote for Digital Spy: "Take me by the tongue and I'll know you/ Kiss me till you're drunk and I'll show you," Ad insists over a funky, finger-clicking bassline and an irresistible whistle hook that immediately burrows deep into the recesses of your brain. "If I share my secret/ You're gonna have to keep it," Xtina says on her short, sweet and perfectly-formed cameo. We've already got your number, love, but our surprise is still 100% genuine."[10]

Jagger himself acknowledged the song in an interview, calling the concept "very flattering."[11]
On the issue dated July 9, 2011, "Moves Like Jagger" debuted at number eight on the United States Billboard Hot 100,[13] and peaked at number one. "Moves Like Jagger" topped the Billboard Hot 100, in the week ending September 10, 2011, as the greatest airplay gainer for the third consecutive week. For Maroon 5, this is the first time at the number one position on the Hot 100 chart since their single "Makes Me Wonder" in 2007 and for Aguilera, this is her fifth number one position, her first since "Lady Marmalade" in 2001. Incidentally, Levine is the first artist to achieve two concurrent singles in the top ten of the Hot 100 − one as a member of a band and another as a solo artist.[14]"Moves Like Jagger" made Aguilera the fourth female artist, behind Madonna, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears, to top the Hot 100 in three (90's, 00's, and 10's) decades, as well as the eighth artist overall. On the week of October 1, 2011, the song advanced to number one on the Hot 100 Airplay.[15] As of 18 December, 2011 it has sold 3,805,000 digital copies in the United States.[16]

On August 1, 2011, "Moves Like Jagger" reached number two on the Australian ARIA Charts, making it Aguilera's highest charting single since "Candyman" in 2007,[17] and held the runner-up spot for ten straight weeks. On the week of August 20, 2011, the song topped the Canadian Hot 100 chart, becoming the band's second number-one single and Aguilera's third number-one single, first in almost 9 years (the last one was the 2002 hit "Beautiful").[18] On December 30, 2011, "Moves Like Jagger" took the 4th place at the israel's annual parade,

"Moves Like Jagger" made its debut on the UK Singles Chart at number three and sold 56,000 copies on the issue dated August 21, 2011, becoming Maroon 5's 4th top 10 hit and Christina Aguilera's 15th top 10 hit in the UK.[19] Starting at the issue date September 10, it peaked at number two for seven consecutive weeks, equalling the all-time UK record held by All-4-One's "I Swear"[20] for the longest stay at number two by a hit not to reach number one. On October 5, 2011, the song reached number one in the mid-week chart update but failed to reach the number one spot the following Sunday due to the mid-week release of Rihanna's new single We Found Love which climbed straight in at number one keeping Moves Like Jagger away from the number one position. Uniquely, in the first six of these weeks it was held off the top of the chart by six different number one singles consecutively, each of which debuted directly ahead of it; this after having already been held at number three behind two different pairs of new entries in its first[21] two[22] weeks on the chart. As of week ending October 22, "Moves Like Jagger" dropped two places to number 4, ending a seven week run in the runner-up position.[23] As of December 2011, the song had sold 990,000 copies in the UK.[24]
[edit] Music video
Levine and Aguilera singing together in the music video.

The music video for "Moves Like Jagger" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund and filmed in Los Angeles, California on July 8, 2011.[25][26] On July 9, Aguilera posted an image of herself from the video shoot via Twitter, saying, "Always great to see Jonas Akerlund. He created the perfect feel for the song. Expect a fun video."[27] The image showed Aguilera performing with a band in front of a background of the American flag.[27] Four shirtless images of Levine from the shoot were also released online the same day.[28] More images from the video shoot were released online on July 11, showing Levine and Aguilera performing in front of an American and British-themed backdrop with confetti falling from the ceiling.[26] Another image showed Aguilera performing in front of a black backdrop with her name "Christina" shown in pink.[26] The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger made an appearance in the video "via archive footage". The music video premiered on August 8 on E![25] The video features an incorrect, simplified version of the Union Flag as a backdrop for parts of the song. For Levine and his bandmates, the song and video are all about exposing a new generation to the rock legend. "We were lucky enough to get Mick's endorsement [for the video], as far as him giving us access to a bunch of different footage that's so cool," Levine told MTV News when they visited the video's set last month. "Not many people have seen [it], especially a newer generation of people that don't know so much about how incredible he was."[29]

The music video opens with black-and-white footage of the theater, shots of work crews assembling lighting and equipment onstage and groups of extras getting into costume, warming up for a shoot. This is followed by classic footage of Jagger, during which Michael Parkinson asks The Rolling Stones frontman how long he plans to make music. "I don't know. I never thought I'd be doing it for two years even," a young Jagger says, as the opening whistles of the Maroon 5 song kick in, throughout which a slew of Jagger look-alikes are shown dancing up to a central microphone, interlaced with archival footage of Jagger himself and shots of bandmembers James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, Michael Madden and Matt Flynn. When Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine eventually appears, he is bare-chested and tattooed. The video is mostly a mash-up of people trying to move like Jagger, including Levine. When Aguilera makes her brief appearance, she is dressed for a retro look with mascara-heavy lashes and a floppy hat.[29] Becky Bain wrote for Idolator that "Adam Levine wears a whole lot of ink on his upper torso instead of a shirt, and Christina Aguilera applies an entire bottle of mascara around her eyes."[30] The Huffington Post commented "We weren't sure whether Levine and Aguilera would be able to bring it like Mick, but then again, no one can ever touch the original. The best they can do is try to imitate Jagger's greatness--and Levine and Aguilera do a pretty solid job of that."[31]
[edit] Live performances

"Moves Like Jagger" was performed for the first time with Aguilera on June 21, 2011, during The Voice, a talent competition show on which both she and Levine are coaches.[1] Maroon 5 performed this song without Aguilera on America's Got Talent on August 3, 2011 in the results show of the fourth week of the Hollywood performances.[32] The song was performed live on September 8, 2011 at the NFL Pre-Show on Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI before the start of the 2011 NFL Season.[33] The song was also played on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in mid-September 2011, on Saturday Night Live on November 5, 2011, at the American Music Awards on November 20, 2011 with Aguilera, and at the Victoria Secret's 2011 Fashion Sho

Paradise

Paradise

The story begins with Bernard, a laicised Catholic priest, escorting his unwilling father Jack to Hawaii at the request of his aunt Ursula, who is dying of cancer. On the day after arrival, Jack is hit by a car and sent to hospital. Bernard spends much time travelling between Jack's bedside and Ursula's nursing home, and through this, gets the opportunity to discover their past. Ursula, always portrayed as the selfish black sheep, had been sexually abused as a child by her oldest brother Sean, who was venerated as a hero by the family for his death in the war. Ursula explains to Bernard that the experience ruined her marriage and her life. She wants Jack's apology for Jack knew of the abuse but kept silent. In the midst of this, Bernard strikes up a tentative relationship with Yolande Miller, the driver of the car that hit his father. Bernard's gradual sexual awakening parallels Ursula's struggle with her illness.




