When We Were Young (Adele song)
"When We Were Young" | ||||
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Single by Adele | ||||
from the album 25 | ||||
Released | 22 January 2016 | |||
Format | Digital download | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | Soul[1] | |||
Length | 4:51 | |||
Label | XL | |||
Writer(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Ariel Rechtshaid | |||
Adele singles chronology | ||||
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"When We Were Young" is a song by British singer Adele. It was released on 22 January 2016 by XL Recordings as the second single from her third studio album, 25 (2015). Adele co-wrote the song with Tobias Jesso Jr., while production of the track was provided by Ariel Rechtshaid. "When We Were Young" is a soul ballad, with lyrics that talk about reminiscing past memories with a loved one. Upon release, the song received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised the song's lyrics and Adele's vocals.[2][3][4][5]
Following the release of 25, "When We Were Young" had already sold 150,000 digital copies in the United States as an album track.[6] It has reached the top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The song never received an official music video, although a version of the song filmed at The Church Studios was released via Vevo. Adele promoted the song with live performances on the BBC one-hour special Adele at the BBC, Saturday Night Live and Adele Live in New York City.
Background and recording
It's impossible to question why she's where she is once you sit down with her to write a song. She was the first introduction I had to somebody who could sing words on the spot that were actually really great.
—Tobias talking about Adele.[7]
While in the middle of the writing process of 25, Adele struggled with writer's block and to feel confident about the material she had, her manager was also unsure about it and asked Rick Rubin, who produced many songs on her sophomore studio album 21, to give his input on it. Rubin claimed he didn't believe in the songs she had and she admitted that she felt the material was a little rushed.[7] Therefore, in early 2015, Adele flew to Los Angeles to work with different songwriters and producers for two months, and later she expressed interest of working with Canadian musician Tobias Jesso Jr.,[7] after discovering him after hearing his song "Hollywood".[8] She later tweeted a link to Jesso's video for his single, "How Could You Babe".[9] After their managers talked about the collaboration, they met and spent almost three days talking and writing.[10] They ended up writing two songs, "When We Were Young" and "Lay Me Down", with the first being written in a Los Angeles house, in Brentwood, at Philip Glass' piano that Tobias had inherited.[11][10] They started the song from scratch, as Jesso "would play chords while Adele improvised melodies and lyrics."[7] As Jesso recounted, "There was no studio, just a piano and us, and we wrote a lot. I mean a lot lot."[12]
Later, American record producer Ariel Rechtshaid, who previously worked with Jesso, heard rumours that Adele and Jesso wanted to work with him, and he flew over to London, where he produced two songs for her. Rechtshaid claimed that Adele told him that she loved the track, but that she had a lot of ballads on the record and asked him to do whatever he wanted with that information. He later went back to Los Angeles, where he started "chipping away at a rhythm track for it," as he recalled: "It was difficult—with a piano ballad, it's hard to put together a rhythm track that isn't over-the-top dramatic, kind of epic."[13] Rechtshaid added that "the song has an old soul vibe to it, but I wanted to keep it a little bit more modern. The song kind of feels like a lot of different vignettes, reflecting on different times in your life and different people, so all these instruments—bass, drums, piano—felt like other characters."[13] According to the producer, Adele felt emotionally connected to the song and "there was definitely a little bit of tearing up."[13] He also told The Fader that it only took two takes to record the song, and during the song's middle eight, he pushed her beyond her means, since he "felt that it needed to have a little bit more cry to it."[13]
Composition and influences
"When We Were Young"
