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“Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”
Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
Single by Adele
from the album 25
Released May 16, 2016
Recorded MXM Studios, Stockholm • Eastcote Studios, London
Genre Pop
Length 3:43
Label XL Recordings
Writer(s) Adele Adkins, Max Martin, Karl Johan Schuster
Producer(s) Max Martin, Karl Johan Schuster
Adele singles chronology
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"When We Were Young" "Water Under the Bridge"
25 track listing
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"Hello" "I Miss You"
Audio

"Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" (originally titled "We Ain't Kids No More") is a song recorded by Adele, taken from her third studio album, 25. The song was written by Adele with Max Martin and Shellback, and produced by the latter two. It was released as the third single from 25 on May 16, 2016.[1] "Send My Love" is a pop song with an uptempo, rhythmic sound, with the singer describing it as a "happy you're gone" song dedicated to an ex-boyfriend. The song received a positive response from music critics, who considered it as one of the stand-out tracks on 25.

"Send My Love" managed to appear on various international charts following the release of 25; following its release as a single, it has so far peaked at number 5 in the UK, number 9 in the US and number 10 in Canada. An accompanying music video directed by Patrick Daughters premiered on 22 May 2016 at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. It features Adele singing the song against a black backdrop with many shots of herself overlapping one another. Music critics mostly praised the clip for its minimalist, simple concept and joyful nature. The video received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" was part of the setlist during Adele's third concert tour, Adele Live 2016.

Background[]

In an interview with i-D, Adele revealed that the collaboration with Martin and Shellback sparked from a conversation with Ryan Tedder, after hearing Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" on the radio and remarking that she loved the song. Tedder told her that Max Martin had produced it, and soon after, he sent Adele a YouTube clip of Martin's work, and she expressed interest in working with him.[2]

The song was inspired by the man Adele dated in between "Mr. 21" and current boyfriend Simon Konecki, and, as revealed by Rolling Stone, is the only "kiss-off" song on the album. According to Adele, "It's one of those, like, 'I'm fucking fine, so fuck you' songs."[3] Expanding on the track in an interview with The Guardian, Adele said, "This is my fuck-you song. It sounds obvious, but I think you only learn to love again when you fall in love again. I'm in that place. My love is deep and true with my man, and that puts me in a position where I can finally reach out a hand to the ex. Let him know I'm over it."[4]

Composition[]

After playing the song for i-D's Hattie Collins, Adele said, "It's a bit of fun, innit? You ain't got to be dark all the time! I love it, it's fucking sick. Straight away, a million people in my life will be like, 'Oh shit, what have I done....'" The song was further described as having a "calypso vibe" and was compared to Martin's work on The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" in that it was "totally unexpected."[2] She later revealed to The New York Times that, "I've had that guitar riff since I was like, 15. I used to cover 'Wonderful World' doing that riff. It sings over it really well. With [the producers] Max Martin and Shellback, we knocked that out in a day." [5] She told Vogue that it is "poppier than a lot of pop songs I've even heard."[6]

Title and release[]

"Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" was originally titled "We Ain't Kids No More," but Adele changed it at the last minute to the current one. She thought the name bore resemblance to "When We Were Young," another track on the album. "Otherwise, you might as well just call the fucking album Old," she said in her Rolling Stone interview.[3]

The song was one of the two songs she considered for her lead single, but she eventually chose "Hello" because she thought it was a better representation of the album. "I didn't want to mislead people," she said in an interview with CBC Radio.[7]

Critical reception[]

BBC News' Mark Savage called "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" a "nimble pop song" and wrote that it "shows a fresh, playful side to the star." Rob Garratt of The National described the song as a "bouncy pop nugget" and opined that it "falls into that classic pop tradition of transforming a turn-down into a lover's rebuke." In a positive review, a writer for The Hindu described the track as a "spritely song" and called it "an I'm-so-glad-you're-gone number." Los Angeles Times' Mikael Wood dubbed the song as "a welcome flash of sass." Consequence of Sound writer Steven Arroyo called it a more joyful "sentimental cousin" of "Someone Like You." In an in-depth review of the song, Bustle writer Alex Kritselis called it one of the album's "major highlights" with its "über-catchy pop chorus." He further elaborated how its lyrics showcased the singer's "emotional growth" as compared to the work on past albums due to their maturity and compassion. Kadeen Griffiths of the same magazine opined that the song is "the audio equivalent of Adele throwing a middle finger at whatever poor dude made the mistake of wronging a songwriter."

