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Turning Tables

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"Turning Tables"
Song

"Turning Tables" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21 (2011). The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder and it was produced by Jim Abbiss. The pop song was written in the key of C Minor. "Turning Tables" charted on number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 60 on the Canadian Hot 100 after it was performed by Gwyneth Paltrow on Fox's Glee. It also charted at number 73 in Australia and number 62 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was released as the fourth official single in December 2011 in Italy,[1] and the fifth in the Netherlands.

Background and composition

"Turning Tables" is written by Adele and Ryan Tedder. The song was conceived following a confrontation with Adele's ex. In the studio, Adele had gotten upset and emotional that her ex had kept "turning the tables" on her during their fights, and Tedder used this idea as a concept for composing the song.[2] According to the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "Turning Tables" is an Adult Alternative, Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop Rock and Neo-Soul song written in the key of C Minor. Adele's vocal range expands from the note of G3 to C5. It is written in common time with 78 beats per minute.[3]

Lyrically, the song describes the breakdown of a relationship and the tendency of one party to continuously twist the situation to his favour. The song is an understated piano-and-vocal ballad, stripped down to its most minimal elements, and towards the climax, swells into a "cinematic pop anthem laced with Broadway-worthy strings"[4] that "serves as a fitting counterpoint to its heartbroken, hollowed-out lyrics."[4] "Turning Tables" contains piano and strings as Adele sings "next time I'll be braver, I'll be my own saviour".[5] Ian Walker of the website AbsolutePunk said, "'Turning Tables' takes the piano melodies previewed in the last track and runs with them. Adele crafts in this song a heartbroken yet hopeful ambience, with help from a light string ensemble that provides a great foundation for the song without overpowering the vocals or keys."[6]

Reception

Critical reception

In his review of 21, John Murphy of MusicOMH highilghted the song as one of the best on the album. He further added, "Turning Tables is a fragile piano ballad which really shows off Adele's wonderful voice to its best effect - almost cracking with emotion at times, she really lives the lyrics."[7] Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt found a "scorned-woman balladry" in the song.[8] A writer from the Daily Herald said that Adele sounds "epic" on the song.[9] Ian Walker of the website AbsolutePunk commented that the song "contains some of the album's greatest vocal moments, further cementing Adele's reputation as a competent vocalist showing no signs of stopping."[6] Joseph Viney of Sputnikmusic called the song "a delicate ballad that possesses an astonishing beauty".[10] Writing for the Daily News, Jim Farber concluded that in "Turning Tables", Adele's voice "barrels out of the speakers like a provoked bull."[11] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune found a "piano-based melancholy" in the song.[12]

Chart performance

"Turning Tables" charted at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 after it was performed by Gwyneth Paltrow on Fox's Glee.[13] It charted at number 60 on the Canadian Hot 100.[14] It also charted at number 62 on the UK Singles Chart, with 4,320 sales,[15][16][17] and at number 81 in Australia, peaking at 73 in November 2011.[18]

Live performances and cover versions

"Turning Tables" was part of the setlist on Adele's second tour called Adele Live. Adele performed the song on the opening episode of The Jonathan Ross Show.[citation needed] Gwyneth Paltrow from the American musical comedy-drama series Glee, covered the song during the second season episode "A Night of Neglect".[19][20] Glee's version of the song charted on number 75 on UK Singles Chart with 3,513 copies.[17] The Reverb Junkie sampled the music in their track "Can't Stop Turning Tables" from their forthcoming remix album, Feat. Vocea României (The Voice — Romania) season one contestant Oana Radu performed "Turning Tables" during the auditions and made all four judges (Smiley, Loredana Groza, Horia Brenciu and Marius Moga) turn their chairs in her favor. All four praised her vocal performance and compared her both visually and vocally to Adele with her choosing the latter one as mentor.[21]

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[18] 73
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 60
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[22] 62
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 63
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[23] 4
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[24] 5
Italy (FIMI)[25] 9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[26] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[27] 62

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000^
Italy (FIMI)[29] Gold 15,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Adele – Turning tables nuovo singolo". aCharts. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Adele: Track by Track Interview" (Promo Video). XL Recordings. Retrieved 25 April 2011
  3. ^ "Adele - Turning Tables Sheet Music (Digital Download)". Musicnotes.com. Universal Music Publishing Group. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  4. ^ a b Reed, Ryan (22 February 2011). "Adele: 21". Paste. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  5. ^ Adams, Camreon (20 January 2011). "Album of the week: Adele". Herald Sun. The Herald and Weekly Times. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  6. ^ a b Walker, Ian (8 April 2011). "Review: Adele 21". AbsolutePunk. AbsolutePunk, LLC/Buzz Media. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  7. ^ Murphy, John (24 January 2011). "Adele: 21 Review". musicOMH. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  8. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (9 February 2011). "Review: Adele, 21". Entertainment Weekly. Time division of Time Warner. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  9. ^ "Adele's second is personal and perfect". Daily Herald. Paddock Publications. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  10. ^ Viney, Joseph (29 January 2011). "Album review: Adele – 21". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  11. ^ Farber, Jim (22 February 2011). "Adele 21 review: Perfect album floats beyond countries and time". New York Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  12. ^ Kot, Greg (20 February 2011). "Adele 21". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  13. ^ a b http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/song/adele/turning-tables/24673592
  14. ^ a b Trust, Gary (27 April 2011). "Katy Perry's 'E.T.' Returns To No. 1 On Hot 100". Billboard. New York: Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  15. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart for the week ending 9 February 2008". ChartsPlus (337). Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd: 3. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  16. ^ "UK Charts - Adele". UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  17. ^ a b Copsey, Robert (19 May 2011). "Adele continues US singles chart reign". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  18. ^ a b "Chartifacts - Week Commencing: 16th May 2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  19. ^ Stack, Tim (11 April 2011). "'Glee' scoop: Gwyneth Patrol will cover Adele on next week's episode". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  20. ^ Bierly, Mandi (15 April 2011). "'Glee': Preview 'A Night of Neglect' songs". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  21. ^ "Oana Radu - Turning Tables". 18 October 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  22. ^ http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=50220
  23. ^ "Adele – Turning Tables" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  24. ^ "Adele – Turning Tables" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  25. ^ "Top Digital Download - Classifica settimanale dal 09/01/2012 al 15/01/2012" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  26. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Adele" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  27. ^ "Adele – Turning Tables" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  28. ^ "American single certifications – Adele – Turning Tables". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  29. ^ "Italian single certifications – Adele – Turning Tables" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 February 2012. Select "2012" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Turning Tables" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".

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