I already previewed this earlier this week, but we were having real problems finding an embeddable audio for the first snippet. Adele was hired to sing the theme song for the newest James Bond film, Skyfall, which incidentally looks BETTER than Casino Royale (IMO). Skyfall is the one with Javier Bardem as the bad guy, and Ralph Fiennes as some kind of MI6 dude. So, I was ALREADY going to see the movie, and I was already looking forward to it. But now I’m getting all crazy and antsy for it because they released Adele’s full track, which she co-wrote, called “When the Sky Falls”. IT IS AMAZING.
They released this last night, and I swear, I listened to it over and over for about a half an hour as I worked. And I wasn’t the only one – within ten hours of the song’s release, “When the Sky Falls” has become the #1 song in the UK and on iTunes, replacing Psy’s “Gangnam Style” (which is that absolutely crazy horse-dance song). Adele recorded this with a 77-piece orchestra, and the track is already being compared (favorably) to Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger”.
Meanwhile, Adele is probably going to give birth any day now. Which is good! Because then she’ll have enough time with the baby, and by February she’ll come to LA and sing “When the Sky Falls” at the Academy Awards, and she’ll get to take home an Oscar. HUZZAH. Adele is the real Goldfinger – she has the Midas touch. Everything she does becomes an instant classic/hit.
She is soooooooooo beautiful. I love her.
amazeballs
I’m one of the few who isnt impressed by her or her music. Its better than the other crap I’ll admit that. But, I’m not paying any special attention. Im more likely to sit through one of her songs without complaining, let’s say.
Yeah, I just want to be snarky and throw in a different opinion admist the gush of praise from people who like her. There are people who dont like her, too.
I’m with you. She has a good voice but her music does not hold me. I’m also meh about this one, think it’s mediocre at best. Tina Turner’s Golden Eye tops my list.
I agree, up to a certain extent. I find her voice to be mediocre at best. In fact, as a vocalist, her talent is quite limited. However, her songs are beautiful and she is a very heartfelt performer, which is more than we can say about many other so called singers nowadays.
Regarding this song, it is about as appealing as every other James Bond theme. Which is to say, not much. Also, the verses remind me a bit too much of ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’, which doesn’t help. If you want me to be honest, I am shocked that this is a number 1 hit. She has done MUCH better in the past.
Let me jump on this bandwagon! Don’t dislike her at all, but not too interested either, she’s just not my style. Overexposure didn’t help; when 21 was at its peak, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing Rolling in the Deep or Someone like you. Skyfall..it’s nice, and fitting, but it doesn’t sound much different to me than a lot of other Bond songs. And I prefer Shirley Manson’s The World is Not Enough.
I’m joining you! This is the most boring Bond theme ever. Oh, and Kaiser, please, DON’T compare Shirley Bassey’s hit with Adele’s another angst ridden/tear jerker track. Nothing special here.
Oh God. I just listened to this drone untill the end. And I’m disappointed. Her “Sky Faaaa~aaaaaaaa~all” howl sounds like…I don’t even know what that sounds like, I’m not a musician but it was bad. It was like a cat being strangled. They should’ve just used Shirley’s “No Good About Goodbye”.
Oh I’m with you on this nate. I was hoping for a miracle in the chorus but God this song is boring. She really doesn’t do anything for me at the best of times but this is really one of the worst bond songs ever. Where is the umpf?
Oh well , still can’t wait for the movie though, it looks like a good one from the snippets I’ve seen.
@yoyo – I was waiting for a miracle on the chorus too. However, I do like it, and I like her, and there is no mistaking that it does sound James Bond-ish with that orchestra and the riffs here and there.
I agree, I thought it was awful.
Sorry, it’s just boring. The lyrics are lame – “you’ll never have my heart” makes no sense with the “we’ll stand tall”, etc, etc. Theres too much simplistic rhyming. And then the back-up singers? Tedious. I have no desire to ever hear it again. I do like her voice, but this song doesn’t do it for me.