The narrative switches between third-person prose, Bernard's diary, a long letter from Bernard to Yolande, and postcards and notes sent from Hawaii by various characters encountered by Bernard and Jack on the plane journey from England, concluding with a letter from Yolande to Bernard.

The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Katy Perry. The song was written by Perry, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin. The latter two produced the song for Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). The song is a mid-tempo pop ballad about a lost love. It features a reference to the rock band Radiohead and addresses the relationship of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash to express the strength of the relationship.

"The One That Got Away" received mostly positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented Perry's serious tone. The song was released on October 4, 2011 by Capitol Records as the sixth single from the album, and was followed by its Floria Sigismondi-directed video, which premiered in November and featured actor Diego Luna.

With the song entering the top 10, Perry's Teenage Dream becomes just the seventh album in the 53-year history of the Hot 100 to generate at least six top 10s. The song joins the set's first five singles, all of which reached No. 1: "California Gurls", featuring Snoop Dogg; "Teenage Dream', "Firework"; "E.T.", featuring Kanye West; and, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". In a bid for the top spot, an official remix featuring rapper B.o.B was released to digital retailers on December 20, 2011.[1] The single reached the top of Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart, the seventh song from Teenage Dream to reach the top of the chart, the most by any album.[2]





On September 13, 2011, at the New York City's Irving Plaza, Capitol Records confirmed to Billboard that "The One That Got Away" would be the sixth single from Teenage Dream.[3] Perry said in a statement from the label:

"I'm so pleased to select 'The One That Got Away' as my sixth single because this song shows a very different side of me that I haven't shown with my past singles on this record, I think that everyone can relate to this song. I wrote (it) about when you promise someone forever, but you end up not being able to follow through. It's a bittersweet story. Hopefully, the listener learns from hearing it and never has to say they had 'The One' get away."[4]

Capitol Records said that they are not specifically releasing the song in hopes of it reaching number one and re-writing Hot 100 history, rather the decision came out of "Perry's fondness for the song, its ear-catching hook and her obvious track record of success at pop radio".[3] EMI Music/Capitol Records EVP/marketing and promotion Greg Thompson told Billboard that, "if it goes to No. 1, that would be great, If not, we still have a Katy song on the radio in fourth quarter", presumably boosting sales for Teenage Dream in the Christmas season.[3] The label serviced "The One That Got Away" to US mainstream top 40 stations on September 28, 2011, at noon ET.[4]

On September 28, 2011, Perry tweeted the words "The One That Got Away... It's happening!!!", along with a picture of the official single artwork, via TwitPic.[5] The artwork shows a pink-haired Perry looking up at the sky while wearing a disc-shaped hat. The photo gives a whimsical nod to the 1970s, with its distinctively retro appearance.[6] Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush commented that the artwork shows Perry in a "deep thought and remembering the one that actually did get away from her."[7]
[edit] Remixes

An official remix featuring rap singer B.o.B was released in December 2011. It added two verses, one at the beginning and another replacing the bridge of the album version of the song. The remix has been released in an effort to make "The One That Got Away" Perry's sixth straight number-one single. Accomplishing this feat will give her the record for most number-one songs from a single album, for which Perry currently shares with the late pop singer Michael Jackson.
[edit] Criticism

The decision for Capitol Records to release a remix and reduce the price of the song to give Perry a sixth number-one song has been criticized by some, noting that this is not Perry's first time adding a featured guest to her songs in order to boost sales. The hit single "E.T." was modified with verses from Kanye West, while "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" was given a remix featuring Missy Elliott.[8]

However, Billboard, which compiles the charts, wrote an article defending Perry and Capitol, underlining that they are operating under chart rules and that numerous other acts, such as Rihanna and Britney Spears, used the same tactics for charting purposes.[9]
[edit] Composition and writing

"The One That Got Away"
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A 22 second sample of "The One That Got Away", which features Perry belting the song title after the final chorus.
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"The One That Got Away" was written by Perry, Lukasz Gottwald and Max Martin and produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin.[10] It is a midtempo dance-pop song positioned on the piece of E major and has a rhythm of 138 beats per minute.[11] Joanna Holcombe from Yahoo! Music noted that the song is about first loves.[12] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly, said that the song is "a midtempo ode to a summer-after-high-school love with whom she recalls sharing Mustang makeout sessions to Radiohead'".[13] Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone stated that in the song she and the guy get matching tattoos on her 18th birthday.[14] Michael Wood from Spin magazine said that the song is one of the album's quieter cuts and that it recall(s) "Perry's singer-songwriter days at L.A.'s Hotel Café".[15] Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush said the most poignant lyrical declaration is when Perry sings: "Talk about our future / Like we had a clue", adding that the song most certainly pays homage to the feeling of being young and in love, with nothing ahead of you but possibility!", she concluded by saying that "there’s a wave of sadness' when Perry sings: "The oooooone / That got away".[7] The song follows the chord progression of E–G#m–C#m–A and Perry's vocal range and spans two octaves from B3 to E5.[11] The song was built on a relentless drum beat and a music box melody which highlights Perry's breathy voice.[7] Kitty Empire noticed that Perry's vocal is wistful throughout the song and that the references to June and Johnny Cash was unexpected.[16] Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone stated that when Perry sings, 'I was June, and you were my Johnny Cash,' "it's understood that she's thinking of the scrubbed-up Hollywood version of June and Johnny, from Walk the Line."[14]
[edit] Critical reception

Kerri Mason from Billboard described the song as "delectable", noting that it has more texture than anything on Perry's previous album, One of the Boys.[17] Mikael Wood from Spin Magazine said that although "Perry delivers the gurl-gone-wild stuff with requisite sass", she actually "sounds more engaged on 'Not Like the Movies,' and 'The One That Got Away'.[15] Similarly, Kitty Empire from The Guardian praised the collaboration, stating that Perry and Luke are at their most appealing in the song.[16] In a similar note, Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone, stated that Perry is more at home with the mall romance of "The One That Got Away".[18] The same opinion was echoed by Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune who felt that Perry sounds more invested in the more "serious" songs on the album, such as The One That Got Away. However, he added that it's as if Perry is "determined to balance the summer frothiness with a few shots of 'adult' earnestness".[19] Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush gave the song three-and-a-half stars out of five, explaining that "it was wise of Perry's label to release this particular song during the back-to-school period, since this tune will certainly appeal to high schoolers and college freshmen who are experiencing the very things Perry is singing about", adding that the song plays to Perry’s strengths.[7] On the other hand, Ben Norman from About.com criticized the song's tedious production and forgettable lyrics. He also added that the song is "a more boring version of 'Teenage Dream.'"[20] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly was not satisfied with the selection of the song as the sixth single, noting that there are better songs on the album that could have been chosen instead.[13] Robert Copsey of the website Digital Spy awarded the song with four out of five stars and said:

