Adele thanks Dan Wilson in Grammys speech

​The parade of Adele wins began early at the 2012 Grammy Awards Sunday with "Someone Like You" notching the best pop solo performance early in the broadcast. The song comes from the British singer's second album, 21, and was co-written by Minneapolis native son Dan Wilson at the end of the recording cycle for that album.

Not only is this song a tear-jerker because it's an emotional trip into Adele Atkins' bitter breakup, but we recently discovered that there's scientific evidence to support why so many folks feel the chilling emotional effect created by Wilson's spare piano accompaniment meshed with her voice.

"Someone Like You," which Adele wrote with Dan Wilson, is sprinkled with ornamental notes similar to appoggiaturas [ed: defined as an ornamental note that clashes with the melody just enough to create a dissonant sound]. In addition, during the chorus, Adele slightly modulates her pitch at the end of long notes right before the accompaniment goes to a new harmony, creating mini-roller coasters of tension and resolution...

Read the entire report at the Wall Street Journal.

Adele's appearance at the awards show followed a long break from singing publicly that came after she had a polyp removed from her vocal cords in the fall. She spoke about being nervous in her first trip to the platform, but seemed to have the sense that she'd be back later on. Although she later thanked the doctors who helped her be able to sing again, she began by shouting out her collaborator: "I want to thank Dan Wilson, who wrote this song with me."

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