When an ex-boyfriend told a 22-year-old Adele that her life would be boring, lonely, and rubbish without him, she channeled the fury into Rolling in the Deep. Paired with indie-rock producer Paul Epworth, whom she initially doubted, she wrote the foundation in a single afternoon and discovered vocal notes she never knew she had.

This episode analyzes the track’s dark bluesy gospel disco sound, its open-fifth chords and marching tempo inspired by a Nashville tour bus driver, and its record-shattering commercial run of over 20 million copies. It covers the striking video, the historic Grammy trifecta shared only with We Are the World, the Aretha Franklin cover, and the copyright clash over political rally use.

• How Paul Epworth pushed Adele into a new, more aggressive vocal range
• The open-fifth chords and tempo that turned a sad song into a stomping anthem
• Its record as the fastest song in digital history to 5 million sales
• The Grammy trifecta matched only by We Are the World
• Aretha Franklin’s cover and the campaign copyright licensing controversy