Jiovani 1

Ally Jiovani

Professor Sobocinski

English 1201

15 February 2021

Someone Like You

Adele, most known for “Someone Like You” (2011), and David Nail, most known for

“Whatever She’s Got” (2014), are two of the many big names in the music business today. In

2011, Adele released “Someone Like You” and eight months later, in 2012, Nail released a cover

version of the same song. David Nail’s cover of Adele’s song “Someone Like You” gives off a

very similar message that Adele gave in her original version. Through the use of visuals in the

videos and the words in the lyrics, both artists are hoping to convey that people should remember

the good times and happy memories they had with their past lover even though it hurts to

remember them.

More often than not, when something happy, sad, devastating, crazy, etc happens to a

singer/songwriter, they decide to write a song about it. In Adele’s case, she wanted to write this

song about the heartbreak that she went through when her ex broke up with her. The song’s co-

writer, Dan Wilson, was asked some questions about the song and the meaning behind it. One of

the questions was the following: “How would you describe “‘Someone Like You’” (Waterman)?

Wilson answered by talking about the point of view of the song, what that person did, and what

is going through their mind. In his exact words, he says that the song is “from the point of view

of a woman who shows up unexpectedly at her married ex’s front door…” (Wilson). The lyrics

in the song go on to explain that the woman says that “she’s going to find someone else, but the
 Jiovani 2

strange and obsessive part is that she wanted to find someone like him” (Wilson). Therefore, the

title of the song became “Someone Like You”.

On the flip side of things, David Nail took Adele’s song, changed “the gender roles, and

also [brought] life to his haunting version” (Duvall). In his rendition, Nail also decided to put his

own spin on the song by adding a country twist. This made it more like his other songs that he

has put out while also keeping the attention on the devastating heartbreak that the character the

song is about went through. Also, like I mentioned in the quote above from theBoot, Nail

switched the main character from a woman going through a break up to a man going through a

similar experience. He took the words “girl” and “she” and made them “boy” and “he” so that it

could fit with the male perspective of the song. This allowed the song to appeal more to young

men that were going through a tough time whereas Adele’s version seemed to appeal more to

middle aged women going through their own troubling times with ex’s.

There are many lyrics in this song that help to reinforce the claim that people shouldn’t

forget the good times they spent with someone close to them. Two of the lines found in both

versions talk about how “nothing compares, no worries or cares, regrets and mistakes, they’re

memories made” (Adele 3:05-3:12). These lines show that everything that happens or happened

in your life is saved as a memory, whether it’s a good one or not. They also help convey that

even if someone is hurting, remembering the good times will evidently help them get through the

hard times.

There are many instances in each video that portray and/or illustrate the pathos appeal. In

Adele’s version, the lyrics about begging her ex not to forget her, wishing her ex nothing but the

best, and the hurt that comes from past love all emphasize the strong emotions that were put into

the making of “Someone Like You”. Adele also was seen walking alone in the city of love which
 Jiovani 3

created a more emotional journey for the listener to venture on. Furthermore, the black and white

effect on her video as well as the ragged edge to her voice in the chorus add to the sadness that

she went through in her break up with her boyfriend. The same emotions are also seen and heard

in David Nail’s version of the video. He too added the black and white effect as well as some lit

candles that were scattered around the room. He is also seen singing by himself which, when

viewing the video while paying close attention to the lyrics, brings about a powerful emotional

connection between the listener and the song.

In conclusion, both versions of the song “Someone Like You” are aiming to help listeners

realize that it is a good idea to remember all the fun and joyous times, no matter how much it

hurts to do so. One of the verses says that “you know how the time flies, only yesterday was the

time of our lives, we were born and raised in a summer haze, bound by the surprise of our glory

days” (Adele/Nail). These lines show that even though the good times are in the past, they are

still there in our memories. It is up to us as listeners to decide whether we will dwell on the past

or move on and look forward to what the future may bring.

 Jiovani 4

Works Cited

“Adele - Someone Like You (Official Music Video).” YouTube, uploaded by Adele, 29 Sept.

2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLQl3WQQoQ0. Accessed 10 Feb. 2022.

“David Nail - Someone Like You.” YouTube, uploaded by David Nail, 15 May 2012,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnOSjTm96nw. Accessed 10 Feb. 2022.

Duvall, Erin. “David Nail, ‘Someone Like You’: Country Crooner Covers Adele (VIDEO).” The

Boot, 30 May 2012, theboot.com/david-nail-someone-like-you-video.

Waterman, Doug. “The Story Behind the Song: Adele, ‘Someone Like You.’” American

Songwriter, 28 Mar. 2020, americansongwriter.com/someone-like-you-adele-behind-the-

song.