"Easy on Me" is a song by English singer

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...

from her fourth studio album '' 30'' (2021). Adele wrote the song with its producer,

Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs t ...

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

released it as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

on 15 October 2021. It is a minimally produced pop

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

set to a prominent, sombre piano and propelled by sparse bass beats. Expressing themes of nostalgia, regret, and forgiveness, the lyrics represent Adele's plea to her son, in which she details her struggles with her dissolved marriage and requests him to be kind to her. The song received critical acclaim, with praise towards its poignant lyrics and vocals, though some opined it did not reach the emotional heights of her previous ballads. In the United Kingdom and United States, the song marked Adele's third and fifth chart toppers, respectively. "Easy on Me" broke the

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

and

Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights man ...

records for the most streams for a song in both a day and a week. It became the longest running number-one song on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 by a female artist in the 2020s decade, with ten weeks atop the chart. An accompanying music video, directed by Canadian filmmaker

Xavier Dolan Xavier Dolan-Tadros (; born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian filmmaker, actor and costume designer. He began his career as a child actor in commercials before directing several arthouse feature films. He first received international acclaim in 2 ...

and shot in

Sutton, Quebec Sutton is a town in southwestern Quebec. It is part of the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality in the administrative region of the Estrie. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 4,548. Historically, Sutton is considered to be p ...

, was released on 15 October 2021, continuing the setting established in the music video for Adele's 2015 song "

Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...

", where she is seen entering a furnished house. In the video, Adele vacates the house and drives off in a truck as a pile of

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

flies out of it, littering the road. A duet rendition with

Chris Stapleton Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to ...

was featured on

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

and Japanese editions of ''30'' and was released to

country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The ...

in the US on 19 November 2021. The solo version won the

Brit Award for British Single The Brit Award for Song of the Year is an award given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), an organisation which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom. The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual celebra ...

at the Brit Awards 2022.

Release and promotion

On 1 October 2021, multiple posters and projections stating "30" appeared on significant landmarks and buildings in different cities around the world. Instalments of the logo were largely linked to the title of Adele's upcoming studio album. On 4 October, the singer's social media accounts were updated for the first time in months. The following day, Adele teased the song and its music video through an instrumental clip she posted on her social media. The black-and-white teaser shows Adele putting a cassette tape into the tape deck of a truck and turning up the volume. She then drives off with the windows rolled down, while piles of sheet music fly out of the windows. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' writer Gil Kaufman thought the visuals were "Adele to the core". The teaser was widely compared to the music video of Adele's previous lead single, "

" (2015). The teaser clip of the song garnered over 17 million views, becoming the most viewed clip by a female artist on Twitter. During an interview with ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', it was revealed that long-time collaborator

worked on the song. The staff at Capital FM interpreted the song title as documenting the "start of a blossoming relationship". On 9 October, the singer shared a 40-second preview of the song via Instagram Live. "Easy on Me" was released on 15 October 2021, to all

digital music Digital audio is a representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, digital form. In digital audio, the sound wave of the audio signal is typically encoded as numerical samples in a continuous sequence. For example, in CD audio, samp ...

platforms. It marked the first single by Adele in nearly five years.

Composition and lyrics

"Easy on Me" is a piano-driven pop

joined by

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

beats halfway. The song's chorus consists of its title sung in prominently elongated vocal runs. The song is written in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

with a slow tempo of 70

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. The song opens with a solo piano, which leads into the vocals. Lyrically, Adele addresses her nine-year-old son Angelo in "Easy on Me", explaining to him her divorce from his father and beseeching him to be "easy on er. According to Stephanee Wang writing for ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

'', Adele wrote the lyrics in reaction to her divorce proceedings stating: "In 2019, the story broke that after 11 years together, she and her ex-husband, Simon Konecki, had separated, with their divorce getting finalized in March 2021." Wang said the lyrics directly speak to Angelo, "as

dele The ''Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera'' ( en, Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language), or DELE, are official diplomas issued by the Spanish Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science to participa ...

tries to explain to him why she decided to split from his father and choose a new path for the two of them." Adele had also previously stated: "I just felt like I wanted to explain to ngelo through this record, when he’s in his twenties or thirties, who I am and why I voluntarily chose to dismantle his entire life in the pursuit of my own happiness. It made him really unhappy sometimes. And that's a real wound for me that I don't know if I'll ever be able to heal."

Critical reception

Upon release, "Easy on Me" received very positive reviews from music critics.

