Adele - Chasing Pavements - Analysis

"Chasing Pavements" is a song by British singer-songwriter Adele, from her debut album 19 which was released by XL Recordings.

The accompanying music video was directed by Mathew Cullen from production company Motion Theory. It was uploaded to Adele's official Youtube account on October 24th 2009. It centres around a car crash (a white Peugeot 505 saloon) occurring in Hyde Park, London (the video was actually filmed in Los Angeles). The video earned the 2008 MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography.

Background and Context
The song was inspired by an incident Adele had with a former boyfriend of 6 months. After learning he had cheated on her, she went to the bar he was at and punched him in the face. After being thrown out, Adele walked down the street alone and thought to herself "What is it you're chasing? You're chasing an empty pavement". She sang and recorded it on her mobile phone and arranged the chords when she got home.

Analysis
The video opens with a tilt shot revealing two characters lying down on the pavement after what looks to be a car crash, this shot is accompanied with the non-diegetic sound effect of ambulance sirens setting the mood and atmosphere for the viewers. The next shot introduces Adele in another car with a man who are in sight of the crash. This is followed by a close up of Adele singing the lyrics of the song, which then focuses on the man which alludes to the inspiration for the song. The next shots show people rushing over to the pair lying on the ground.

Once the chorus begins, the angle switches to an overhead shot of the pair who appear to be a couple and it visually recounts the couple's first meeting with the woman losing her scarf and the man returning it to her. The pair begin dancing in a choreographed manner in synch with the beats of the song. Following this, Adele gets out of her car and begins walking along the pavement singing, whilst the paramedics arrive at the scene. The second chorus starts and the overhead shot is used once again to show the couple embracing each other, but this is followed by a shot showing the woman giving a note to the man. Her gestures of covering her face suggest she is ashamed of herself which is accompanied by the shadow of another man which overall suggests the woman was cheating. She attempts to go back to the man but he rejects her after learning the truth.

Now Adele is leaning on the tree that the couple's car collided with, watching as the paramedics attempt to resuscitate the pair. Another shot depicts the man that Adele was in a car with and his facial expressions suggest he is agitated. As the chorus builds up for the last time, the overhead shot shows the couple dancing again, now accompanied by the surrounding people who are also dancing in the same choreographed manner. The final shot pans up to the tree and the sky as the couple lay motionless on the pavement.

Many people who have been in relationships can relate to the couple in the video, in the aspects such as, being cheated on, getting your heartbroken, and how you can find yourself hanging onto relationships that have already ended. The scenes are well lit with natural lighting as they were filmed outside, which was a thoughtful decision as shadows are used throughout the narrative.

When describing the meaning of the title 'Chasing Pavements' along with the lyrics, Adele said "It's me being hopeful for a relationship that's very much over. The sort of relationship you hate when you're in it, but you miss when you're not." This type of relationship is very much similar to the relationship of the car crash couple in the video, with the pair being initially happy but eventually, leading to heartbreak and regret.

In terms of editing, the transitions are mainly simple with just cuts between different shots and scenes. The pace deviates throughout the song, with slow pace in between each chorus and fast pace during the choreographed scenes. This fast pace could allude to the energy of early relationships and the slow pace could link to the hard and difficult moments during a relationship.