Welcome to Adrie’s beats of the week, a weekly column dedicated to remarking upon the intricacies of modern music. To submit any songs for entry, please contact [email protected], with the subject line, ‘beats of the week.’ 

I do this really stupid thing where when I am listening to music in the school hallways, I will only listen to certain music, for fear that someone will overhear and judge me. Sometimes music makes me feel a little silly, and in this high school realm, that is the last thing that I need.

Sometimes though, a song will be just right to where it makes me happy, and I’m also still able to hold my head up high. It’s a delicate line to walk, and I have to be careful that it’s not too perfect, or I will end up strutting through the school like I own the place, versus my normal head down-just get to class- speed walking. 

When Adele released 30, I have to admit that I was very skeptical. As much as I adore her, I just assumed that there would be nothing on the album that drove me crazy. And oh how wrong I was.

For an album that is about divorce, some of the songs are definitely more upbeat, and less of the usual Adele ballads.

My current favorite has to be “All Night Parking.” It’s one of the ones that I have to be careful with, because I will strut to it. It’s a little bit jazzy, in a way that screams sophistication, but doesn’t force you into it’s clique. It makes me want to wear lipstick and heels and swish a ponytail around like nobody’s business. 

I particularly enjoy the lyric, “When I’m out at a party/ I’m just excited to get home/ And dream about you/ All night long.” As an incredibly extroverted person, I can tell you that it is rather extraordinary when a person occupies so much of your head space that you want to be by yourself.

I think that it’s quite fitting because the first couple seconds of music sound like the kind of music that would be played at a party. Or at least the kind of party that I would imagine Adele attending, with lots of lipstick, heels, and ponytails. To me this song pretty perfectly describes what goes on when you are at the beginning of a relationship. Maybe it’s just me and Adele, but I certainly could find myself dramatically panicking a little. 

The album as a whole is really great, and has definitely been dubbed the “divorce” album, fittingly so I think. “All Night Parking” is probably the most upbeat song of the album.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Adele admits to the song being about falling for someone new, after her divorce. The relationship she said was “doomed from the start,” but overall a good learning curve.

I’ve never been divorced myself, but I can imagine how it would feel to fall for someone again. I would think that all the emotions would be personified; it would be all the more beautiful, but also all the more dangerous feeling. And I don’t want to assume anything here, but as someone who has been very lonely, sometimes the only thing to do, even if you’re not sure it’ll work out, is to let yourself be loved.