I like the tone of her voice, but she doesn’t enunciate the ends of her words at all, imo. Had there not been lyrics, I wouldn’t have known what she said for some of the lines. Maybe my ears just aren’t attuned to her sound. I’m surprised that this went to number one in such a big way, but it just shows how few truly good songs are out there nowadays, again imo.
I agree about her lack of enunciation at the end of each line. It’s distracting, because you end up wondering what she said. But she does have a soothing voice.
There are still talented singers out there. There are still composers who produce melodies and instrumentation that feel fresh. My problem with a lot of music today is the mediocrity of the lyrics. Like this song, the rhymes are grade school. Too many times I’ve liked the melody of a song, then I’ll look up the lyrics and it’s laughable. It’s like the songwriters didn’t master basic English. Lyrics from 50 years ago were much more sophisticated.
I, too, am completely underwhelmed by her. I suppose she’s OK, but so over hyped.
This Bond theme is the first song of hers that I’ve actually been able to sit through without getting so bored I switched to something else. The song sounds generic, but it’s a lot like the classic Bond themes, and I like that. The backup singers were jarring and unnecessary, though.
There are definitely songs of hers that I like, but 21 didn’t hook me in. I tried to listen to it a few times, but I didn’t fall in love with it.
Much prefer Florence + The Machine… now THERE’s an album I will love FOREVER. I had the CD in my car for over a year. Seriously, I listened to it like every day. Amazing, anthemic, ridiculous.
Still though, no hate for Adele, she’s a great singer-songwriter and a wonderful performer. I love her, maybe someday I’ll fall in love with her music.
I do like Skyfall though, song is pretty sweet.
Aha, yes!! I stayed up until 00:07 (BST) this morning to listen to it and got my pre-order downloaded as well.
Great to hear it’s number one, I do NOT want those brats One Direction taking the top spot.
I. LOVE. ADELE.
It somewhat reminds me of Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Mephistopheles’ Return”, especiaally the final sweeping choruses (of both).
Someone should totally do a mash-up and we’ll have at the ostentatious-over-the-top-of-amazeballness that is reminiscent of Vintage Bond.
In short, I Dig.
OMG TSO and Adele would be a dream collab.
We’ll take your word for it, Tonina 🙂
I think I might go and YouTube the above piece, and see how amazeball-y it is..
I love her! See, famehos/tartlets? That’s how you do it, with talent!!!!
Is she the face of a cosmetics line yet???
I was going to be more specific and say “Suck it Gaga.”
Gaga’s been all over the news with her “weight issues.” Meanwhile Adele has quietly been living her life, doing her work and quietly taking the music charts by storm. I love it.
The Little Monsters will hate that this is a massive single, which it will be. I saw a big discussion on her site with them dissing 21as generic but that the masses buy into generic commercial albums and load it with awards because they can’t be bothered to be challenged by the greatness of the Born This Way album. LoL
Agreed! Love her, her music, her image. She’s a real girl who still seems humbled by it all and has amazing talent to boot!
I love Adele, the song is Okay, but you can’t compare it to Goldfinger,Live and Let Die or Nobody Does it Better.
All great songs, I think Live and Let Die is my favorite. Only time will tell with this one.
I like Live and Let Die too.
I actually hated the Tina Turner one, and I love Tina! I like this Adele one though – I probably wouldn’t like it as much with someone else singing it, but I just love her voice.
I get the feeling I’m the only person who holds a candle for You Know My Name by Chris Cornell!
Absolutely love that one. And Thunderball.
Nope. Love Chris Cornell too!
I love love that song !
I love it too.
Is this the only Adele song on the soundtrack?
Wow, I know it’s an opinion, but CALM THE F. DOWN!
This is mediocre at best. The lyrics are nothing amazing. The vocals are ok. It’s JUST an orchestral song. Nothing to jizz your pants over.
+1
I think she is very talented, but the song drones on and on and on…a little boring in my opinion. I was hoping for something more upbeat, but I understand it’s just a song for a soundtrack.
Agree, I think it’s an ok song, not bad but not great
It’s like the amalgamation of all Bond themes. Not bad but Garbage’s “The World is not enough” cannot be toppled.
