☝️ Key Points
- Adele reflects in the song on her desire for love and her process of self-acceptance
- She acknowledges that she still struggles to manage her emotions and often 'bleeds into other people'
- Adele speaks of the need to take risks and express oneself in order to find and give love
- She is willing to make sacrifices and lose things that are important to her in order to maintain honesty and authenticity
- Adele shows no remorse for her past mistakes, but sees them as lessons and opportunities for growth
- The song ends with a powerful declaration of her determination to be herself and find and give love, regardless of difficulties and setbacks
Interpretation
The song 'To Be Loved' by
Adele is about personal development, self-acceptance, and the longing for love. The lyrics begin with a reflection of her past years, where she built a 'house' for love but was still too young to understand what she was doing ('I built a house for a love to grow, I was so young that it was hard to know'). She confesses that she is still lost and struggles to cope with her emotions. She 'bleeds' into other people and fills rooms with her 'secret tears', 'hopes', and 'fears'.
Adele also speaks about the need to take risks and express oneself ('I'll never learn if I never leap, I'll always yearn if I never speak'). She acknowledges that love requires a high level of dedication and often involves losing things that are important to her ('To be loved and love at the highest count, Means to lose all the things I can't live without'). She is willing to make these 'sacrifices' to no longer have to live in a lie.
The chorus 'Let it be known that I will choose to lose, It's a sacrifice, but I can't live a lie' shows her determination to be honest with herself, even if it means she has to suffer. She confesses that she wants to be 'loved' and 'love', even if it means losing things she can't live without.
In the last verses of the song, Adele reflects on her past mistakes but shows no remorse. Instead, she sees these missteps as lessons and opportunities for growth ('Yeah, I took some bad turns that I am owning'). She promises to take her time and wait for the right moment to open her heart again.
The song ends with a powerful statement: 'Let it be known that I tried', which shows that she has always tried to be herself and find and give love, regardless of the difficulties and setbacks.