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"When We Were Young" was written by Adele and Tobias Jesso Jr., and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid. Rechtshaid was also the song's engineer, as well as the responsible for organ, glockenspiel, synthesizer, percussion and backing vocals. Jesso also provided backing vocals and played piano. The song also features bass, drums and guitar in its instrumentation. It was recorded at Dean Street Studios, London, and mixed at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, and at Electric Lady Studios, New York.[15] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "When We Were Young" was written in common time in the key of E♭ major with a moderately slow tempo of 72 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of Cm–E♭/G–A♭–E♭/G–Fm7–E♭, and Adele's vocals span two octaves, from E♭3 to E♭5.[16]
"When We Were Young" is a reflective soul ballad.[17][1] Hattie Collins of i-D considered it "a 70s styled shimmery disco ballad."[8] It is built around "somber piano chords," which according to Pitchfork's Jeremy Gordon, are "designed to show off her staggering, empathic voice."[2] Gordon also perceived that her vocals switches "between husky crackle to a soaring delivery before eventually climaxing with a come-to-Jesus money note."[2] As defined by Adele, "It's a very '70s singer-songwriter vibe. Which is Tobias' thing, which is why I picked him."[11] Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone found it to be similar to Elton John as well as Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were".[7] Bruce Handy of Vanity Fair agreed with Streisand's influence.[18] The Fader's Owen Myers, in agreement with Rechtshaid and Adele, thought that the song reminded him of Gladys Knight.[13] Collins, while also calling it "great big fat love song", opined that it "could be the album's 'Rolling In the Deep'."[8]
Lyrical interpretation and inspiration
Lyrically, "When We Were Young" deals with themes of the "fears of getting older," a reccurrent theme on 25,[19] and "finds her reconnecting with [an] old acquaintance years after their adolescence, which prompts her to revisit those memories and to wish she could stop time."[14] As noted by Maeve McDermott of USA Today, during the reunion, "Adele wistfully begins mourning before it's even over."[19] During the song, she "watches as her youth slips away in real time," singing: "Let me photograph you in this light, in case it is the last time that we might be exactly like we were, before we realized we were sad of getting old."[19] In the last chorus, she cries about "the inevitability of separation", singing: "I'm so mad I'm getting old, it makes me reckless."[2] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic analyzed that the entire first verse of the song "is about her working up the courage to approach an old flame who 'everybody loves.'"[20] He added that the song "is another version of the revisitation narrative of 'Someone Like You' but this time, there’s no 'never mind, I’ll find someone else' portion. There’s only her begging for a photo, because she’s worried the future won’t ever be as good as the past was."[20]
In an interview with SiriusXM, Adele said the song "was based on us being older, and being at a party at this house, and seeing everyone that you've ever fallen out with, everyone that you've ever loved, everyone that you've never loved, and stuff like that, where you can't find the time to be in each other's lives. And you're all thrown together at this party when you're like 50, and it doesn't matter and you have so much fun and you feel like you're 15 again. So that's the kind of vibe of it really."[21] In a New York Times song by song analysis, she added: "At rehearsal, when I was singing ‘When We Were Young,’ I suddenly had a vision of my best friend putting makeup on me for the first time when I was 17. I had never had that vision when I wrote the song. Every time a new memory comes back in one of my songs for myself, I love it. It’s like remembering your life through song."[22] When interviewed by Nick Grimshaw on BBC Radio 1, Adele said that "When We Were Young" was her favourite track off the album 25,[23] and later revealed that her favorite lyric on the track is "You look like a movie / You sound like a song / My god this reminds me of when we were young."[7]
Release and cover art
On 16 November 2015, a preview of "When We Were Young" was exhibited by Australian TV program 60 Minutes.[24] A day later, a video of the song's performance at London’s Church Studios was uploaded on her YouTube channel.[25] On 26 November 2015, Billboard wrote an article wondering what would be 25's next single, indicating either "When We Were Young" or "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)".[26] On 12 December 2015, Billboard confirmed "When We Were Young" as the album's second single, through a Columbia Records source.[6] It was released early in Italian radio stations on 22 January 2016,[27] and officially released worldwide on 5 February 2016.[28] Along with the digital and streaming release, the single's cover art was revealed, featuring "a throwback picture of her younger self."[29] Carl Williott of Idolator and Lindsay Sullivan of Billboard called it "adorable,"[30][31] while Lewis Corner of Digital Spy wondered, "How much more cute can you get than a primary school Adele, grinning from ear to ear with her two front teeth missing.?"[29]
