Maps of Music

19 (2008)

Where the lyrics of 19 take you, and where it was really made.

The title is the age Adele was while making the record, and its first song, 'Hometown Glory', was written when she was 16.

Key places

Angel Recording Studios (2008)

Recording site Angel Recording Studios — Angel Recording Studios is listed among the recording studios for 19. The point marks the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Metropolis Group (2008)

Recording site Metropolis Studios — Metropolis Group is listed among the recording studios for 19. The point marks the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Olympic Studios (2008)

Recording site Olympic Studios — Olympic Studios is listed among the recording studios for 19. The point marks the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

RAK Studios (2008)

Recording site RAK Studios — RAK Studios is listed among the recording studios for 19. The point marks the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Konk (recording studio) (2008)

Recording site Konk (recording studio) — Konk (recording studio) is listed among the recording studios for 19. The point marks the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Townhouse Studios (2008)

Recording site Townhouse Studios — Townhouse Studios is listed among the recording studios for 19. The point marks the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• 19 is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele
• Released 28 January 2008 by XL Recordings
• Blue-eyed soul with folk rock, indie pop and jazz influences
• Lyrics describe heartbreak, nostalgia and relationships
• Title refers to the singer's age during its release and production
• Reached number one in the UK and the top 10 in fifteen other countries, including the US
• Sold over 8.5 million copies worldwide and over 2.5 million in the UK

Background

• Adele graduated from the BRIT School in Croydon in April 2006
• Four months later, two of her songs were published on PlatformsMagazine.com
• A three-song class-project demo was posted on MySpace by a friend
• The demo led to contact from Richard Russell, boss of XL Recordings
• Manager Jonathan Dickins took over in June 2006; Nick Huggett signed her to XL in September 2006
• At 17, she signed a recording contract with the label
• While providing vocals for Jack Peñate's song My Yvonne, she first met producer Jim Abbiss
• Abbiss went on to produce the majority of 19
• Hometown Glory, her first song, was written at 16 about her home suburb of West Norwood

Recording

• Most songs were written solely by Adele, including Best for Last, Crazy for You, First Love and My Same
• Chasing Pavements, the first single, was written with Eg White
• Melt My Heart to Stone and Tired were also co-written with White
• Cold Shoulder was a single made with Sacha Skarbek
• Make You Feel My Love is a Bob Dylan cover, recommended by her manager

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• English singer-songwriter Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, born 5 May 1988 in Tottenham, London.
• Known for mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting; regarded as a British cultural icon.
• Debut album 19 (2008) included UK top-five singles "Chasing Pavements" and "Make You Feel My Love"; won Grammy for Best New Artist.
• Second album 21 (2011) became the best-selling album of the 21st century and held the top spot on the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks.
• Won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the James Bond theme "Skyfall" (2013).
• Third album 25 (2015) set first-week sales records in the UK and US; fourth album 30 (2021) was the best-selling album worldwide that year.
• Sold over 120 million records worldwide; 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards, an Emmy and a Golden Globe.
• Held the Weekends with Adele Las Vegas residency (2022–2024) and announced an indefinite break from music in July 2024.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave generally positive reviews, praising Adele's vocal prowess and songwriting talent
• Metacritic rating: 68 out of 100, based on 19 critical reviews
• Billboard's Chuck Taylor: Adele has potential to become among the most respected and inspiring international artists of her generation
• The Observer's Caspar Llewellyn Smith gave the album five stars
• BBC Music's Chris Long said the album pitches somewhere between blues, folk and jazz and includes something for everyone
• Variety's Phil Gallo called it an agreeable, soulful album with a varied mix of classic pop textures
• PopMatters's Ron Hart wrote that it blew the roof off other blue-eyed R&B albums from Britain
• Entertainment Weekly's Mikael Wood was less impressed, though he praised her singing
• Uncut was more critical, arguing the album was shaped by an A&R trend
• The Independent's Andy Gill called it a passably decent debut
• NME judged the Amy Winehouse comparisons as empty mediaspeak

Reappraisal

• Virgin Radio, revisiting the album 15 years on, said 19 cemented Adele's status as one of the most powerful voices and performers in the industry
• Kanye West and Beyoncé publicly praised the album after its release
• Beyoncé cited Adele as one of the influences for her fourth album, 4

Records

• Debuted at number one in the United Kingdom
• Climbed to number four on the UK Albums Chart in the week 21 was released, with 25,419 copies sold
• Second best-selling album of 2011 in the UK
• Over 2,309,000 copies sold in the UK as of March 2016
• Debuted at number 61 on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at number 4 in February 2012
• Certified double platinum by the RIAA in the United States
• Number one on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart for nine weeks
• Won two Grammy Awards in 2009 after its release
• Nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize, Best Album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Adele wrote Hometown Glory in 10 minutes after her mother tried to persuade her to leave West Norwood for university.
• She was more interested in A&R work at first and hoped to launch other people's careers.
• Chasing Pavements came from an incident in which she punched a six-month ex-boyfriend after learning he had cheated on her.
• After a Saturday Night Live performance in October 2008, 19 topped the iTunes charts and rose to number 11 on the Billboard 200.
• Adele called comparisons with other female soul singers lazy, saying we're a gender, not a genre.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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