"'Summer after high school, when we first met/ We make out in your Mustang, to Radiohead,' Katy Perry reminisces on the opening of her latest, potentially record-breaking single. We've always known that she had a penchant for the alt-rock, but we wonder if KP's 18-year-old self ever thought she'd be substituting the sounds of Thom Yorke and co. for the sugar-coated melodies that have made her one of the best-known artists on the planet today? 'Used to steal our parents' liquor, and climb through the roof/ Talk about our future, like we had a clue,' she continues over a toe-tapping drum beat and delicate piano riff as she agonises over the loss of her one true love. 'In another life, I would be your girl/ We'd keep all our promises/ Be us against the world,' she mourns on a chorus as instantly satisfying as a mugful of Kenco. Word of advice Katy, we'd keep this one well away from Russell if you want to avoid history repeating itself."[21]

[edit] Music video
[edit] Background

On September 28, 2011, Capitol Records told Billboard that the video for "The One That Got Away" will be filmed "in the coming days".[22] Perry started filming for the video on September 30, 2011.[23] Filming ended on October 2, 2011.[23] Mexican actor Diego Luna plays Perry's boyfriend in the video.[24] Photos from the set surfaced online, showing Perry as an old woman. She can be seen wearing a conservative long-sleeved dress as well as sporting gray hair and prosthetic face wrinkles.[25] The video was directed by Floria Sigismondi.[26] The music video premiered on November 11, 2011.[27]

On November 4, 2011, a teaser for the video was released, narrated by Stevie Nicks.[28] Nicks provides the voice of Perry as an old woman, speaking about the past and her desire to go back for one day. The video contains scenes of her and her past boyfriend (played by Diego Luna) fighting, intertwined with scenes of them in love. She is later shown as a nostalgic, elderly woman, dressed conservatively and standing by a fence looking into the distance.[29]
[edit] Synopsis
Perry in her younger and older self in the video for "The One That Got Away".

The video was released on November 11, 2011. It begins with an old Perry at a modernistic home with who is her husband (played by Herman Sinitzyn). She makes herself a cup of coffee and thinks about the past when the song begins. As she sits on her bed, it cuts back to a younger Perry with her boyfriend, an artist (played by Diego Luna). They paint portraits of each other, dress up, and dance at a party. He gives her a tattoo with hot ink. These scenes are inter-cut with shots of the older Perry sadly reminiscing, as she sits on her bed at night. In the flashback, the younger Perry and her boyfriend are seen fighting, culminating in her splashing red paint on one of his elaborate paintings after he did the same to one of her paintings. He leaves angrily and drives away. The younger Perry appears to the older Perry in her bedroom: younger Perry sitting next to older Perry, both singing. The younger Perry is also shown in older Perry's closet, crying and singing. The angry boyfriend is seen driving; he opens the sun visor above him and finds the veil of the dress Perry wore when partying. As he stares at it, he does not notice the large boulders on the road. He tries to avoid running into it and crashes off a cliff. The older Perry is seen standing at the cliffside where the car crashed, while Johnny Cash's cover of "You Are My Sunshine" plays in the background. The ghost of the painter appears and holds hands with older Perry, revealing matching wing tattoos on their hands. However, the song in the background is cut when the ghost vanishes, and the older Perry slowly walks away from the cliffside.
[edit] Reception

Jillian Mapes of Billboard commented that the video was "beautifully-shot" and praised the interesting plot.[30] A writer of Rolling Stone wrote: "It's a cute clip for a sweet song, but the heavy-handed aging makeup is hard to get over."[31] Entertainment Weekly's Erin Strecker compared the video with Titanic (1997) and Rihanna's video for "We Found Love". Strecker also noted that the video was more "tragic" than he was expecting from Perry.[32] Jessica Misener of The Huffington Post gave a positive review towards the outfits in the video.[33] Jocelyn Vena of MTV News said: "Katy Perry's moody, contemplative clip for 'The One That Got Away' perfectly encapsulates both the joy of falling in love and the heartbreak of letting go. It travels through time and space and recalls the story of Perry's one that got away."[34] Consequence of Sound's Chris Coplan called the video a "little more somber" than the videos Perry made for "E.T." and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)".[35] Laura Schreffler of Daily Mail noted that Perry is "showing a side of herself that she hasn't shown before" with the vulnerability and the "shocking, heartbreaking twist[s]."[36]
[edit] Extended version

A seven-minute extended version of the video was shown on November 11, 2011, exclusively at select advance screenings of the motion picture My Week with Marilyn.[37]
[edit] Chart performance

"The One That Got Away" debuted at number 87 in Australia on the week ending October 10, 2011.[38][39] In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 40 and later peaked at number 12. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) after selling 7,500 copies there.[40][41] On the week ending October 16, 2011, the song debuted at number 94 on Billboard Hot 100.[42] In its sixth week it entered the top 10 making Teenage Dream one of only seven albums in Billboard's 53-year history to have six singles enter the top 10.[43] The single has since entered the Billboard Hot 100 top 5, making Teenage Dream one of three albums to have six or more top 5 singles from one album in the U.S.
[edit] Live performances and Cover version
Perry signing autographs for fans after performing the song on X-Factor.

"The One That Got Away" was part of the setlist of Perry's worldwide 2011 concert tour, California Dreams Tour. On October 12, 2011, Perry mashed "The One That Got Away" with "Someone Like You" during her headline show at Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield, England.[44] On October 16, 2011, she also performed the song on the UK version of the The X Factor.[45][46] Perry performed the song at the American Music Awards on November 20, 2011. Her AMA 2011 performance was followed by a lengthy standing ovation, and immediate presentation of a special award acknowledging Perry as the only female to have five #1 singles from the same album.[47]

Someone Like You

"Someone Like You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele. Written by Adele and Dan Wilson for her second studio album 21. The pop[1] ballad was inspired by a broken relationship of hers, and lyrically it speaks of Adele coming to terms with it. XL Recordings released the song as the second single from the album on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and on 9 August 2011 in the United States. Accompanied only by a piano in the song, Adele sings about the end of the relationship with her ex-boyfriend. The song received positive reviews from music critics who chose the song as a highlight on the album and praised its simple sound. The lyrics and Adele's vocal performance in the song were also praised.

Following a well-received performance of the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards, "Someone Like You" became Adele's first number one single in the United Kingdom and it stayed on the top of the chart for five weeks. The song also topped the charts in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland and has become Adele's second number one in the United States. With that achievement Adele became the first female British solo singer in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have two number ones from the same album. In July 2011, it became the first single of the decade to sell a million units in the United Kingdom and it was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), as well as being certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States.

An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Jake Nava and it was filmed in Paris, France. The video showed Adele walking alone through the streets with a sad look on her face. Critics praised the video for being simple and perfect for the sound of the song. Adele performed the song on several award and television shows including the 2011 BRIT Awards, 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She additionally added the song on the set list of her second tour Adele Live. The live performances of the song were heavily praised by music critics and fans.