Critical reception
Jeremy Gordon of Pitchfork named it "Best New Track" and praised Adele's vocal performance and how she was "capable of elevating maudlin sentiment into high art".[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic selected the song as one of the album's highlights, noting that she took risks enlisting Ariel Retchshaid to produce the track.[32] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly considered it one of the three best tracks of the album, noting that she "means it sincere" with its nostalgic theme.[33] Steven Arroyo of Consequence of Sound selected it as one of the essential tracks on 25.[34] Rob Garratt of The National was positive with her songwriting skills, praising her "fragilely affecting, but ultimately affirming" performance.[35] Writing for Inquirer, Joseph R. Atilano remarked that "a single like this further showcases how lyrically intelligent she is as a composer as well as one of the greatest pure singers alive today".[36] Matt Bagwell of The Huffington Post named it "stunning" and "the album’s ‘Someone Like You’ - in other words, the ‘big ballad’."[37]
Lewis Corner of Digital Spy noted that the lyrics "will squeeze your heart and give you a minor midlife crisis, [but] that won't stop you from playing it over and over though."[3] Corbin Reiff of The A.V. Club praised her "incredible, gritty sultriness [vocals] on the verses."[38] Justin Charity of Complex was also positive with her vocals, calling it "the wildest blossom of Adele's voice."[5] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone labelled it a "mature [...] torchy ballad,"[39] while T. Cole Rachel of Spin defined it as "the kind of mawkish, overcooked melodrama that one imagines Adele could perform in her sleep."[40] Chris Gerard of PopMatters was extremely positive, naming it "a bittersweet epic [song]. 'When We Were Young' is breathtaking, an example of how great Adele can be when all the stars align. This slow-burning ballad which builds to a powerful climax should have been the first single. It’s more complex than 'Hello', has more emotional depth, and Adele’s vocals are good enough to bring tears to the eyes. 25 is worth picking up for this song alone."[4] Time named "When We Were Young" the fourth-best song of 2015.[41]
Commercial performance
Before its official release, "When We Were Young" had sold 150,000 digital copies in the United States, solely as an album track.[6] It debuted at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the chart's highest new entry.[42] The song also debuted at number 34 on the Adult Pop Songs chart and climbed to number 24 the second week, before being released as a single.[6] After its wide-release on streaming services, "When We Were Young" jumped from number 29 to number 20 on the Hot 100.[43] The following week, the song climbed to number 14, which became its peak position.[44] In the same week, the song also climbed to its peak position, number three, on the Adult Pop Songs.[45] In Asutralia, the song debuted at number 13, on 6 December 2015, and later re-entered at number 39 as a single, on 21 February 2016.[46]
In the United Kingdom, "When We Were Young" first debuted at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart as an album track.[47] Later, it re-entered at number 33 when it was released as a single.[48] Following Adele's performance at the BRIT Awards, "When We Were Young" climbed to number 13,[49] and a week later, it advanced to number 9, becoming Adele's seventh top-ten single.[50] In Spain, the song first debuted at number 12, on 29 November 2015, and left the charts at number 28; later it re-entered at number 47, on 17 January 2016, and fell off the chart at number 46. Ultimately, "When We Were Young" re-entered for the second time at number 29, on 7 February 2016, and two weeks later, it peaked at number twelve.[51] In Switzerland, the song managed to peak at number five, becoming her sixth consecutive top-five hit.[52]
Live performances and cover versions
The first live performance of the track was filmed at London's The Church Studios and uploaded on her VEVO account on 17 November 2015.[17] Adele performed the song live on Adele at the BBC, which was recorded at The London Studios on 2 November 2015 and broadcast on BBC One on 20 November 2015.[53] She performed the song on Saturday Night Live on 21 November 2015.[54] Adele also performed the song on Adele Live in New York City, which was recorded at a one-night-only show at Radio City Music Hall on 17 November 2015 and broadcast on NBC on 14 December 2015.[55] Adele performed "When We Were Young" as the closing song on the 2016 Brit Awards in London.[56] Adele included the song on her set of the 2016 Glanstonbury Festival for over 135,000 people.[57] "When We Were Young" was also added to the setlist of her Adele Live 2016 Tour.[58]
