Adele’s Secret Hit: The Song She Only Wrote to Fulfill Her Contract!

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, known simply as Adele, quickly became a household name after her breakthrough debut album 19 in 2008. But what many might not know is that one of her most iconic hits, “Chasing Pavements,” was not born from a place of deep inspiration but from the pressures of fulfilling her record contract.

Fresh out of the Brit School, where she shared a class with artists like Jessie J, Adele signed with XL Recordings at just 18 years old. Though the singer had raw talent, she didn’t have a trove of material ready to go for an album. With a contract to fulfill and only a handful of songs under her belt, she was suddenly faced with the daunting task of producing a full-length album. For Adele, the idea of writing songs just to meet a professional expectation felt like an impossible feat.

In an interview, Adele opened up about her struggle to create music under pressure. “I just couldn’t do it,” she recalled. “Writing songs for fun or because someone had invested a lot of money and time in me felt impossible.” It wasn’t until she entered a tumultuous relationship with her ex-boyfriend that she found the inspiration she needed—though not in the way she might have expected.

Adele wrote a whopping ten songs in just five weeks, a burst of creativity that stemmed from her heartbreak. The most notable among them was “Chasing Pavements,” a song that captured the essence of confusion and pain from a relationship that had started out full of promise but eventually soured.

The song’s lyrics, “Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements?” resonated with many listeners, propelling it to the top of the UK charts and making it one of her defining tracks. However, what was initially a cathartic experience for Adele soon turned into an amusing (and somewhat awkward) encounter with her ex.

In an unexpected twist, Adele’s ex-boyfriend thought he deserved royalties for inspiring the song. “For about a week, he was calling and was deadly serious about it,” Adele laughed, recalling the absurdity of the situation. “Finally, I said, ‘Well, you made my life hell, so I lived it, and now I deserve it.’”

Despite the humorous turn of events, Adele holds no ill will toward her ex. In fact, she credits him for helping her mature and, in a way, jumpstarting her career. “I love him still, and I got an album out of him,” she said. “I used him more than he used me. And he loves it. It’s not bitter. He loves it when the song comes on the radio. He says, ‘It’s about me.’ And I’m like, ‘It’s a song about heartbreak, you fool!’”

While “Chasing Pavements” might have initially been a contractual obligation, it undeniably became one of Adele’s greatest successes, solidifying her as one of the most powerful voices in contemporary music. And as for her ex? He may have been the inspiration behind the song, but Adele walked away with both a hit record and the last laugh.