Adele reveals the heartbreaking meaning behind Easy on Me

Adele has shared the emotional meaning behind Easy on Me, revealing the challenging experiences that inspired its soulful lyrics.

The first song of the Adele 30 album has officially dropped—and surprise, surprise, we’ve already memorized the words. 

Easy on Me has wowed listeners with its raw vocals and stripped-back instrumentals, marking the grand return of the British superstar after a six-year-long hiatus. 

Many fans are now itching to get their hands on the complete record, as well as tickets for the highly-anticipated Adele 2022 tour. The hype has only been intensified by the music video for Easy on Me, which has already racked up a whopping 20m views on Youtube. 

There’s also been a rush to find out the story behind its poignant lyrics, which detail Adele’s struggles to navigate challenging relationships in her past. 

Speaking on BBC Radio 1, the Hello singer revealed that she wrote the song in 2019 at a time when she was “making decisions in my life which have been well-documented over the last few years.” 

It’s likely these "decisions" are related to the breakdown of her marriage, a story that landed the heartbreak hitmaker in the headlines back in 2019. 

Adele finalized her divorce from Simon Konecki in March, two years after the couple first separated. The exes continue to live near each other in Los Angeles where they share joint custody over their eight-year-old son, Angelo Adkins. Adele has since moved on romantically, confirming her relationship with her new boyfriend on Instagram earlier this year. 

With so much happening in the British singer's personal life since the release of her last album, 25, in 2015, it’s no wonder people are picking apart the Easy on Me lyrics to deduce more details on what really went down over the past few years.

In the soulful piano ballad, Adele belts out the chorus, “Go Easy On Me baby, I was still a child, didn’t get the chance to feel the world around me / I had no time to choose what I chose to do, so go easy on me.” 

She has now shared the inspiration behind these poignant words, explaining that they refer to her struggle to have tough conversations in previous relationships. 

“Normally I’m very not confrontational and stuff like that but it was just like, you can initiate something and be like, 'Well hang on a minute.' Like, 'Go easy on me,' it was like, 'Bear with me while I try to find my feet in a situation,'" she said. 

She also revealed that that the phrase Easy on Me refers to her attempt to “initiating a discussion”, before admitting, “I definitely started some fights post my relationship—with my son’s dad and with other people!” 

Adele took to Instagram earlier this week to announce the release of 30, telling fans the album has been her “ride or die throughout the most turbulent period of my life.” She also said she has “painstakingly rebuilt my house and my heart” after being consumed by "grief", and is "finally ready" to share her story through music with the world.