American singer Demi Lovato covered "When We Were Young" at the Future Now Tour on 2 September 2016. Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone wrote that "Lovato delivered a faithful, slightly sped-up take on the 25 single, which Lovato used as another vessel to showcase her powerful vocals."[59] Actor Luke Evans sang a little part of "When We Were Young" on The Jonathan Ross Show by telling that it was his new favorite song.[60] Country singer Billy Gilman covered "When We Were Young" during his blind audition for the eleventh season of The Voice.[61]
Track listing
Digital download[62]
- "When We Were Young" – 4:50
Digital remixes EP[63]
- "When We Were Young"(Strobe Remix) – 5:06
- "When We Were Young"(KlubKidz Remix) – 5:14
Credits and personnel
Recording
- Recorded at Dean Street Studios, London
- Mixed at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, and at Electric Lady Studios, New York
Personnel
- Adele Adkins – songwriting, vocals
- Tobias Jesso Jr. – songwriting, backing vocals, piano
- Ariel Rechtshaid – production, backing vocals, programming, engineering, organ, glockenspiel, synthesizer, percussion
- Gus Seyffert - bass
- Joey Waronker - drums
- Benji Lysaght - guitar
- Nico Muhly - prepared piano, harmonium
- Roger Manning Jr. - optigan, B3
- Austen Jux Chandler - engineering
- Chris Kaysch - engineering
- David Schiffman - engineering
- Nick Rowe - additional engineering
- Aaron Ahmad - assistant engineer
- Christopher Cerullo - assistant engineer
- John DeBold - assistant engineer
- Michael Harris - assistant engineer
Credits adapted from 25 liner notes.[15]
Charts
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[102] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Belgium (BEA)[103] | Gold | 15,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[104] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[105] | Gold | 30,000^ |
Italy (FIMI)[106] | Gold | 25,000 |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[107] | Platinum | 15,000* |
Sweden (GLF)[108] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[109] | Gold | 400,000 |
United States (RIAA)[110] | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Italy | 22 January 2016 | Mainstream radio | XL | [27] |
Australia | 5 February 2016 | Digital download | [111] | |
Worldwide | [112][28] |
See also
- List of number-one dance singles of 2016 (U.S.)
- List of UK Independent Singles Chart number ones of 2016
References
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- 1 2 3 4 5 Gordon, Jeremy (23 November 2015). "Adele: "When We Were Young"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- 1 2 Corner, Lewis (18 November 2015). "It's here! Adele's new album 25 - Our track-by-track review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- 1 2 Gerard, Chris (20 November 2015). "Adele: 25 | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- 1 2 Charity, Justin (20 November 2015). "Review: Adele Is Quenching Some Serious Thirst With '25'". Complex. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Trust, Gary (14 December 2015). "Adele's 'When We Were Young' Confirmed As Second Single From '25'". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hiatt, Brian (3 November 2015). "Adele: Inside Her Private Life and Triumphant Return". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 Collins, Hattie (26 November 2015). "adele interview: world exclusive first interview in three years". i-D. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ↑ Hann, Michael (5 February 2016). "Tobias Jesso Jr: since Adele tweeted his song, he's even bigger than his dad". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- 1 2 Adkins, Adele (16 November 2015). "Adele interviews Tobias Jesso Jr: 'I think that a couple of the ideas we had could be rap songs'". The Observer. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- 1 2 Lynch, Joe (23 October 2016). "Adele on Her Return: 'I Was So Frightened That No One Cared'". Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ↑ "Tobias Jesso Jr. on working with Adele: 'I was as nervous as shit'". NME. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Myers, Owen (19 November 2015). "How Ariel Rechtshaid Pushed Adele To Her Limit". The Fader. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- 1 2 Rolz, Adam H. "25 Album Review (2015) | Plugged In". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- 1 2 25 (Liner notes). Adele. England: XL. 2015.
