One and Only (song)

“One and Only”
Song by Adele from the album 21
Released	January 19, 2011
Recorded	Shangri La Studios (Malibu, California)
Genre	Soul
Length	5:48
Label	XL Recordings
Writer(s)	Adele Adkins, Dan Wilson, Greg Wells
Producer(s)	Rick Rubin
21 track listing
← Previous	Next →
"I'll Be Waiting"	"Lovesong"
Audio

"One and Only" is the ninth track on Adele's 21. It was written by Adele, Dan Wilson, and Greg Wells. The song appears in the season 2 episode of Unforgettable entitled "Up In The Flames". The song was also heavily promoted by several performances of the song by American Idol contestants in the show's eleventh season. "One and Only" was originally planned to be the second track on 21 rather than the ninth.

"One and Only" received some radio airplay in Puerto Rico in 2012 despite not being released as a single.

Composition

Adele composed the song with Dan Wilson (who also co-wrote the album's second single, "Someone Like You") and Greg Wells. When interviewed about the song, Wells stated:

“

I heard a piano progression of four chords, and a slow 6/8 feel. I kept playing it for about ten minutes. Adele was pacing the room with a note pad and pen… then finally said, ‘I’m not sure if this is good, but what do you think of this?’ And then in full voice she sang the finished chorus of ‘One and Only’ and I almost fell over.

”

According to sheet music published on Musicnotes.com, the song was written in the key of F Major.

Adele said the night before officially writing the song, she had watched Never Been Kissed (which had featured the famous actress Drew Barrymore), which had inspired her, especially during the bridge of the song, in which she was reminded of a scene in the film where Barrymore and her male counterpart (who Adele had no clue who he was) had kissed, and everything slowed down, something she had imagined during the writing and recording of the song.

Inspiration and live performances

During the live performances of the song Adele often reveals a lot of the inspiration behind the song, which was, as she describes, "the first happy song I had ever written", further adding that she saw it as a private conversation with a man she was in love with that had a girlfriend, although she could still see herself marrying him.

Live performances

The song was added to the setlist for Adele's second tour, Adele Live. Adele is often seen getting choked up while performing the song. She has even gone far enough to state that the person who inspired the song is no longer someone Adele is romantically attracted to.

Adele performed this song at the 2011 iTunes Festival in London. The performance of the song made the cut for her digital download EP iTunes Festival: London 2011. In it, at the end of the performance, Adele's voice, which is slowly fading away, can be heard saying, "Told you! I knew it would work!" to her pianist, Miles Robertson. Apparently, she was making reference to hitting a high note in the song at the end.

Inspiration

As Adele stated in Live at the Royal Albert Hall, all of 21 was about one guy, (except for this song and "Lovesong"), that instead focused on a close friend of hers who she had always loved. Adele said that this is another happy song on the album (referring to the previous track, "I'll Be Waiting"), and it was about a friend of hers. The two had known each other for years and have loved each other for a long time, according to Adele. It is also about the two finally getting together after so many years of sharing romantic feelings and never fully expressing them. Adele was very confident that she may one day marry the man this song is dedicated to.

Adele stated before the performance of the song during Live at the Royal Albert Hall that she thought "the sun shone out of his ass" (referring to the man who the song was inspired by), later stating, "but not enough time has gone by since he was a fucking prick to me", implying that the relationship did not last. Although this song was speculated to be about the same man who inspired the majority of the album, it was inspired by a rebound romance between dating the man who inspired 21 and her current boyfriend, Simon Konecki.

Charts

"One and Only" charted on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart in the US.

Chart (2010)	Peak Position
US Billboard Hot 100	110

Lyrics

You've been on my mind, I grow fonder every day, Lose myself in time, Just thinking of your face, God only knows why it's taken me so long to let my doubts go, You're the only one that I wanted, I don't know why I'm scared, I've been here before, Every feeling, every word, I've imagined it all, You'll never know if you never try, To forgive your past and simply be mine, I dare you to let me be your, your one and only, Promise I'm worthy, To hold in your arms, So come on and give me a chance, To prove I am the one who can walk that mile, Until the end starts, If I've been on your mind, You hang on every word I say, Lose yourself in time, At the mention of my name, Will I ever know how it feels to hold you close, And have you tell me whichever road I choose, you'll go? I don't know why I'm scared, 'Cause we've been here before, Every feeling, every word, I've imagined it all, You'll never know if you never try, To forgive your past and simply be mine, I dare you to let me be your, your one and only, I promise I'm worthy, mmm, To hold in your arms, So come on and give me a chance, To prove I am the one who can walk that mile, Until the end starts, I know it ain't easy giving up your heart, I know it ain't easy giving up your heart, Nobody's perfect, (I know it ain't easy giving up your heart), Trust me I've learned it, Nobody's perfect, (I know it ain't easy giving up your heart), Trust me I've learned it, Nobody's perfect, (I know it ain't easy giving up your heart), Trust me I've learned it, Nobody's perfect, (I know it ain't easy giving up your heart), Trust me I've learned it, So I dare you to let me be your, your one and only, I promise I'm worth it, To hold in your arms, So come on and give me a chance, To prove I am the one who can walk that mile, Until the end starts, Come on and give me a chance, To prove I am the one who can walk that mile, Until the end starts.

References

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