"Water Under the Bridge" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her third studio album25. The song was written by Adele and its producer Greg Kurstin. It was released as the fourth and final single from the album on 4 November 2016. Lyrically, the track is about a critical point in a relationship and trying to figure out if your partner is in or out. Musically, the song is a mid-tempo disco-pop song, featuring an electro-drum beat and a tropical, trip hop riff. The song received positive reviews from music critics and peaked at number 20 in Finland and within the top 20 in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Scotland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Adele has performed the song during Adele Live in New York City and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In 2016, the song was included on the soundtrack of the Brazilian telenovelaA Lei do Amor.
Composition
"Water Under the Bridge" is a mid-tempo disco-pop song, featuring an electro-drum beat and a tropical, trip hop riff, with Adele proclaiming to her lover "If you're gonna let me down, let me down gently". While reviewing 25, Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone noted gospel influence in the song. More specifically, Chris Gerard of PopMatters cited a gospel choir in the background of the song. The song is written in the key of E major with a tempo of 95 beats per minute. The song follows three chord progressions of Progression #1: A–Fm7–Cm–B–Gm,Progression #2: A–Fm7–Cm–B, Progression #3: E-Fm-Cm-A in the verses, and Adele's vocals span from B3 to C6.
Critical reception
's Christina Garibaldi wrote that "The song is all about a critical point in a relationship and trying to figure out if your partner is in or out". Katy Forrester of Daily Mirror stated that "The lyrics to this song make us swallow hard and sit thinking about everything in life" and called it "one of the best on the album". The National's Rob Garratt called the song "A pop sing-along which sacrifices none of Adele's trademarked intimacy" and called it "a smart choice for the album's second single", though it turned out to be the fourth. Lewis Corner of Digital Spy wrote that "they strike upon a shimmering mid-tempo pop parade".
Chart performance
In the U.S. and the UK, the song was Adele's lowest-charting single from 25, peaking at number 26 and number 39, respectively. However, on 14 December 2015, Billboard reported that "Water Under the Bridge" was the third best-selling song from 25, having sold 104,000 copies.
