As Adele returns with “Easy on Me,” the first single from the British singer-songwriter’s album 30, expected Nov. 19, Billboard takes a look at her biggest songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
The powerhouse singer and songwriter first entered the Hot 100 in November 2008 with “Chasing Pavements,” the lead single from her debut album, 19. The ballad hit No. 21 in February 2009, a peak number apt given her pending vault to superstar status.
Her sophomore album, 21, earned her four more entries on the chart, including three No. 1 smashes starting with “Rolling in the Deep,” her first leader on the list, and the top title on the 2011 year-end Hot 100. “Deep” dominated the Hot 100 for seven weeks, ahead of two more No. 1s from 21: “Someone Like You” (for five weeks) and “Set Fire to the Rain” (two).
Following the 2012 soundtrack single “Skyfall,” a No. 8 Hot 100 hit, Adele returned with a vengeance in November 2015 with “Hello,” which introduced her third LP, 25. The soaring song debuted atop the Hot 100, where it ruled for 10 weeks. 25 sold 3.38 million copies in its first week in the U.S., marking the largest sales week for an album since MRC Data began tracking music purchases in 1991.
The set has sold 9.6 million copies in the U.S. to date. Meanwhile, 21 is up to 12.1 million sold and ranks as the No. 1 album in the Billboard 200’s entire history.
Let’s do a “deep” dive into Adele’s biggest hits on the Hot 100.
Adele’s Top 10 Biggest Hot 100 Hits
1, “Rolling in the Deep,” peak position No. 1 (7 weeks), peak date May 21, 2011
2, “Someone Like You,” No. 1 (5 weeks), Sept. 17, 2011
3, “Hello,” No. 1 (10 weeks), Nov. 14, 2015
4, “Set Fire to the Rain,” No. 1 (2 weeks), Feb. 4, 2012
5, “Send My Love (To Your New Lover),” No. 8, Sept. 24, 2016
6, “Rumour Has It,” No. 16, May 5, 2012
7, “When We Were Young,” No. 14, March 5, 2016
8, “Skyfall,” No. 8, Oct. 20, 2012
9, “Water Under the Bridge,” No. 26, Feb. 11, 2017
10, “Chasing Pavements,” No. 21, Feb. 28, 2009
Adele’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100, through the Oct. 16, 2021, ranking. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.