Maeve McDermott and Patrick Ryan of USA Today included "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" in their list of 2015's 50 best songs. McDermott wrote "this song is among the most interesting of her career" and likened it to the works of Elizabeth Fraser. Complex's Michael Arceneaux thought that the track was the least sad song on 25, and added "It’s a little melancholy, but it comes with some shimmy-inducing production." Business Insider's Tony Manfred opined that the song strays from Adele's previous work, writing "she wades into the waters of contemporary pop music like never before." Nick Messitte of Forbes gave the song a positive review, writing "It’s got the grace of damning individuals without sinking to their level; it boasts nostalgia—not the least of which for a sound popularized in 2013," and opined that Adele didn't let Max Martin overpower her sensibilities. Vanity Fair's Josh Duboff called "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" "the poppiest song Adele has ever recorded" and named it his "pick for the breakout track on 25."[8]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic picked it as an album highlight, but remarked that the song "wither[s] when compared to the wallop of 'Rolling in the Deep.'" Spin's T. Cole Rachel described it as "a cheeky pop side-eye that provides one of the records few resoundingly upbeat moments, do we catch a glimpse of Adele’s sense of humor." Lewis Corner of Digital Spy perceived that "[t]his is the most pop Adele has ever sounded. [...] It's remarkably sprightly for an Adele album, but the 27-year-old's affecting tone keeps it packed with purpose." Chris Gerard of PopMatters named it "an upbeat pop tune with electronic beats and a strong vocal from Adele that rises and falls with the rhythm. [...] Adele is clearly trying to experiment more in the glistening pop realm of the top 40, and it’s certainly a worthy idea to try something different. Some purists may complain about that, but let ‘em. There is nothing wrong with great pop music, and 'Send My Love (To Your New Lover)' has undeniable attitude and is an earworm that will surely be chosen as a single."

Billboard ranked "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" at number 26 on their "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list: “There are very few people who can record a pregame sing-a-long about bittersweet forgiveness, but 'Send My Love (To Your New Lover)' is just one of many such conflicted turn-ups for the 28-year-old, 9-time Grammy winner. With a jauntiness that feels all too raw, Adele nails the balance between passive aggression towards an undeserving ex ('Send my love to your new lover/ Treat her better') and unapologetic truth-telling 'I’m giving you up/ I’m forgiving it all/ You set me free') yet again.”

Chart performance[]

Before its release as a single, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" managed to debut on several charts. Following the release of 25, the song debuted at number 88 on the ARIA Singles Chart. It later debuted at number 30, on June 5, 2016, and seven weeks later it peaked at number 13, where it remained for four consecutive weeks. On the Ö3 Austria Top 40, it appeared at number 56 on the chart dated December 4, 2015 and peaked at number 14. "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" debuted and peaked at number 14 on the music charts in Finland, while in France it debuted at number 64 before its release as a single, and peaked at number 45 when it was officially released. On the Official German Charts, the song entered at 94 and reached number 31. In Spain, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" reached number 45 on Spanish Singles Chart. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 112 on the UK Singles Chart and number 18 on the UK Indie Chart; it later reached numbers five and one, respectively. It also peaked at number four in Scotland on the chart issue dated July 8, 2016.

In the United States, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" debuted at number 79 in the issue dated December 12, 2015 of Billboard Hot 100, but dropped out of the chart the following week. Following the release of its music video, the song re-entered the chart at a new peak position of 26 for the issue of June 11, 2016, selling 55,000 copies in that week and becoming Adele's ninth top 40 on chart; due to that it re-entered at number 13 on the Digital Songs chart. The song reached number 9 in the issue dated 13 August 2016, and later number 8 in the issue dated September 24, 2016, becoming Adele's sixth top 10 hit (and second from 25 after "Hello"). The song topped Adult Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, becoming Adele's fourth number-one on the Adult Pop Songs and fifth No. 1 on Adult Contemporary, which led her to tie with Taylor Swift for the most this decade on the latter chart. The song also reached number-one on the Pop Songs chart, becoming her fourth on the tally and the second from her album 25. The song entered at number 79 on the Canadian Hot 100, and later reached number 11. On the South Korean Gaon Music Chart, it peaked at number 23. In New Zealand, the song debuted straight into the top-ten, at number eight and peaked at number four, where it remained for three consecutive weeks, becoming Adele's fifth top-five hit.

