To think Adele 'songwriter of the year'???? Ivor Novello must be having a laugh?

[LikeDylanInTheMovies]

Her music is bland

Her lyrics are clichéd self pitying rubbish.

The emotional range she covers is tiny (mopey) and she covers the same topic over and over again (I was dumped once)*

Every song on her album was co-written by a professional songwriter.

Yet she wins the Ivor Novello award for best songwriter? Really?

• As an aside, am I alone in thinking obsessing over a long since departed ex across five years and two albums is a wee bit creepy?

inoffensive and appeals to the lowest common denominator

It appeals to people who have had their heart broken. Every book, song and whatever is going to be ripped off from else where because there is a limit to subject matter.

Adele is shit, so many amazing singer songwriters out there and she wins all the awards?

I can take her or leave her but I think the reason she is so popular and successful is because there's just not that much competition. People who can actually sing (whether you like their voice or not) or play instruments seem to be few and far between in a sea of put together in a studio crap.

Same with Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith (although I feel about him like most of you feel about Adele ie I can't bear the sound of his whining voice).

inoffensive and appeals to the lowest common denominator

Fuck me you're rude.

Makes me miss amy winehouse all the more. She won an ivor in 2004 for 'stronger than me' best song. Still one of the the best songs ever, Adele not a patch on her, 'someone like you' Is the best song she ever sang. 21 Is a good album, but this new one I can't even listen to. Sorry Adele. Rip Amy x

Agree with Bill.

She seems an alright person though, interviews well and I like that she keeps her music about her voice.

Fucks sake. What's wrong with that? It's true. It's bland, unsophisticated, unchallenging music which is basically an amalgamated set of formulaic yet comforting cliches. It's paint by numbers, deliberately targeted to push schmaltzy sentimentalist buttons.

It's like the McDonalds of music. It's not very good or nice, but it's ubiquitous, unchallenging, bland and familiar so it sells bucket loads.

I always think 'hello' is a joke song where she takes the piss out of all her other stalker songs, but I don't think it is...

I'm not a big fan of Adele - although some of her songs are well-crafted - but a lot of the comments on this thread are really nasty. The songs clearly have huge appeal; what's so wrong with that? Popular doesn't have to equal shit. It's not as if Adele's promoting gun crime or class A drugs - she writes self-indulgent songs about former lovers (as do many many male songwriters, who receive far less abuse for it).

Popular doesn't have to mean shit,no. It does generally mean it is unchallenging though.

I read that Hello is about her estrangment from her father.

I know the video presents another perspective, but ... as a song of estrangment from a parent the lyrics make perfect sense to me.

I think they restitched their relationship when he had a cancer disagnosis.

I love the song, but prefer the cover by Tyler Ray Jacobson,

Alisvolatpropiis And equally, challenging doesn't have to equal good. For example, I would much rather listen to Scott Walker's not-especially-challenging-but-very-well-written 'Scott 4' than his highly-challenging-to-the-extent-that-it's-virtually-unlistenable 'Tilt'.

She's said various things about what 'Hello' is about. That it's addressed to herself, her Dad, her friends from South London, her son, the whole world.

Which makes me think it's not really about anything other than a record exec saying to her 'write some more songs about break ups'.

Four completely true. As much as I like an intellectual challenge, I do while away time watching Law and Order:SVU. The only challenge there being working out which recent real life case they've ripped off for the storyline.