On 30 November 2011, "Someone Like You" received one Grammy Award nomination, in the pop field, for Best Pop Solo Performance.




"Someone Like You" was written and produced by Adele and American songwriter and producer Dan Wilson.[2] It was one of the last written for 21.[2] The track, which epitomizes the lyrical content of 21, summarizes the now defunct relationship that the record is all about.[3] Adele has openly discussed the genesis of it saying, "Well, I wrote that song because I was exhausted from being such a bitch, with 'Rolling in the Deep' or 'Rumour Has It' ... I was really emotionally drained from the way I was portraying him, because even though I'm very bitter and regret some parts of it, he's still the most important person that's ever been in my life, and 'Someone Like You,' I had to write it to feel OK with myself and OK with the two years I spent with him. And when I did it, I felt so freed."[4]

Adele had said that it was written on her acoustic guitar, quickly, in the wake of the break-up of her 18 month relationship with the 30-year old man she thought she would marry. A Source close to the singer has named him as Chris 'Boomer' McCann from Lurgan, Co Armagh. A few months after their split, he had gotten engaged to someone else. "We were so intense I thought we would get married. But that was something he never wanted ...So when I found out he does want that with someone else, it was just the horrible-est feeling ever. But after I wrote it, I felt more at peace. It set me free ... I didn't think it would resonate ... with the world! I'm never gonna write a song like that again. I think that's the song I'll be known for."[5] She also said that "I wrote that song on the end of my bed. I had a cold. I was waiting for my bath to run. I'd found out that he'd got engaged to someone else."[6]

Adele revealed that she was struggling emotionally when she composed it: "When I was writing it I was feeling pretty miserable and pretty lonely, which I guess kind of contradicts 'Rolling in the Deep'. Whereas that was about me saying, 'I'm going to be fine without you', this is me on my knees really."[3] She discussed further the inspiration of the song: "I can imagine being about 40 and looking for him again, only to turn up and find that he's settled with a beautiful wife and beautiful kids and he's completely happy... and I'm still on my own. The song's about that and I'm scared at the thought of that."[3]
[edit] Recording and composition

"[...] 'Someone Like You,' the stirring, somber closer in which Adele goes to visit a former love (with high hopes of a reconciliation), only to discover he has not only moved on with his life, but is in a much better place. And though she's heartbroken, she puts on a brave face, stubbornly proclaiming she'll find someone just like him, even if she knows that she never will. And that conclusion makes you ache not only because it's so daunting, but because it's so real. We've all felt that way, tried to trick ourselves into thinking that any other outcome was possible. In Adele's music, much like life, there are no happy endings."
– James Montgomery of MTV News talking about "Someone Like You".[7]

Adele collaborated with famed musician and producer Dan Wilson on "Someone Like You" which was one of the final songs composed for the album. Prior to meeting with Wilson, Adele wrote many of the lyrics using her acoustic guitar.[8] The two sat around the piano for two days and brainstormed various melodies and lyrics, and ultimately decided to keep the musical production sparse: "We just wrote it on the piano and then we recorded it when it was written. It wasn't sort of like recording it and listening to it thinking 'where can we go next?' It was really old school."[8] During an interview with Billboard, Wilson stated that while writing the song, they wanted to make it as personal as possible.[9] He added "We didn't try to make it open-ended so it could apply to 'anybody.' We tried to make it as personal as possible. She may not have had a melodic hook or a specific lyrical idea, but she always knew what she wanted to say. She definitely had a master plan."[9] The song was recorded at Harmony Studios in West Hollywood, California with Wilson playing piano.[2] The mixing was done by Tom Elmhirst and Dan Parry while the mastering was finished by Tom Coyne.[2]

According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony Music Publishing, "Someone Like You" has a slow tempo of 67 beats per minute.[1] Written in common time, the song is in the key of A major.[1] Adele's vocal range spans from F#3 to E5 during the song.[1] A slow, plaintive ballad pairing Adele's voice with a looping piano line, "Someone Like You" is the lyrical opposite of "Rolling in the Deep"[10] on which the singer narrates coming to terms with the end of the relationship:[10] "Nevermind, I'll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don't forget me, I beg/I'll remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead." According to Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice, the singer's "nuanced"[11] voice goes up a full octave and "into a near-shrieked whisper" as she sings parts of the chorus.[11] However, she "rebounds and gathers herself", and her voice descends into its fuller and more melancholy state.[11] Critics praised its introspective lyrics and maturity.[12][13] "Someone Like You" has been compared to the song "Hometown Glory" (2008) from the album 19.[12] John Murphy of MusicOMH said that the song "casts Adele as the spurned lover, turning up outside her ex's house, now moved on and settled down, begging for a second chance."[14] According to Aamir Yaqub of Soul Culture, "Talking of a lost love, this an extremely touching track with a vocal performance that makes the narrative almost tangible ... It really captures the experience of the story and puts it across in both a credible and incredible fashion."[15] Camreon Adams of Herald Sun called the song a "spine-tingling sparse piano ballad."[16]

"Someone Like You"
Play sound
A 27-second sample of "Someone Like You" which features spare and understated production. In the song, Adele wishes her former spouse happiness on his new relationship and begs him to never forget her.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Lyrically, the song talks about the end of Adele's first "real relationship" with her long-time friend and lover and it shows her confronting his marriage.[17][18] At the beginning of the song, she sings the lines "I heard that you're settled down/That you found a girl and you're married now. I heard that your dreams came true/Guess she gave you things I couldn't give to you" with a softly voice and accompanied just by a simple piano melody.[9][19] The lyrics of "Someone Like You" are talking about what once was and what could have been as stated by a writer of Daily Herald.[19] Finding the strength to bounce back from hardship and heartache, Adele sings the lines, "Never mind, I'll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you, too/Don't forget me, I begged, I remember you said/Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."[20] Talking about the meaning and the composition of the song, Jer Fairall of PopMatters said: "The song's subject—Adele mentally addressing an old lover who has since found happiness elsewhere—is familiar, but the detail she colors it with are vibrantly tactile and resonant, from the sense-memory setting of 'we were born and raised in a summer haze' to her recollection of his cruel kiss-off line 'I remember you said, 'sometimes it lasts in love and sometimes it hurts instead'' and how she comes to take solace in the statement as an empowering mantra."[21]
[edit] Critical reception

The song has received universal critical acclaim from a wide variety of publications upon release, and has been viewed as a highlight of 21. In a track-by-track review for 21, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK noted the track's placement at the end of the album saying, "It maybe a cliché, but Adele has saved the best until last with this heartfelt and enchanting piano ballad. ... It's sad but beautiful and displays Adele at her best – marking the perfect end to what has been in our eyes, a faultless album."[12] Will Dean of The Guardian claimed the song was the album's "highlight", characterizing it as "gorgeous".[22] That was somehow echoed by Slant Magazine's Matthew Cole who also called the song "gorgeous".[23] NME's Parkin Chris also marked the song as a highlight, describing it as "surprisingly weighty" and comparing it favorably to the work of American Country blues singer Karen Dalton.[24]

