If you were alive in 2015, you could not turn anywhere without hearing Adele’s instant classic “Hello.” The music video was sweeping and haunting (directed by a talented young filmmaker named Xavier Dolan). Adele’s vocals are as good as any other, imbued with her heart and soul. Oh! And the lyrics—tragic confessions of love lost, laced with regret. It has all the right ingredients. In an interview with i-D magazine, Adele reveals the meaning of her song:
“The song is about hurting someone’s feelings…It’s about a yearning for the other side of me. When I’m away, I really, really miss my life at home…No, it’s not about anyone specifically. It’s about friends, ex-boyfriends, it’s about myself, it’s about my family. It’s also about my fans as well.”
Adele says it is about hurt feelings, but is not targeted at someone. Multiple times, she says the song is about herself.
But…what if I told you I discovered Adele was inspired to write this song by the 2000 film The Family Man starring Nicolas Cage–that I believe Adele loves this movie and wrote a song based on its plot? Go ahead. Call me crazy. But not until you hear me out. But just in case you don’t remember the plot of the film, allow me to refresh your memory.
Jack Campbell (Cage) portrays your typical Wall Street executive: single, overworking, and has little regard for anyone but himself and his luxurious lifestyle. On Christmas Eve, he misses a phone call from his ex-girlfriend, Kate (Téa Leoni). Later that night, Jack runs into a man who won the lottery, and decides to help him out when the store clerk will not give him money. Jack asks the lottery winner/mystic (Don Cheadle) if he is missing anything in his life because he feels he has everything he needs. Next thing he knows, he wakes up the father of two in the suburbs of New Jersey, married to his ex-girlfriend of yesteryear. In It’s A Wonderful Life-fashion, Jack learns what is important, but ultimately returns to his single lifestyle. He tracks down Kate before she moves to Europe and they agree to have coffee.
Alright, so you’re still wondering what this has to do with Adele’s song? You are thinking there is no way the most charming English singer watched a Nic Cage movie and used the story to write her biggest hit! Allow me to prove otherwise. Let’s break it down, line by line.
Hello, it’s me
I was wondering if after all these years you’d like to meet
To go over everything
These lines refer to two scenes in the film, the first being when Kate calls Jack in the beginning of the film. She is calling him after many years. The second scene is the end of the movie where Jack stops Kate from getting on a plane and asks to grab coffee “to go over everything.”
They say that time’s supposed to heal ya
But I ain’t done much healing
After 13 years of being single and finding himself unfulfilled, Jack has not healed from letting Kate go. They were optimistic things were going to work out. But the fact that she calls him, he visits her, and then stops her at the airport is a strong indication he has not “done much healing.”
Hello, can you hear me
I’m in California dreaming about who we used to be
When we were younger and free
I’ve forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet.
Here, California is not a reference to the Golden State, but more of a status, or state of mind. Often, when people become rich and successful, they move out to California (see Oprah living in Santa Barbara). Even though they are both financially successful, they are reminded of who they were 13 years prior, when they were “younger and free.” Before the world fell at their feet, there were so many possibilities ahead of them.
There’s such a difference between us
And a million miles
This can be interpreted two ways. Jack went to London, leaving Kate behind. London might as well be “a million miles” from New York City. But it also acknowledges the differences between them now. They have different values and lifestyles now. And once Jack has seen his vision, there is even more of a difference.
Hello from the other side
I must have called a thousand times
To tell you I’m sorry for everything that you’ve done
But when I call you never seem to be home.
Jack left for London, and now feels “sorry” that his decision is the reason they broke up. He ends up throwing away her number after his secretary gives it to him. And when Jack is back in the real world, he visits their house in New Jersey, only to find that she does not live there; she never “seems to be home.”
Hello from the outside
At least I can say that I’ve tried
To tell you I’m sorry for breaking your heart
But it don’t matter it clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore.
Jack has an experience from “the other side.” Through some sort of voodoo or mystical grace, he has a chance to view an alternative world. Near the end of the film, he tries to reconnect with Kate only to find out she is moving to Paris. It appears that Kate is not “torn apart anymore” by the end of their relationship. But Jack goes to the airport because he wants to “at least say he has tried” to reconcile and mend their rift.
Hello, how are you?
It’s so typical of me to talk about myself I’m sorry
I hope that you’re well
Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing happened?
Jack has a solipsistic view of the world. When they are poor, he wants to buy an extraordinarily expensive suit. He does not consider Kate’s opinion and makes an executive decision to move his family to the city and pursue his career. He does not care about his employees or their families. It is “typical” of him to talk and think only of himself and his needs. In this alternative universe, Kate’s father owns a tire shop in a suburb in New Jersey, implying that is where Kate is from. Compared to Manhattan, that suburb is a “town where nothing happened.”
It’s no secret that the both of us
Are running out of time
Jack and Kate have aged 13 years since they last saw each other. They have been focused on their career. They are “running out of time” to reconnect, start a life together, and have a family.
There you have it. The case is cracked. Adele must love this film. And with good reason! It is a solid movie with an important message, reminding viewers to slow down and ponder what is important in life. No wonder she lifted from it to write a song. And look, this is fine! There’s the old saying “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” Artists are constantly influenced by all the culture and media they consume. It is not hard to imagine Adele, sitting home alone after her break up, perhaps around Christmas time, stumbling across this movie on TV and finding that it perfectly captures her emotions and experiences.
Oh, and there’s just one more thing about the connection of this film and song. Jack’s secretary is the one who tries to get Kate on the phone, literally dialing when Jack stops her. She hands Jack the phone number, trying to reconnect Jack and Kate. Her name? Adelle.