Neil McCormick Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Nee ...

of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' called the song a "bold comeback single", contrasting its simple piano arrangement with the sleek power ballad production of "

". He said Adele possesses a heartfelt voice, one "that digs deepest into the soul of the world." ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' writer Jochan Embley lauded "Easy on Me" for its plaintive piano, elegant vocals, and "lilting" melodies. He said the song is a testament to Adele's resistance to

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

trends, avoiding "bombastic

hyperpop Hyperpop is a loosely-defined music movement and microgenre that predominantly originated in the United Kingdom during the early-to-mid 2010s. It is characterized by a maximalist or exaggerated take on popular music, and artists within the genre ...

or anodyne

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...

" and staying true to her style. Nevertheless, Embley felt the song "doesn't quite match the mascara-streaked sorrow of ' Someone like You' (2011), or the soaring emotional heights of 'Hello'. But it is just about as powerful." ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' Nick Levine proclaimed "Adele's has never sounded better" than on "Easy on Me", making a comeback with a "slice of classic Adele

balladry A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

." Music critic Alexandra Pollard, writing for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', opined that "Easy on Me" has Adele "addressing her nine-year-old son, attempting to explain to him why she chose to take apart the life he knew." Pollard admired the "raspy" vocals, sentimental lyrics, polished sound, and the piano composition evocative of "

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

" (2020) by

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

and

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

. He nevertheless found the chorus of "Easy on Me" less catchy than that of "Hello". In his ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' review, music journalist

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...

highlighted the typical "Adele-esque" sound of the song, consisting of soulful vocals and relatable lyrics, and added that, though "Easy on Me" is not as arresting as "Someone like You", it is still better than some forgettable tracks on '' 25'' (2015). Fiona Sturges of '' i'' hailed it as a "heartfelt, anthemic" song that puts Adele's "remarkable instrument"—her voice—at the forefront; later in the review, Sturges expressed her concern over how the song's "slightly over-produced sheen" prevents it from being more heartaching. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' critic Cat Zhang wrote "Easy on Me" sticks to a classic formula, "for better or worse". Zhang praised Adele's vocal delivery, and deemed the song a "stirring ballad" even though it "isn't really treading new ground within dele'sown discography". Dubbing it a "great tune" that is not as impressive as Adele's previous lead singles, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' Will Hodgkinson said "Easy on Me" is "nice and accomplished" but felt "a sheen of thoroughly American professionalism that stops the emotions from really hitting home in the way they did on "Someone like You"."

Accolades

Commercial performance

Upon release, "Easy on Me" broke the all-time record for the most streamed song in a single day on

with 19.7 million global streams (until it was surpassed by

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

's " All I Want for Christmas is You" in 2022). It held the record for the most streamed song in a single week with 84.9 million streams. It additionally broke two

records, the most first-day streams globally, and the most first-day

Alexa Alexa may refer to: Technology *Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon * Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service * Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera People *Alexa (name), a given name and ...

requests for any song in the platform's history. "Easy on Me" debuted at number 195 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 from its first five hours of tracking, drawing 16,900 downloads and 7.7 million streams within the timeframe, before rocketing to the chart's top spot the following week. It tallied 136,300 downloads and 178.2 million streams in its second week, marking the third-largest sales week for any song on that chart, only behind

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...

' "

Butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

" and "

Permission to Dance "Permission to Dance" is a song by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released through Big Hit Music and Sony Music on July 9, 2021, as a stand-alone single. The song was also included as part of the CD release of the group's previous single "But ...

", respectively, and the second-largest streaming week on the chart, only behind "Butter", which earned 289.2 million streams. The song registered over double the chart points of the runner-up single, "

Stay Stay may refer to: Places * Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US Law * Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment * Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tri ...

", by

The Kid Laroi Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard (born 17 August 2003), known professionally as the Kid Laroi (stylised as the Kid LAROI), is an Australian rapper, singer and songwriter. He originally gained recognition from his association and friendship with A ...

and

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

, making it the second song to do so in the chart's history, only after

Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She gained recognition in the late 2010s with her lead roles on the Disney television programs ''Bizaardvark'' and '' High School Musical: The Music ...

's "

Drivers License A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public r ...

", which earned triple the chart points of the runner-up song. "Easy on Me" debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Global 200 Excl. U.S. chart, tallying 62,700 downloads and 125.6 million streams, after having earned 2,000 downloads and 4.6 million streams within its first five hours. It was Adele's first chart-topper on both listings.

