Adele’s 2021 song “I Drink Wine” from her self-described “divorce” album 30 moved listeners to tears (and wine cabinets), but a surprising famous friend actually started those feelings. In James Corden’s final Carpool Karaoke episode, Adele broke down in tears while revealing that the 44-year-old comedian served as inspiration for the song’s opening verse. She called it “some of my best writing that I’ve ever done, even if I do say so myself.”
Adele reflected on a “six-hour conversation” they had while returning from a joint family vacation in January 2020 before belting out “I Drink Wine” on stage. She made reference to her 2019 divorce from Simon Konecki, with whom she has a 10-year-old son named Angelo, saying, “It was the first year that I felt like I had to hold myself accountable for just being an adult, whereas the year before that, I left Simon.” Adele claimed Corden and his family were “so crucial” to Angelo and her recovery from their divorce, and she said she was alarmed when he said he wasn’t feeling well.
“I recall asking you, ‘What’s wrong?’ on the way home. Adele, 34, recalled, “You just seemed depressed, and you let it all out to me.” It made me reflect on the fact that I always felt unsafe around you because you have been that way ever since I was 21,” she said. A few weeks later, I went to the studio and wrote this verse, sang it into my phone, and sent it to you. I do recall you responding, “That’s exactly how I was feeling.
Corden agreed, saying, “It was everything I was feeling that day.” I was astounded at how you were able to capture my entire state of mind regarding life and myself in a single verse. The fact that you were able to create something so amazing out of a conversation between two friends is the greatest privilege. Now that she has extended her Weekends With Adele residency, Adele claims that she now thinks of Corden “every time I sing this song in Vegas.”
Since the early 2010s, well before either of them even attained mega-fame in their own right, Adele and Corden have been close friends. A late-night viral video record was broken by their first Carpool Karaoke episode in January 2016, which was filmed in their native Great Britain and featured an epic rendition of Nicki Minaj’s “Monster” rap by Adele.
After singing Barbra Streisand’s “Don’t Rain On My Parade” from Funny Girl on Broadway, the duo shared one final emotional moment before the final Carpool Karaoke of all time ended. They sang Adele’s “Hometown Glory” as a tribute to Corden returning to their shared hometown of London. He said to her, “I can’t believe you did this for me. Our friendship and our family’s friendship have nothing to do with distance or time, and we’ve had some of the best times here. In her reply, Adele referred to him as “one of my best friends in the world” and acknowledged that she wasn’t quite ready to return; otherwise, she would have come back with him.