Tom Breihan of Pitchfork Media selected "Someone Like You" as a song of the day, claiming it served as a reaffirmation of popular music: "Sometimes, pop music can still break your heart."[13] Writing for BBC Online, Ian Wade noted that the "final track Someone Like You, just voice and piano, is an actual thing of beauty, placing the listener in one of those moments where you feel you're in the presence of a future standard."[25] Bill Lamb of About.com wrote that "the piano melody is gorgeous and combined with Adele's heartfelt reading of her words, the effect is highly emotional. You can imagine it being both honked through by talent show contestants and transcended by veterans alike."[26] Lamb went to write that the song is one of the "top songs of 2011" and that "romantic pain has rarely been so utterly beautiful."[26] Jer Fairall of PopMatters called the song an "absolute magic" and praised Adele's performance by saying, "Though it is unquestionably her finest vocal showcase to date, it is less remarkable for its more powerful moments than for the small ones where her voice dips, with rueful melancholy on the line 'I heard that your dreams came true' or cracks on the 'I beg' in the chorus, like she's startled at the revelation of her own vulnerability."[21] He further called her vocal performance of the song "stunning" and "finally worthy of her talents".[21]

Writing for the website No Ripcord, Gary McGinley said that the song "has an aching beauty and the hallmarks of a modern standard."[27] He further added that it "sounds poised to soundtrack atmospheric TV trailers over the coming months."[27] A writer of URB magazine called "Someone Like You" "a heart-wrencher made all the more real by reeling phrasing and bare-voiced pleading, 'I wish nothing but the best for you, too.'"[28] John Murphy of MusicOMH categorized "Someone Like You" and "Turning Tables" as "the two best songs on the album."[14] He concluded that the song was "desperately sad and utterly, utterly gorgeous."[14] Bary Walters of Spin wrote that on "the piano-led finale, she vows, 'I'll find someone like you,' as if that's progress. It's a statement that's utterly WTF and yet true to the cyclical nature of psychological damage."[29] Sputnikmusic's Joseph Viney called the song "an ode to stalking with a perverse attitude that lies underneath the fragile composition, looks set to become the soundtrack to a million messy break-ups."[30] Allison Stewart of The Washington Post put the song on her list "Recommended tracks".[31]

At the 2011 Q Awards, "Someone Like You" was nominated in the category for Best Track.[32] The song was also nominated in the category for Best Song at the 2011 Music of Black Origin Awards.[33] "Someone Like You" is currently nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards, which will be held on 12 February 2012.[34][35]
[edit] Chart performance

"Someone Like You" has achieved commercial success by topping the charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries. The song debuted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart in late-January 2011 due to strong digital downloads from 21. Following a live performance of the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards, it climbed 46 places from the previous week to number one, beating Lady Gaga's single "Born This Way" (2011), although it was at number 18 on the mid-week chart update.[36] While "Someone Like You" was at number one on the chart, Adele's previous single, "Rolling in the Deep" was placed at number four.[36] With that achievement, Adele has become the first living artist since The Beatles in 1964 who simultaneously had two top five hits in both the charts (21 and 19 were also in the top five on the UK Albums Chart).[36][37][38] It stayed atop the chart for four consecutive weeks (selling upwards of 100,000 copies for three of them[citation needed]) before slipping to number two on 20 March.[39] Following a performance on Comic Relief,[40][41] "Someone Like You" returned to the number one spot on 27 March, hence becoming the first song to spend 5 weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart since Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" (2008).[citation needed] It has been certified Platinum by the BPI, denoting shipments of 600,000 copies.[42] It became the biggest selling single of 2011 in the United Kingdom selling over 1,000,000 copies as of 5 July 2011 and becoming the first single of the decade to do so.[43] The song also became the 16th song which sold more than 1,000,000 copies from the 2000s.[44] It is the third million seller by a UK female solo artist and the first by a UK female singer-songwriter.[citation needed] As of December 2011, current UK sales stand at 1,210,000 copies.[45]

The song debuted at number 47 on the Australian Singles Chart.[46] "Someone Like You" remained at the top position of the chart for seven consecutive weeks[46] and it was certified 4× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[47] It has also peaked at number one in New Zealand for five weeks, ending an 11 week run at number one for "Party Rock Anthem".[48] The single sold 51,000 copies its first week in the US, debuting at number 65.[49] The single re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 97 on the week ending 30 July 2011.[50] Upon its radio release in the United States, and a surge in popularity following her performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, "Someone Like You" climbed 18 positions to number one from number 19, and became her second consecutive number-one single on the Hot 100 and making Adele the first ever British female singer to spawn two consecutive number one singles from the same album.[51][52] After the performance, "Someone Like You" moved from number 11 to number one on the Digital Songs chart with 275,000 downloads sold (191% increase), according to Nielsen SoundScan.[38][51] On Radio Songs, the track moved from number 42 to number 19 with 46 million all-format audience impressions (59% increase), according to Nielsen BDS.[51] The song made Hot 100 history by achieving the biggest jump to number 1 in the chart's 53-year history that was not spurred by the release of a single.[53] "Someone Like You" became the first strictly voice-and-piano ballad to top the Billboard Hot 100.[54] The song also became the first "unquestionably slow song" to top the Hot 100 chart since Rihanna's song, "Take a Bow" (2008).[55] It topped the chart for 1 week and then slipped from number 1 to number 2 being replaced by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera's "Moves Like Jagger".[56] A few days the release of its video, on 6 October 2011, the song returned to number one again and spent more 4 weeks at the top.[57], where it was soon replaced by "We Found Love" by Rihanna. With "Rolling in the Deep" spending 7 weeks at number one and "Someone Like You" spending 5 weeks, Adele is the first female solo artist to log five weeks at #1 in a calendar year with two strictly solo recordings. Beyoncé, Monica and Mariah Carey also did it (in 2003, 1998 and 1995, respectively), if collaborations are included.[58] As of December 2011, it has sold over 3,264,000 downloads in the US alone.[59]
[edit] Music video
[edit] Background and synopsis

On 27 September 2011, it was reported that the music video for the song was already filmed in Paris, France and it was directed by English director Jake Nava.[60] Several black-and-white pictures which showed Adele "gazing out over a river against a cloudy backdrop" were also posted.[61] Later, the same day, MTV posted a 30-second preview of the video which showed Adele slowly walking on a road.[62] Talking about the video, Nava said, "The location evokes style and romance. And shooting early in the morning allows you to focus on Adele in this lonely and emotional space."[60][63] The video premiered on 29 September at 7:56 p.m. EST on MTV and Vevo.[7][60][64] The video begins with a shot of a road in Paris and Adele is seen walking on it alone. She continues to walk and starts singing the song with a sad look as the camera makes circles and shots more locations in Paris including the Eiffel Tower. During the second chorus, Adele stops singing and pauses on the Pont Alexandre III to look over the Seine. She continues walking alone through the streets during the bridge before finally entering a building in which she sees her ex-lover.[65] After seeing her, he starts to walk away and several shots of Adele looking at him follow.
[edit] Reception

