The Meaning of Hello by Adele

We’ve all done things that we regret, things we can’t undo, things that maybe we wish could take back.

We all get to a point in our lives where we start to wonder about and reflect upon the decisions that we made that got us to the point we’re at.

We do this when we are at both good and bad points in our life.  It happens spontaneously when we get free time we eventually reminisce and ask ourselves:

“How did I get here?”
“Would I have done anything differently?”
“Do I have any regrets?”

Adele felt like she owed someone special to her an apology, maybe someone that played an important role at a time where she was beginning to figure out who she was and where her journey was taking her.

Although the sincerity of this apology seems to be slightly negated by the language used in the second paragraph of the chorus, let’s go ahead and get to over analyzing song lyrics for not only their real meaning to Adele but potential meaning to you as a listener and how it can apply to your life.

This song is mostly made up of chorus, but I’ve included the two pre-chorus segments and two verses for analysis.  Please feel free to play the video below and listen to the song while you read.

Verse:

Hello, it’s me, I was wondering
If after all these years you’d like to meet to go over everything
They say that time’s supposed to heal, yeah
But I ain’t done much healing

The first verse starts off with a re-introduction after a large gap in time apart without much or any contact whatsoever. She is admitting to still being hurt over whatever may have happened with this person.

Hello, can you hear me?
I’m in California dreaming about who we used to be
When we were younger and free
I’ve forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet

This part of the verse adds more insight to the equation. The reference to California makes me think Hollywood which is further confirmed by the line “world fell at our feet” which is a line used to mean now that I’m famous or popular.

The interesting part of this is the use of the word “our”.  This to me means that they were together and everything they had or did was equal, so when Adele became famous, “they” became famous.  Perhaps they were engaged or talking about spending the rest of their lives together in some fashion.

It is obvious here that the world fell at Adele’s feet and not much is known about her ex-lover’s own success and fame (from this song), although it is quite possible that they both were achieving some type of fame and that’s what pushed them apart.

The line “younger and free” is a reference to the past but “free” meaning that now she has a lot of obligations or responsibilities, maybe to herself, hollywood, or her fan base, but it signifies that she is very busy or “unfree”.

Verse 2:

Hello, how are you?
It’s so typical of me to talk about myself, I’m sorry
I hope that you’re well
Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happened?

By verse 2 we seem to learn that the person she was in a relationship with was not having the world fall at their feet but the use of the word “our” in the first verse is now indicative that this person and this relationship was affected by Adele’s fame and success.  We learn this by the last line of verse 2 where she asks if “he ever made it out of the town where nothing ever happened?”

Further clarifying this point is line 2 of this verse where Adele is admitting to talking about herself too much, “It’s so typical of me to talk about myself, I’m sorry”.

This is a tendency we all have when good things are happening to us.

If someone gets a promotion, wins the lottery, or has something else good happen to them, they seem to forget about others around them and get caught up in the moment with their ego running amok.

It’s way too late, but now she’s asking how he is simply because she never took the time to wonder about it as the world was “falling at her feet.”

Pre-Chorus:

There’s such a difference between us
And a million miles

Differences could mean their life status, her on the red carpet and him still in a small town. But difference could also mean that in their pursuit of what’s important they were two completely different people, maybe Adele wanted to go big and he wanted to stay small.

A million miles is used to explain the distance of the difference, which could be the comparison of success, but is more than likely an emotional line aimed at their lack of communication and losing touch with each other.

The distance between them feels enormous when all she wishes to do is apologize but she can’t even get a hold of this person.

Pre-Chorus 2:

It’s no secret
That the both of us are running out of time

Life is a sexually transmitted terminal disease, nobody gets out alive.

Assuming that their relationship is completely done for, the use of the words “both of us are running out of time” could indicate an immediate departure of one or the other due to a sickness, so if they don’t talk now they may never get the chance.

More than likely this is a reference to getting older, in that sense as we age, we are all running out of time.

Chorus:

Hello from the other side
I must’ve called a thousand times
To tell you I’m sorry, for everything that I’ve done
But when I call you never seem to be home

Hello from the outside
At least I can say that I’ve tried
To tell you I’m sorry, for breaking your heart
But it don’t matter, it clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore

The main part of the song is the chorus where it is sang over and over again.  What I find interesting is the use of “other side” and “out side” while they may seem synonymous in ways, I think there is a significant separate meaning to the use of each.

From the “other side” could be an indication of life status, ie, she’s famous and he’s not. It can also be a reference to being in different countries or separated by distance.

The phrase, “see you on the other side” is usually used in common language to explain to someone that you’re about to go through something that they aren’t going to be part of and if you make it out, you hope to see them again.

Think of two people joining the military and going to war. As they both deploy to separate parts of the world and separate fights, they may say to each other, “see you on the other side.”

Now take those two people and imagine them saying hello to each other from the “other side.” Imagine them hunkered down somewhere under enemy fire, the situation not looking good, and they pull out a piece of dirty paper to write to the other person their last thoughts.

Adele is taking a break from her struggles to say hello from the “other side”.  Now that she has had some time to think on the “other side” she has some regrets and would like to apologize.

This is followed up by the first line of the second paragraph of the chorus, “Hello from the outside”.  This is no longer about being on the “other side” this is a direct reference to being outside of his circle, not on the inside, meaning not involved in his life anymore or to put it another way.

“You do you, and I’ll do me” is a phrase used to tell another person to worry about their own lives because you’re moving on with yours.  Each person is no longer on the inside, they are on the outside looking in.

Adele is making an effort to get back on the inside. His lack of response leads her to conclude that he is not as affected as she is, “But it don’t matter, it clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore.”

That last line is very sad, probably to most of us.  How many of us have been in a relationship where we’ve been hurt beyond belief and the other person doesn’t even seem to care?

Most of us have been down that road.  Although this song is over played on the radio now, it’s a good song that a lot of people can relate to.  I hope you enjoyed this philosophical translation.