10 Best Songs About Becoming An Adult

3. When We Were Young - Adele

Out of all the pop stars going today, Adele feels most like a throwback to the golden age of singers. Being one part blues belter and one part soulful crooner, her back catalog is full of tracks that blend happiness, anger, and confidence within the span of a few minutes. On the other hand, Mrs. Adkins can deliver one hell of a performance when it's time to bring it home.

Even though 21 may have been her commercial breakthrough, the storytelling of "When We Were Young" is some of the most beautiful character portraits to be found in modern pop, as Adele painfully talks about a love that's fleeting. As she catches up with an old flame at a party, she starts to reminisce on all of the emotion that was still tied up in that relationship.

While any other Adele song might talk about the venomous anger that comes with a new breakup, this song lets that passage of time sink in, as she sees her previous affair as "just like a movie." In the end, all she offers is just a simple mental image before they part, knowing that any semblance of a relationship has long since past. The idea of falling out may seem hard to cope with in the beginning, but what's even harder is to carry on with your life after picking up the pieces.