- ↑ "Adele "When We Were Young" Sheet Music". MusicNotes.com. Universal Music Publishing Group. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- 1 2 Kreps, Daniel (17 November 2015). "Watch Adele Perform Timeless New Track 'When We Were Young'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ↑ Handy, Bruce (20 November 2015). "Review: Adele's 25 Is the Confessional Blockbuster You Wanted It to Be". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 McDermott, Maeve (20 November 2015). "Song of the week: Adele remembers "When We Were Young"". USA Today. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- 1 2 Kornhaber, Spencer (20 November 2015). "Review: The Humanity of Adele's 25". The Atlantic. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ↑ Kreps, Daniel (November 16, 2015). "Adele Talks 'When We Were Young,' Jeff Buckley Influence in New Interview". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
- ↑ Pareles, Jon (24 November 2015). "Adele on '25': Song by Song". New York Times. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ↑ "BBC Radio 1 – The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw, Adele Is In The Building With Her New Song, Adele tears up introducing her new song 'Hello' on BBC Radio 1". BBC. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
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- 1 2 "When We Were Young - Single". iTunes. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- 1 2 Corner, Lewis (5 February 2016). "Adele's new single artwork for 'When We Were Young' is perfectly adorable". Idolator. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ↑ Williott, Carl (5 February 2016). "Adele Reveals Adorable, Literal "When We Were Young" Single Cover Art". Idolator. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
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- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "25 - Adele | AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
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- ↑ Bagwell, Matt (20 November 2015). "Adele '25' Review: Track-By-Track Review Of 'Hello' Singer's New Album - The Follow Up To The 30-Million Selling '21'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ Reiff, Corbin (20 November 2015). "Adele returns in a much better place on 25". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ Dolan, Jon (24 November 2015). "25 - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ Rachel, T. Cole (23 November 2015). "Review: Age Ain't Nothing But a Bummer for Adele on '25'". Spin. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
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- 1 2 "Australian-charts.com – Adele – When We Were Young". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ↑ Copsey, Rob (27 November 2015). "Justin Bieber continues his record breaking streak on the Official Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ Copsey, Rob (12 February 2016). "Lukas Graham takes 7 Years to the Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ White, Jack (26 February 2016). "Lukas Graham's 7 Years scores a third week at Number 1". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ Myers, Justin (4 March 2016). "Lukas Graham's 7 Years wins a fourth week at Number 1". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- 1 2 "Spanishcharts.com – Adele – When We Were Young" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- 1 2 "Swisscharts.com – Adele – When We Were Young". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
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- ↑ Peters, Mitchell. "'Saturday Night Live': Adele Sings 'Hello' and 'When We Were Young'". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ↑ "'Adele: Live in New York City' NBC Special – Set List Revealed!". Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ↑ Warner, Denise (February 25, 2016). "Adele Closes Out the 2016 Brit Awards With 'When We Were Young'". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ↑ Barlow, Eve (25 June 2016). "Adele's Overdue Glastonbury Headlining Set: 'This Is the Best Moment of My Life'". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ Lackey, Emily (16 December 2015). "What Is The Adele Live Tour Set List? There's No Way She'd Leave Out These 8 Songs". Bustle. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ "See Demi Lovato's Soaring Cover of Adele's 'When We Were Young'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
- ↑ Williams, Kathryn (3 October 2016). "Did you see Luke Evans smash an Adele cover on Jonathan Ross this weekend?". Wales Online. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ↑ Betts, Stephen (21 September 2016). "'The Voice': 5 Best Moments From Week 1 Blind Auditions". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
- ↑ "When We Were Young - Single by Adele on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
- ↑ "When We Were Young (Remixes) [feat. Sam Solace] by KlubKidz on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Adele – When We Were Young" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Adele – When We Were Young" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Adele – When We Were Young" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ↑ "Adele – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Adele. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ↑ "Chart Search". Billboard Canada AC for Adele. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ↑ "Chart Search". Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for Adele. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
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- ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201630 into search. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201608 into search. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
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- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Adele – When We Were Young" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ↑ "Musicline.de – Adele Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ "Chart Track: Week 9, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
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- ↑ "Mexico Airplay: March 26, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2016. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Adele search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Adele – When We Were Young" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Adele – When We Were Young". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Adele – When We Were Young". VG-lista. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
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- ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201616 into search. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201609 into search. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ↑ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2016-03-15". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Adele – When We Were Young". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-03-10" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-03-04" UK Indie Chart. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ↑ "Adele – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Adele. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ↑ "Adele – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Adele. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ↑ "Adele – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Adele. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ↑ "Adele – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Adele. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ↑ "Adele – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Adele. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ↑ "Adele – Chart history" Billboard Rock Airplay for Adele. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
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- ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2016". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Adele – When We Were Young". Music Canada. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ↑ "Danish single certifications – Adele – When We Were Young". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 5 July 2016. Click on næste to go to page if certification from official website
- ↑ "Italian single certifications – Adele – When We Were Young" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 6 June 2016. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Adele in the field Filtra. Select 2016 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
- ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Adele – When We Were Young". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2016" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 6 October 2016. Type Adele in the top right search bar. Click on "Sok" and select When We Were Young and see certification.
- ↑ "British single certifications – Adele – When We Were Young". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 March 2016. Enter When We Were Young in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ "American single certifications – Adele – When We Were Young". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 September 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "AND THE NEW ADELE SINGLE IS…". auspop. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ↑ "Adele – When We Were Young (Radio Edit)". daily.plaympe. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.