I liked the GARBAGE one, too. But they are all pretty similar anyway.
I love the garbage theme! When that movie came out I was just entering my teen years and thought Shirley was so beautiful and was really getting into the Bond movies. I also hold a weird candle for “you only live twice.”
Hey, you’re not alone. I love “You Only Live Twice”. Nothing weird about that. I think it’s one of the best Bond theme songs, along with “Goldfinger” and “Diamonds Are Forever”. There was a radio version of “YOLT” that Nancy Sinatra also sung, but the one used in the film is better, especially since it uses an orchestra.
I don’t get the hype.
Her voice live is also not that good.
I agree. I don’t listen to the radio that much, and when I first heard her, I was kind of disappointed, because I expected to be blown out of the water. Many of the American Idol rejects sound just as good or better than her. She has a nice voice, but I don’t understand all the hype.
There is soul to her voice, but most importantly those IDOL rejects are probably putting out music that is bland. Adele is a very talented songwriter and that’s shy she was signed at the age if 18, a talented singer/songwriter who writes from her life.
Yes!!! I’ve been looking for this song since your first post. And JESUS it is GOOD. Love Adele.
Oh this is much better than the sneak releases that I heard before – they all sounded like midi files.
I have a feeling that now when all we can hear on the radio are those horrid EDM products a song that has a flow will be amazing no matter what. That said I think Adele has a great voice, but this song is not that special. And has the usual theme in the back. Ah, it’s just average but I’ll enjoy listening to it on the radio opposed to Riganna and Guetta and whatever else is out there, so go Adele.
Love or hate Adele, she has got great hair! Ah, I got a crush on Adele!
Adele you make me swoon! Love love her!
Kaiser, I love you (and the song), but the title of the song is “Skyfall”. This is a pet peeve, sorry.
Noticed that too.
I’m pretty much a sucker for anything with an orchestra in it so yeah I’m loving this a lot. Not my favorite bond theme but I think it’s definitely a top 3 contender. I’m giving it time.
Why does no one ever talk about Duran Duran’s Bond theme? Is it because that Bond movie sucked so much even Roger Moore didn’t like it? I think the song was alright for it’s 80’s time period.
Then he can dance into fire as far as I’m concerned.
But seriously, I’ve never seen a Bond film. It’s not because of some philosophy I’ve got, I just haven’t seen one, yet.
I wish it was more vocally challenging for her- all of it is dead in the middle of her range and without and real vocal flair needed. Also write a new song for the theme rather than ripping off the classic James Bond theme.
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Adele can do no wrong!!
Adele should be a Bond girl-but she would need a dialect coach. Her “accent” is NOT Cockney-that’s actually a distinct regional language (think more like “My Fair Lady”) with lots of rhyming and bizarre idioms for ordinary things-that is dying out. It is a working class London accent-think “East Enders” (‘though I think she is from N. London).
Anyway, she has a beautiful face and beautiful eyes-what’s wrong with James having a voluptuous woman? I assume she was pregnant anyway during shooting.
As for the song, so hypnotic-but lose the chorus! Lady Adele needs no back up singers!
Bit dissapointed, had high hopes, but I find it kinda bland and boring. To me it doesn’t do Adele justice.
“Adele is the real Goldfinger – she has the Midas touch. Everything she does becomes an instant classic/hit.”
So very very true. Sheer perfection.
The Goldfinger one will always be the best, iconic. But I like that Adele’s is a nod to that era.
Am I the only one that liked Madonna’s Die Another Day, with the vocoder effects. It was a top seller for those under 25 at the time. I love it because of the instrumental part. Very dramatic, melodramatic. The strings are gorgeous in it. When she did it on her 2004 tour as a tango as far as choreography and the gorgeous orchestral sound to it, that it cemented my love for it and didn’t mind the vocodor effect to the vocals so much anymore.
2004 in concert – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYL3JL0G1-w
I’m with you! Love Madonna’s Bond song!
