For this assignment, I will compare Schubert's “Gretchen am Spinnrade” and Adele's “Someone Like You”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Schubert's first hit song was "Gretchen am Spinnrade", written when he was only sixteen in 1814. The text was written by the poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Adele's "Someone Like You" became a huge hit in 2011. It was written by Adele with American songwriter and producer Dan Wilson. For these two songs, I will compare and contrast the lyrics and melodies. Even though they were written hundreds of years apart, it's interesting how music from the 1800s can relate to music today. When it comes to the lyrics of both songs, they are both emotional and dramatic. They both convey the intense emotions of love and despair that we all feel when going through a relationship. In Adele's song, "Someone Like You," you hear simple lyrics conveying a universal emotion of loss after the end of a relationship. By analyzing the lyrics, what may seem at first to be a beautiful love song about lost love becomes a glimpse into the heart and soul of a person who won't let go of their former lover. She expresses how the man she was with moved on so quickly to another woman in the lyrics: "I guess she gave you things, I didn't give you." In order to get over this man, she swears to get over him. “It doesn’t matter, I’ll find someone like you.” The lyrics provide insight into another side of the song: “But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight. I hoped you would see my face and remember that for me, it's not over. This shows the desperation in Adele's words because she really isn't about her ex-boyfriend like she might have said before. This is similar to the lyrics of Schubert's "Gretchen am Spinnrade" because, in this song, Gretchen longs for and is obsessed with her lover, Faust. The intensity of her love for Faust had destroyed her ability to live any longer within the limitations she had known all her life. She is young, inexperienced and has fallen madly in love, which gives her dramatic lyrics. She exclaims: “My breast presses towards him. Ah, can I grab it and hold it! She longs to be with him again, but that day will never come, which she knows. She knows it won't happen again when she cries out: "My peace is gone, my heart is heavy, I will never find it again." » These two songs show the effects of a breakup and how emotional it can become. However, Adele tries to hide her despair and desires, while Gretchen screams with all her might. For Adele's song, minor keys are used to create a melancholy mood for her melody. As the same stanzas are repeated, so are the same minor notes. Repetition creates the feeling of not being able to let go, which is exactly how Adele feels, as mentioned earlier. The song, played moderately, increases in volume and pitch, just like a normal woman trying to get her lover back would sound. At first, she begins the conversation lightly, then her voice rises to the rhythm of her emotions and feelings. Adele took a very familiar conversation, which was spoken by women around the world, and gave it a musical voice. In the dying tones, we hear the hope of reunion fall while Adèle's voice fades. This melody is getting closer.