James Montgomery of MTV News called the video "a somber, black-and-white affair, featuring Adele wandering the early morning streets and pining for her long-lost love. It's a perfect match for the song's jaw-dropping emotional range—raw and unfiltered and incredibly sad but also, in a lot of ways, beautiful and resolute."[60] In another review of the video he praised its black-and-white shots saying that "director Jake Nava made the smart decision to shoot it in arty, smudgy black-and-white, which only adds to the clip's desolate, haunted feel."[7] He added that "there are no special effects, no camera tricks or elaborate choreography, because those are quick fixes" and called Adele the "Queen of Pain."[7] A writer of the website HitFix concluded that the video is "in keeping with the singer's subdued style" and added that its vibe fits with the "melancholy tune."[62] Entertainment Weekly's Tanner Stransky called the video "quiet" and said that "it's just what you'd want to see for this break-up heart-wrencher."[65] Krista Wick of Entertainment Tonight praised the video for being "more than enough to accompany Adele's soulful vocals."[66]

Amanda Dobbins of New York magazine concluded that "the secretly devastating video" for "Someone Like You" will remind Adele's ex-lover what he has done by leaving her.[67] A writer of The Huffington Post praised the simplicity and the sadness in the video.[68] Sarah Dean of the same publication called it an "uncomplicated, moving film" and wrote, "the video is nothing more than Adele wandering around the deserted city of love alone, under its grey skies, singing her sorrowful notes, but because it’s her, we don’t need any more."[69] That was somehow echoed by Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine who said that the video was "simply constructed as the song's vocal-and-piano arrangement."[70] Marc Hogan of Spin said that the scene in which Adele looks in the camera, "speak[s] for itself" about the sadness in the video.[71] Andrew Matson of The Seattle Times said, "the song of the year now has a simple, perfect video: Adele in Paris, singing and strolling, apparently processing the breakup detailed in the song's lyrics. The look on her face during the 'I wish nothing but the best for you' line is the best, just gutting, a real achievement how she plays it cold but not sarcastic. I think in times of emotional devastation, everyone wants stand on a bridge over the Seine on a cold day, squinting into the wind, sorting it out."[72]

A writer of Rolling Stone wrote: "this clip for the ballad 'Someone Like You' sticks to the singer's simple but emotionally direct approach with black and white footage that lingers on her subtly expressive face as she lip-synchs to the tune while walking along sad, grey city streets."[73] Andrea Devaro of Long Island Press concluded, "its simplicity beautifully portrays the complexity of emotions invoked in the song."[74] Leah Collins of Dose called Adele "'60s bombshell glam" and said that the video's "simplicity is its strength."[75] She added: "There's something about streetlamps, cafes and the River Seine that lend an air of melancholic elegance to what would otherwise be just another walk of shame by a girl with two-day-old hair. Not everyone gets to indulge in moments as tragic but beautiful as a weepy solitary walk through Paris landmarks. But then, we don't all have voices as tragic and beautiful as Adele's either."[75] A more mixed review was given by AOL's Ashley Percival who called the video predictable and added "It's all very pleasant, but after all this time, what's the point?".[76] Nicole Eggenberger of OK! wrote that Adele "created the perfect music video to go along with her hauntingly beautiful ballad" and further described it as "simple yet stunning."[77]
[edit] Live performances
Adele performing "Someone Like You" in 2011 during a concert in Seattle, Washington.

Adele performed "Someone Like You" for the first time in November 2010 on the BBC music show Later Live...with Jools Holland before the release of the album.[78] Later, she performed the song at the 2011 BRIT Awards held at The O2 Arena in London on 15 February 2011.[79] She appeared on stage backed just by her pianist while "special effects were limited to a shower of glitter and Adele’s own tears, as she almost broke down delivering her lovelorn plea to an ex-boyfriend" as stated by Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph.[80] Speaking on the ITV2 after show, Adele explained why she had cried at the end of the performance saying, "I was really emotional by the end because I'm quite overwhelmed by everything anyway, and then I had a vision of my ex, of him watching me at home and he's going to be laughing at me because he knows I'm crying because of him, with him thinking, 'Yep, she's still wrapped around my finger'. Then everyone stood up, so I was overwhelmed."[81] A writer of Daily Mirror said that "Adele stole the show [...] with her univerally-praised performance of Someone Like You."[79] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph chose the song as a highlight on the show saying that Adele knocked "everyone for six with no bells and whistles, just a piano, her gorgeous voice and a monster song, Someone Like You."[82] Later, the song was performed during a VH1 special called "Unplugged".[83] Adele also performed the song at Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 24 February 2011.[84] The same day she performed "Someone Like You" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[85] She also performed the song on Later... with Jools Holland.[86]

The singer also performed the song at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on 28 August 2011.[87] After being introduced by American singer Katy Perry, Adele appeared in a black scalloped lace dress by Barbara Tfank,[88][89] and standing alone on the stage, only with her pianist behind her.[90] Her hair was pulled back and a signature ponytail draped over one shoulder she sang the song and "did vocal aerobics and dripped her soulful, sultry sound over the dark ballad, while a transfixed audience watched her" as stated by Kelley L. Carter of MTV.[90] After the performance she received a standing ovation from fans and critics.[91] According to USA Today's Cindy Clark she "captivated the audience with her powerful performance".[92] Wesley Case of The Baltimore Sun concluded, "Adele's 'Someone Like You' could make a tough guy weep. Her tone was gorgeous."[93] Rating the performance with A, Claire Suddath of Time magazine said "it's heartening to hear a truly talented woman sing a mournful torch song for someone who has left her for someone better. And if her stellar performance, accompanied by only a piano, isn't enough to melt your heart, then her nervous wave to the audience at the end definitely will."[94] A writer of Los Angeles Times called her vocals "strong and direct, and tackles grief by moving with the melody rather than trying to pummel it" and added that it was "less-is-more performance, a tactic award-show producers rarely indulge in, but Adele needs few adornments to impress."[95] A writer of Rolling Stone said that Adele brought a "big dollop of elegance to the VMAs with a spare, moving rendition of 'Someone Like You'" and added that "amid all the pop art glitz, it was a refreshing palate cleanser."[96]