United States

In the United States, "Easy on Me" debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 68 with only five hours of availability in the country. In that timeframe, the song garnered 3.1 million streams, 3.1 million radio audience impressions, and 14,800 digital copies sold; it marked Adele's 14th career entry on the Hot 100. The following week, it leaped to number one on the Hot 100, becoming Adele's fifth chart-topping single and her first since "

" in 2015. With its rise from number 68 to the top spot, "Easy on Me" marked the largest jump to number one since

's "

Look What You Made Me Do "Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...

" (2017). "Easy on Me" garnered 74,000 downloads, 53.9 million streams, and 65 million radio audience impressions in the second week. It debuted at number one on the

Digital Song Sales The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...

and

Streaming Songs The Streaming Songs chart is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists each week's top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services in the United States. The chart represents one of the three component ...

charts, and at number four on the Radio Songs chart, breaking the record for the highest debut on the latter chart, surpassing

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

's " Born This Way" (2011), which debuted at number six. The song broke the record for the most played song in the U.S. radio history during a song's first week on the air and became the first song to be the most-added at five different formats ( pop,

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

adult pop Pop music is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the ...

adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...

and R&B) in a single week. ''Billboard'' named the song one of the biggest number one singles "of the last 30 years". The song spent ten nonconsecutive weeks atop the Hot 100. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary airplay chart, becoming Adele's sixth leader on the list and the quickest coronation for a non-holiday song since "Hello". In its fifth week on chart, "Easy on Me" was unseated from the top by Swift's "

All Too Well (Taylor's Version) "All Too Well" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Its five-minute version is part of her fourth studio album, '' Red'' (2012), whereas its re-recording and uncut 10-minute version is part of her second re-recorded album, '' ...

". Bolstered by the release of ''30'', "Easy on Me" rebounded atop the Hot 100 the following week. It became the first song to lead streaming units, sales, and radio impressions simultaneously since

Luis Fonsi Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for multiple songs, one of them being "Despacito" featuring rapper Daddy Yankee. Fonsi received his first ...

and

Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, and actor. Known as the " King of Reggaetón" by music critics and fans alike, he is the artist who coined ...

's "

Despacito "Despacito" (; "Slowly") is a song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi featuring Puerto Rican rapper and singer Daddy Yankee as the lead single from Fonsi's 2019 studio album ''Vida''. Released on January 12, 2017, the song was written by Fonsi, ...

" in 2017. With the debut of "

Oh My God Oh My God, O My God, Oh My God! or Ohmigod may refer to: * the first words of the Act of Contrition, a Christian prayer * a common phrase frequently abbreviated as "OMG", often used in SMS messages and Internet communication, and sometimes euphem ...

" at number five the same week, Adele achieved simultaneous top-five entries for a second time in her career, after "

Set Fire to the Rain "Set Fire to the Rain" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). The song was written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith while the production was handled by the latter. It became Adele's third ...

" and "

Rolling in the Deep "Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). It is the lead single and opening track on the album. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth. The singer herself des ...

" in 2012. "Easy on Me" is also Adele's third song to have at least seven weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, after "Rolling in the Deep" (seven weeks) and "Hello" (10); she became the first act to top the AC chart for seven weeks with the lead singles of three consecutive albums. In its fourteenth week, "Easy on Me" became the first song to surpass 100 million in radio reach in over a year and a half, since the 115 million tally of

the Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...

's "

Blinding Lights "Blinding Lights" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on November 29, 2019, through XO and Republic Records, as the second single from his fourth studio album, '' After Hours'' (2020). The song was written and produced by ...

" (2019). The following week, "Easy on Me" stayed at number one for a tenth week, tying with "Hello" as Adele's longest-running number one hit on the Hot 100; she became the seventh act to have at least two number ones top the Hot 100 for 10 or more weeks, joining

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

(three number-ones each);

Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper), Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie (singer ...

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

, and

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...

(two each).

Elsewhere

In the United Kingdom, "Easy on Me" broke the record for the most streamed song in a day, with over 3.2 million streams earned. The song debuted at number one on the

Official Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on the week ending 28 October 2021, moving 217,300 units in its first week. It marked the highest first week sales week for a song since

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

's "

Shape of You "Shape of You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the double lead singles from his third studio album '' ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The dancehall and R&B-infused ...