I just listened to it and it’s kind of depressing, but Bond theme songs are usually slow like this so I’ll take it. LOL
It’s odd. I find her very talented and likeable and want to like her stuff, but her songs just bore the shit out of me. This song’s what results when you mate a snail with Valium.
*
Here’s good Bond tune:
Well, I heard that it’s gold,
I heard that it’s a fing-ah
Hey, don’t shoot me, I’m just the bloody sing-ah
Some folks like a bronze,
Others like ’em sil-va.
But this man loves his gold
It’s his favourite fing-ah
It think it was called ‘Tinfinger’
I like it! not her best but it was probably written for her so no big deal.
I read some of you saying she does not have a good ”live” voice.You probably saw ”Live at the Royal Albert All” dvd or scenes from it.True she’s not at her top shape, in fact she got throat surgery not to long after that. I suggest you look at the Brit awards of 2011 you just might, might change your mind.
I want to take a moment to thank Celebitchy and the regulars for giving me 3 great gifts over the past year and a half.
First was Adele in the spring of 2011, when Celebitchy posted a clip from Adele at the Brit awards singing ”somoene like you”.
I did not no her at the time(I’m an old fart so I dont really know the new artists).
second was I think this spring someone on the board mention Regina Specktor.Wow awsome talent got all her cd’s now 🙂
third was this summer, it was on a CaCa blog I mentioned Regina and someone mentioned that if I liked her then I should listen to Esperanza Spalding and another Wow!! awsome talent.
So again thank you and keep them coming!!! 😀
Thanks for mentioning Esperanza Spalding. Just googled a few of her songs and loved it. Didn’t know about her.
I’m just paying forward! 😀
Did you know she’s a university music teacher in California? and she’s 22 or 23! Crazy! 🙂
Love Adele and I like this song very much. I’ve always been a huge fan of pop music that uses orchestral accompaniment. I hope she sings it at the oscars as well. She’s a great live performer and she puts her heart in it.
Absolutely adore Adele! So glad she’s back after having her baby! Song? I dunno seems a bit generic like so many James Bond movie themes. Adele deserves a grander song that showcases her voice.
I’ve listen to it a few times and I’ll say it’s a good song but not great. It’s like it doesn’t seem to know if it wants to be exciting or sad so it muddles between both. Editing in certain parts would have made it great.
Please. Florence Welch is getting the Oscar for Breath of Life. That song is spectacular. It sounds SO powerful and the one song I can really remember everyone sitting in the theater during the credits to listen to. Right when it ended is when everyone at my midnight showing of SWATH got up to go.
Hell, even Taylor Swift (since everyone in the music world thinks she’s the Golden Girl) will be votes ahead of Adele. Her and The Civil Wars for Safe and Sound. I know they’ll want THG to be nominated for something and the acting wasn’t really standout for anyone because it was such an ensemble but that song is actually really good considering Swifty’s horrible candy sound.
But yeah. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Adele but high notes are her hit. Her voice is too good to be this low for an entire song. It’s kind of lounge singer, 1920s, red cat jazz cafe, sit on the piano but nothing bigger than that.
It’s disappointing because it’s freaking Adele. The key is just too damn low and it’s ridiculously depressing. Is Bond dying in this one? With this theme I’d say yes.
I agree about Florence and the machine, that song is epic! Tbh honest I love Adele but this song is very underwhelming.
Adele was a client of mine for a little over a year with my last company. Travelled with her for West Coast gigs during her “Adele 19” tour. Lost her when I went independant because my old Co. had the contract with Columbia Records. I miss her. She’s a wonderful and great individual!!!
Parts of it sound eerily like Amy Winehouse to me, just at the beginning.
With that radio deal, how could it not?
I love her voice in this song. Very Julie London. I don’t care one way or the other about the lyrics, but it’s a pretty song. I like it.
I’ll never forget “For Your Eyes Only” by Sheena Easton. Her voice was so pure, like crystal water.
Boring 🙁 the back up choir kinda ruined it for me too…
Call me Cruise but I kinda liked the Jack White/Alicia Keys Bong song!