Gina Sepre of E! Online praised the performance saying, "When Adele took the stage to perform her understatedly stripped-down and hugely impactful performance of 'Someone Like You,' there were no pyrotechnics, no acrobatics, no lavender hair, and no autotune. And guess what? We didn't miss it. There may be hope yet for MTV to remember just what the 'M' in their name actually stands for."[97] Writing about the performance, Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound concluded that "Someone Like You", "highlighted the power a bare-bones, booming performance can have in netting people’s attention. Simple is not a bad word, pop music."[98] Giving the performance an A+, Lindsey Ward of Jam! said: "When I learned British chart-topper Adele would be performing at Sunday's awards I thought, 'Whew – at least we're guaranteed five solid, meaningful minutes of quality music television'. I was right; her frill-free performance of breakup ballad Someone Like You was just that."[99] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly highlighted the performance calling it "one of the best performances of the show."[100] Another writer of the same publication gave the performance a grade of A+ and wrote: "It takes a real super power to make the seizure-inducing lasers stop, and that power's name is Adele. The broadcast temporarily abandoned its frantic mission of nonstop overstimulation, bowing to the 23-year-old English soulstress's soaring, nearly a cappella (well done, subtle piano man) rendition of her heart-wrecking ballad Someone Like You. In a modest black dress and with a few spare hand movements, she delivered all the shock and awe of a million-watt showstopper. Who needs special effects, when God gave you your own? Even Britney Spears looked like she had to fix her mascara when it was all over."[101]

"Someone Like You" was also added to the set list of the second concert tour by Adele, Adele Live, and it was performed during the encore.[18][102] While reviewing a concert by Adele, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK, said "There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Adele powered her way through the ballad, encouraging the audience to help her sing the somewhat beautiful, yet emotional chorus – giving everyone goosebumps. The sounds of Someone Like You bounced off every wall and tugged at every heart-string, making it a truly special moment and something that every member of the Apollo crowd will never forget."[102] Jim Harrington of San Jose Mercury News chose the song as a highlight on the show adding that the song showed "her supreme vocal talent."[103]
[edit] Cover versions
The song has been covered by multiple artists including Taio Cruz (left) and Katy Perry (right).

The song was also sampled by Young Money Entertainment rapper, Tyga, on his song "Reminded". Although Adele is credited as a featured artist, the sample was pitched up to fit the song's tempo.[104] Amber Riley, an American actress and singer posted a cover of the song on the Internet. After the cover, Adele sent her a "touching" e-mail.[105] In March 2011, English singer Connie Talbot sent a cover of the song on YouTube.[106][107] Jarett Wieselman of New York Post praised the cover saying that it contained "all the emotion despite none of the relevant life experience."[108] In March 2011, British singer Jamie Woon covered the song at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.[109] On 12 October 2011, American singer-songwriter Katy Perry mashed her song "The One That Got Away" (2011) with "Someone Like You" during her headline show at Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield, England.[110] In November 2011, British rapper Taio Cruz, also covered the song.[111] According to Carly Costello of the website Artistdirect, "Cruz does a 'dynamite' job with the song. No Autotune. No studio treatment. No bells and whistles. Just simple, raw, unbridled emotion."[111] Amber Riley, Naya Rivera and Heather Morris sang a mash-up of "Someone Like You" and Adele's other song "Rumour Has It" (2011) during Glee's episode "Mash Off" which aired on 15 November.[112][113] However, the cover was posted online on 10 November.[114] Jenna Mullins of E! Online praised the cover saying that it will "knock your socks right off"[115] and a writer for OK! described it as "AMAZE-ing".[116] Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone noted that the cover was "one of the greatest things the show has done [so far]."[117] Similarly, Billboard's Raye Votta commented that the cover was "arguably the best performance 'Glee' has done since 'Don't Stop Believin''."[118] Their version of the song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 while selling 160,000 digital downloads in its first week and became the fifth highest digital sales week by a Glee Cast single.[119][120] In Canada, the song made a "Hot Shot Debut" on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 12, selling 14,000 downloads.[121] The song peaked at #35 on the UK Singles Chart, the first Glee recording to make the UK top 40 since "I Feel Pretty / Unpretty".
[edit] Controversy and usage in media

The song was banned from being played in the Opus ii store in Dublin because the workers were tired of customers trying to play the song on their keyboards.[122][123] The workers put a sign on the store which stated "Strictly NO Adele".[124] A shop assistant said "It's become the piano equivalent of 'Stairway To Heaven'. Everyone thinks they can play it. The sign was a bit of a joke, but the song can drive you mad."[125] Joanna Corscadden, an assistant manager at the shop said: "It is a very popular song, and it gets played over and over again. You get sick of songs when you hear them so often. So after hearing the same song played about four to five times in about half an hour, one staff member put up a sign stating 'strictly no Adele'. We will remove it if people are genuinely offended by it but people are still entitled to play, and they are continuing to do so. They [customers] called us piano shop fascists but did not get the correct name of our shop."[126]

"Someone Like You" was used in several movies and soundtracks after its release.[80] The song was featured during the closing of the Grey's Anatomy episode "This is How We Do It."[127] It was also featured during the season 4 finale of Secret Diary of a Call Girl. The song also appeared on Australian drama, Winners & Losers on 14 June. The song was also included in the international soundtrack to Fina Estampa, a Brazilian telenovela. It was coverd by serbian superstar Mladen Bolt.

On 12 November 2011 during episode of American television network NBC's Saturday Night Live, an entire skit was dedicated to the song, parodying the strong emotion behind the song, and how women listen to it repeatedly when at their most sorrowful moment. The skit later also had the men "touched" by the song, and they too joined in the weeping with the women. A cutaway during the skit also displayed the members of the British band Coldplay, who was the episode's musical guest, weeping to the song.[128]

Set Fire To The Rain

Set Fire To The Rain

"Set Fire to the Rain" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album 21. Written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith and produced by Smith, the power ballad was released as the second single from the album in Europe. It was released as the third single in the United Kingdom on 4 July 2011, where the song has peaked at number 11. The song has peaked at number one in Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. The song has charted within the top 10 of Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and United States. "Set Fire to the Rain" was released on 21 November 2011 as 21's third official single in the United States.

"Set Fire to the Rain" was written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith while the production was handled by Smith.[1] On 28 October, during an interview with Billboard, Columbia Records revealed that "Rumour Has It" will be released as the third single from the album and serviced to pop and adult contemporary radio.[2] However, the release of the song was scrapped and "Set Fire to the Rain" was released as the third US-single on 21 November 2011.[3][4] A spokesperson for Columbia, Pete Cosenza stated: "Our research found more programmer preference for 'Set Fire to the Rain'. [...] Both 'Rumour' and 'Fire' came back strong, but 'Fire' was a bit stronger. [...] It's a better plan to go with 'Fire' over 'Rumour' at pop and adult radio. [...] Everyone, from radio to the buying public, seems to be on board."[3]

"Set Fire to the Rain" is the fifth track on Adele's second album 21. It was written with producer Fraser T. Smith with whom she has worked on various tracks. It is written in the key of D Minor and Adele's voice expands from Bb3-D5.[5] The song describes the contradictory elements of a relationship, and the impossibility of letting go which is displayed in the lyrics "You and me together, nothing gets better/But there’s a side to you that I never knew, never knew/All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true/And the games you play, you would always win."[6][7] One of the most pop-influenced of the album,[8] the song is characterized by John Murphy of MusicOMH as a "power ballad".[9] In contrast to the understated production of most songs on the album, the song features lush instrumentation and a swelling string arrangement[10][6] over a mid-tempo rhythm,[11] creating a wall of sound[10][12] for the singer's mourning vocals. Dave Simpson of The Guardian concluded that the song was inspired "when mah lightah stopped workin'" in the wet.[1


