Why Are Adele’s Simple Chords So Emotionally Effective?

While Adele’s massive hit “Hello” is rightly praised for its powerful vocals, the song’s simple chords play a key role in telling the story.

In this video, we’ll break down the harmony to reveal why these simple chords are so emotionally effective, and how they support the story in ways we might easily overlook.

This video has a few technical glitches and, in hindsight, the chordal analysis is a little longer than necessary. But I think you’ll enjoy the payoff - Adele’s use of simple chords to convey her story is really quite interesting.