" (2017). "Easy on Me" accumulated 24 million streams in the UK in its first week, breaking the record for the most streamed song in a single week previously held by

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

's "

7 Rings "7 Rings" (stylised in all lowercase) is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, from her fifth studio album ''Thank U, Next''. It was released as the album's second single on January 18, 2019, through Republic Records. The song was written by ...

" (2019), while also earning the biggest week of digital download sales of 2021, with 23,500. "Easy on Me" logged 103,000 chart sales including 11 million streams in its second week. When it topped the chart for a fifth week, it tied with 2011's " Someone Like You" as her longest-running chart-topper in the UK. The following week, with the release of ''30'', "Easy on Me" scored a sixth consecutive week at number one on the Official Singles Chart making it her longest-running number one single in the UK. In its twelfth week, the song returned to number one for an eighth nonconsecutive week. "Easy on Me" debuted atop Australia's

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, becoming her third song to reach the top position. It spent a total of four weeks atop the chart. In Canada, "Easy on Me" debuted at number one on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

and spent a total of eight weeks at number one. In Germany, "Easy on Me" went straight to number one on Offizielle Deutschen Singles Charts, scoring her fourth chart-topper within Germany. In Italy, "Easy on Me" debuted at number one on the FIMI Singles Chart, becoming her fifth chart-topper in the country. It also debuted at number one in Ireland, where it spent eight nonconsecutive weeks at the top.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Easy on Me" was filmed on 15–16 September 2021 in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, and directed by Canadian filmmaker

who had previously worked with Adele on the music video for her 2015 single "Hello". Filming took place at the Chemin Jordan and the Domaine Dumont Chapelle Ste-Agnès in

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

, a town in southwestern Quebec, including the same house used for "Hello". The music video opens in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

and shifts to colour halfway through, as the track's beat becomes more prominent. Adele vacates the house and drives off in a furniture-filled truck, past a " Sold" sign board planted by the property. Numerous pages of

fly out the car's back windows and scatter all over a road as she drives away. A video of

blooper A blooper is a short clip from a film or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or news report, usually in terms o ...

s from the production of the music video was released on 4 November 2021.

Live performances

Adele performed "Easy on Me" live during her

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

Adele One Night Only ''Adele One Night Only'' is a television special by English singer-songwriter Adele that aired on November 14, 2021, on CBS while being simulcast on Paramount+. At the 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, ''Adele One Night Only'' earned a ...

'' (2021). She performed the song for the first time in Europe on 20 November 2021 during a live television broadcast of the 23rd

NRJ Music Awards An NRJ Music Award (commonly abbreviated as an NMA) is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry. The awards ceremony, created in 2000 by NRJ in partnership with the televisi ...

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

. Adele reprised "Easy on Me" for her

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

special ''

An Audience with Adele ''An Audience with...'' is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television (now part of ITV Studios), in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed ...

'' (2021). She sang it during her

British Summer Time During British Summer Time (BST), civil time in the United Kingdom is advanced one hour forward of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), in effect changing the time zone from UTC±00:00 to UTC+01:00, so that mornings have one hour less daylight, and ev ...

concerts on 1 and 2 July 2022.

Credits and personnel

Song

Adele Adkins Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...

– vocals, *

– producer, engineer,

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, kick drum, piano * Alex Pasco – recording engineer * Julian Burg – recording engineer *

Tom Elmhirst Tom Elmhirst (born 8 June 1971) is a British mix engineer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Beck, David Bowie, Cage the Elephant, Lady Gaga, Residente, and Amy Winehouse, among many others. Elmhirst has received numerous accolades a ...

–

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

* Matt Scatchell - mixing engineer *

Randy Merrill Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse, Cage the ...

–

mastering engineer A mastering engineer is a person skilled in the practice of taking audio (typically musical content) that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distr ...

Video

– director * Phil Lee –

creative director A creative director (or creative supervisor) is a person who makes high-level creative decisions and, with those decisions, oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos. Creative director positions ar ...

André Turpin André Turpin (born 1966) is a French Canadian cinematographer, film director, and screenwriter. Career As a cinematographer, he has won over a dozen awards, including Canadian Screen Awards for Best Cinematography his work on Xavier Dolan's f ...

–

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

* Untold Studios – production company

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

Release and promotion

Composition and lyrics

Critical reception

Accolades

Commercial performance

United States

Elsewhere

Music video

Live performances

Credits and personnel

Song

Video

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

References