Music video[]

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"Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" music video.

During Adele's 2016 world tour, Adele expressed interest in eventually shooting a music video for "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)."[9] At her April 29 show in Stockholm, Sweden, Adele confirmed that she shot a video for the song, which would be released "soon," and that she would be dancing in the video.[10] On May 16, the same day as the single's release, a snippet of the video was released via Adele's social media, with an announcement that it would premiere during the Billboard Music Awards on May 22. The clip features Adele in front of a black backdrop. As the music video progresses, multiple semi-transparent shots of her dancing at the same time appear layered on top of one another in kaleidoscopic form. The layers were based on the line "we've gotta let go of all of our ghosts" in the song. The video was filmed in London and directed by Patrick Daughters.[11]

Live performances[]

Adele performed the song acoustically for the first time on November 20, 2016 at her album release party at Joe's Pub in New York City.[12] She sang it a second time during her pre-Grammy concert at Wiltern on February 12.[13] An acoustic version of the song was included in the setlist for Adele's 2016 world tour; however, on July 25, she began performing the studio version of the song during her concerts. Previously, this version had only been performed live when she headlined Glastonbury Festival in June 2016.

Covers[]

Ryan Tedder covered the song with his band OneRepublic for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.[14]

Country singer David Nail covered the song, noting that its musical difference from anything Adele had previously recorded appealed to him. The song was the second Adele song covered by the country artist, who also covered "Someone Like You" in 2012.[15] American rock band Boyce Avenue covered the song on their YouTube channel as an acoustic cover. American country pop singer and songwriter Kelsea Ballerini also covered "Send My Love" on The Bobby Bones Show.

Release history[]

Region Date Format Label
Italy May 13, 2016 Mainstream radio XL
Hungary May 16, 2016 Digital download
United States Hot AC radio Columbia
May 17, 2016 Mainstream radio
June 7, 2016 Rhythmic contemporary radio

Credits[]

Personnel[16]

  • Adele – songwriting, lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar
  • Max Martin – producer, backing vocals, songwriting
  • Shellback – producer, songwriting, programming, percussion
  • Michael Ilbert – engineer
  • Serban Ghenea – mixer
  • John Hanes – mixing engineer

Lyrics[]

Just the guitar, okay cool

This was all you, none of it me
You put your hands on, on my body and told me
You told me you were ready
For the big one, for the big jump
I'd be your last love everlasting you and me
That was what you told me

I'm giving you up
I've forgiven it all
You set me free, oh

Send my love to your new lover
Treat her better
We've gotta let go of all of our ghosts
We both know we ain't kids no more
Send my love to your new lover
Treat her better
We gotta let go of all of our ghosts
We both know we ain't kids no more

I was too strong you were trembling
You couldn't handle the hot heat rising (rising)
Baby I'm so rising
I was running, you were walking
You couldn't keep up, you were falling down (down)
Mmm there's only one way down

I'm giving you up
I've forgiven it all
You set me free-ee

Send my love to your new lover
Treat her better
We gotta let go of all of our ghosts
We both know we ain't kids no more
Send my love to your new lover
Treat her better
We've gotta let go of all of our ghosts
We both know we ain't kids no more

If you're ready, if you're ready
If you're ready, I am ready
If you're ready, if you're ready
We both know we ain't kids no more
No, we ain't kids no more

I'm giving you up
I've forgiven it all
You set me free-ee

Send my love to your new lover
Treat her better
We've gotta let go of all of our ghosts
We both know we ain't kids no more
Send my love to your new lover
Treat her better
We gotta let go of all of our ghosts
We both know we ain't kids no more

If you're ready, if you're ready (Send my love to your new lover)
If you're ready, are you ready? (Treat her better)
We've gotta let go of all of our ghosts
We both know we ain't kids no more
If you're ready, if you're ready (Send my love to your new lover)
If you're ready, are you ready? (Treat her better)
We've gotta let go of all of our ghosts
We both know we ain't kids no more

References[]

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