“It didn’t feel like being in the room with a 17-year-old. I’d try something and she’d say, ‘You might want to reconsider that.’ And she’d be right”: Songwriter Eg White on how Adele took some “very boring chords” and turned them into an “explosive” hit

Eg White has written songs for and with a huge range of artists - his discography features everyone from Richie Sambora and Suggs to Celine Dion and Kylie Minogue - but one of his most memorable collaborations came with Adele.

White worked with the star right at the start of her career: he co-wrote Chasing Pavements, the second single from Adele’s debut album, 19, which was released in 2008. However, he now says that, even then, it was obvious that she was something special, and wise beyond her years.

“All I know with Adele is it didn’t feel like being in the room with a 17-year-old,” White tells The Guardian. “I’d try something and she’d say, ‘You might want to reconsider that.’ And she’d be right.’”

White remembers that Chasing Pavements came about after he started playing some “some very boring chords” that Adele sang over and then turned into something magical. “Once she lit the fuse, it got explosive. Then it got good.”

Explaining how Adele went against some of his own instincts on the song, White says: “Normally, when you’ve got a good chorus melody, you repeat it. And Adele changes the melody. Big fail.”

Adele - Chasing Pavements (Official Music Video) - YouTube

Watch On

White appears to be referring to the moment in Chasing Pavements’ third chorus - the one after the bridge - where Adele messes with the melodic template set out in the first two.

It didn’t matter, though, and nor did some of the other quirks that White identifies.

“The timings are all over the place,” he points out. “It goes three bars, not four. None of it is even slightly geometrical. “I should be doing more of that kind of thing. Less safer work. I could use more bravery.”

After reflecting on the idiosyncrasies of Chasing Pavements, which was 17 years ago, White suggests that the current state of the music business means that a song like that might not get recorded these days.

“The sort of stuff I write is in abeyance now,” he admits. “What was once a four-minute song has to fly as a seven-second clip on TikTok.”

As technology encroaches on the business of songwriting, though, he reiterates that his best defence is to try and go against the grain.

“AI is built on human output, and most human output in this area is not perverse,” he points out. “So I’m determined to head to the edges because that will be less vulnerable to attack.”