The song garnered generally positive reviews. A writer for the magazine URB said that the song had "starbucks-friendlier content" and further called it "melodramatic".[14] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly concluded that the song had "scorned-woman balladry" and it "surge[s] on the pure force of her titanic wail."[15] While reviewing 21, a writer of The New York Times said, "the vocal effects on 'Set Fire to the Rain,' produced by Fraser T. Smith, the most pop-minded of the assembled team, are superfluous."[16] John Murphy of MusicOMH gave a negative review towards the song calling it "real misfire" and "overproduced".[9] However he added, "it's a decent enough song, but Adele's always sounded best when it's just a piano and a voice."[9] Writing for the magazine Herald Sun, Camreon Adams called the song a "triumphant radio-hit-in-waiting of next single" and concluded that "once the chorus kicks in, you're a goner."[17]

Gary McGinley of No Ripcord highlighted "Set Fire to the Rain" calling it "the catchiest song" on 21.[10] Another writer of Daily Herald said that Adele sounds "epic" on the song.[18] Allison Stewart of The Washington Post found the song to be "galloping, out-of-place synth-rock number" and added that "even Adele can't save" the song.[19] Nick Freed of Consequence of Sound said that "Set Fire to the Rain" finds Adele at "her strongest and most open."[6] He further called the song "one of 21's angrier tracks" and concluded: "The chorus' hooks are crazy catchy, and by the final one Adele releases and her hurt slips through the anger to give you a damn real and forward show of emotion. I’d imagine seeing this song live or in a stripped down setting would make one bawl like a child. You’ll want to pump your fist and pound your chest. That’s a guarantee."[6] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy praised the song saying, "'It was dark and I was over/ Until you kissed my lips and saved me,' she admits over a gloomy piano riff, before launching into a ballsy, hands-in-the-air chorus. 'I set fire to the rain/ and I threw us into the flames,' she belts with growly vocals against cinematic strings. Rounding out with a suitably breathtaking blast from her impressive pipes and the result sounds like classic, though it's anything but camp."[20]
[edit] Chart performance


"Set Fire to the Rain" has charted at many charts enjoying moderate success especially in Europe, where the song has charted within the top 10 of Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland and topping the charts in Belgium, Poland and the Netherlands.[21] The song debuted at number 79 on the UK Singles Chart[22] and it moved to number 44 the next week selling 6,286 copies.[23][24] It later peaked at number 11 on the chart on the week ending 16 July 2011 and it stayed on the same position for two weeks selling another 24,978 copies.[25][22] A Moto Blanco remix of the song received some airplay in Spain.

FX used "Set Fire to the Rain" to promote the final season of Rescue Me along with the show's series finale.[3] The song was also featured in promotionals to the new TV series Ringer and Revenge which caused an airplay in the United States without being serviced to radio stations.[3] Before being released as a single, the song has charted on the Billboard Hot 100 for 6 weeks and re-entered 3 times, peaking at number 72 on 13 September.[26] As of November 2011, it has sold over 683,000 downloads in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[3] Set Fire to the Rain has reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Adele's third top ten hit from the album 21.

Party Rock Anthe

Party Rock Anthe

"Party Rock Anthem" is a song performed by American electro recording duo LMFAO (Stefan and Skyler Gordy), featuring British singer Lauren Bennett and GoonRock. It was released as the first single from their second album Sorry for Party Rocking in 2011. It interpolates lyrics from Rick Ross' song "Hustlin".^[1] The single has gone to number one in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. It also reached top five in Norway and Italy.
The song spent eleven weeks at number one in New Zealand and ten weeks in Australia. It is the longest-running number one single in New Zealand since Smashproof's hit single "Brother" in 2009, selling over 45,000 copies there, whereas in Australia, it is the longest-running number-one single since "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)" by Sandi Thom in 2006 and the best-selling single of 2011.
"Party Rock Anthem" is a mostly electronic composition. It has sold over 4,734,000 digital downloads in the United States^[2] and reached number one in the U.S for five straight weeks. Billboard Hot 100.^[3] It also became the seventh song in the chart's history to spend at least 25 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.



The music video, choreographed and appeared by Quest Crew members Hokuto Konishi, Victor Kim, Ryan Conferido, Steve Terada, Aris Paracuelles, Brian Hirano and Ryan Feng, is a parody of the 2002 horror film 28 Days Later. Director Mickey Finnegan described the concept: "The concept of the video, there's been an epidemic, the world has gone crazy, as soon as the song came out, everyone got possessed and all they want to do is to shuffle, everyone is a shuffler."^{[citation needed]} The video features the Australian dance style the Melbourne Shuffle throughout, incorporating elements of US-style hip hop. The widespread success of the song and video clip has further spread the popularity and adoption of the Melbourne Shuffle to a global audience, as well as its adaption to other dance cultures, such as US hip-hop and breakdancing.
The opening caption explains that Redfoo and SkyBlu both fell into a coma due to "excessive party rocking", and that their single was released the following day. Following the caption "28 DAYS LATER", both Redfoo and SkyBlu are seen in a deserted hospital, waking up from their coma in a style similar to that of Cillian Murphy's characte in the original film.

Scene from the music video of "Party Rock Anthem".

They exit the hospital to a deserted street, full of litter and abandoned cars. They then spot a man "shuffling" to the infectious song before they are quickly grabbed by another man in a dress-shirt (played by Malcolm Goodwin), a parody of the Left 4 Dead character Louis, who hides them behind a car and explains to them that, since the single came out, everyone across the world simply "shuffles" all day long. Mid-conversation, the song begins to play in the street, and the man quickly hands them the Beats by Dr. Dre earphones for the purpose of muting the song. The two insert the earpieces, and are told to play along. Soon, the street is filled with "shufflers", including label mate Colette Carr, all dancing to the song. When another young man, sporting an Atlanta Braves cap, tries to escape from a building, he is surrounded by the dancers in a style indicative of a zombie mob, before re-emerging with new clothes and shuffling, having been 'infected'.
Frightened after observing the fate of the other man, Redfoo and SkyBlu begin to dance along with the others, pretending to be infected too. After the line "No led in our zeppelin", the shot cuts directly to the side of a building similar to the cover of Led Zeppelin's 1975 album Physical Graffiti. This is a nod to the English rock band, whom the duo has cited as being a personal influence. Halfway through the video, the previously uninfected young man dances towards Redfoo and SkyBlu, who look terrified. The video fades to black, but quickly opens to a new shot, in which it becomes apparent that they have been infected, as they sing "Every day I'm shufflin", and begin to dance with the rest of the infected for the remainder of the video, finishing with the caption and interpolation of "Every day I'm shufflin