Adele's "Easy On Me:" A Statement On Marrying Young
Adele is back in action, this time with yet another gorgeous ballad for the world’s listening pleasure. She truly knows how to bang them out, doesn’t she?
From a listening point, the track is — in typical Adele fashion — impactful due to her vocals alone, even without taking time to reflect upon the lyrics. Adele’s voice has the power to render one speechless, with its liquid gold essence and soulful, crisp tone. The listener can feel that she herself believes in what she is singing; the song more or less has a piece of her heart embedded within it.
Then, you bring your full attention to the language, and that elevates the piece even further. Lyrically, “Easy On Me” is not only an emotional ballad but rather, a song that houses a relatable message, one for the masses to connect with.
“Easy On Me” is a statement on marrying young.
Marriage is generally a rocky topic of interest. Some swear it is life or death, while others swear it is a waste of both time and paper. Divorce just so happens to be an equally controversial topic, if not more so. Yet, what is the point in making people feel guilt for what may be best for them in the long run? Sometimes, we avoid discussions of divorce — or divorcing in general — because of the shame shoved onto us by judging eyes and listening ears, inside of our families and out of them.
For celebrities, it is the judgement of the world at large that they face. That attention and judgement sometimes makes people sleep inside of loveless rooms until they’re grey. Fear cripples and discourages many from moving on once the romance is all but gone. It is easy to sink into that soft, syrupy space of active denial. It feels safer there, somehow — it is more comfortable to stick with what you’ve always known, and what — at one point in time — you imagined that you’d desire for your whole life long.
Adele (@adele) | Twitter
In reality, your teens and your 20s are relatively foundational. You melt into yourself and thus, the structure of who you are hardens overtime. People more often than not become more concrete within their identities the older they get. Each year brings you new people to know and new relationships to build — or to break apart — as you discover what it is that you want and, as a result, who it is that fits into your corner of the world. Therefore, the people who enter your life either grow alongside you, or you grow apart. This is natural. A painful, aching reality at times, but it is natural. We as a society do not discuss this enough however, when in the respect of marriage. Divorce is instead seen as wholly taboo even now, rather than something that is more understandable than it is not.
Personally, I find Adele brave for speaking so candidly about divorce through her work. Divorce has been sung about for decades. Yet, the words
“I was still a child / didn’t get the chance to / feel the world around me / ” left a handprint on my heart — as well as others, I’m sure. They seem to say what plenty of us think about when we’re alone and yet, seldom dare to say aloud. To sing so candidly about something so raw and painful in front of the world is not only something that requires courage, but it is something that will comfort thousands of people for years to come.
There is nothing wrong with marrying young. If you feel that you are sure and that you’ll want someone forever, then that’s a beautiful sentiment and a love so strong is hard to come by. With that being said, you are allowed to change your mind. You are allowed to, like Adele, choose yourself and put yourself first.
Never force what doesn’t work. Never set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.
Be brave. Be real. Your truth, experiences, and desires are yours alone to honor and nurture, even when they aren’t pretty. So long as you are not harming anyone with malicious intent, be gentle with yourself as you grow. It is okay to move on. Like everything in life, you will make it through this season.
