January 19, 2011—Adele’s album “21†has officially become the best-selling album by a female artist of all time, surpassing Whitney Houston’s iconic “The Bodyguard†soundtrack.
A New Reign for Adele
“21†reached 56.375 million in equivalent sales, edging out “The Bodyguard’s†56.372 million, according to the CSPC, which tracks album and song performance.
The news sparked festivity from those involved in the album’s creation. Ryan Tedder, the singer of One Republic and co-writer and producer of “Rumour Has It†and co-writer of “turning Tables†for “21†, expressed his excitement: “It’s official. Thank you Adele.Thank you to the whole team that made this album. It was an honor to be a part of it and it’s just crazy.â€
Whitney houston’s “I Will Always Love You,†originally a 1974 hit by Dolly Parton, became a cultural phenomenon after being featured in the 1992 film “The Bodyguard.†The song, directed by Mick Jackson, resonated deeply with audiences and critics alike, earning a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Recording of the Year.
The inclusion of “I Will Always Love You†in the film was the idea of Kevin Costner, who envisioned Houston’s powerful vocals taking center stage with minimal instrumentation, a brilliant choice that revitalized Parton’s original composition.
Adele’s breakthrough came with “Someone Like You†in 2011, a poignant ballad that closed her album “21.†She described the song as “a synthesis of the predominant theme within the album, that is, the end of my love story.†While the song’s success was exhilarating, Adele also admitted to feeling overwhelmed: “There were elements of what happened with 21 that realy scared me. It got out of control and became this huge thing.”
Today, Adele has reason to celebrate a monumental achievement in music history.
