“I still remember hearing “Stay With Me” on the radio for the first time and immediately wondering, Who is this? There was something about Sam Smith’s voice that grabbed my attention right away. It was emotional without feeling forced, vulnerable without trying too hard, and honestly just sounded different from a lot of what was playing on the radio at the time. That song was my introduction to Sam, and it eventually led me to In the Lonely Hour.
I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a die-hard Sam Smith fan, but I became a casual fan because of this album, and I think that’s what makes In the Lonely Hour so memorable to me. It’s one of those debut albums where you can immediately understand why an artist connected with so many people.
Obviously, “Stay With Me” is the song everyone remembers, but there’s so much more here. “I’m Not the Only One,” “Leave Your Lover,” “Lay Me Down,” “Not in That Way,” and “Like I Can” all show different sides of Sam’s heartbreak and vulnerability. The album definitely lives in a very specific emotional space..loneliness, unrequited love, wanting somebody who doesn’t want you back and yes, after a while you might think, Sam, are you okay? 😂 But somehow that consistency works.
What really carries the album, though, is Sam’s voice. It’s powerful, but there’s also this fragility underneath it that makes the songs feel personal. Even when the production is relatively restrained, Sam can make a song feel enormous just by the way they deliver a lyric.
I also appreciate that this album doesn’t feel like it was made solely to produce hit singles. There’s a genuine sense of someone processing their emotions through music. It can be melodramatic at times, and I don’t think every song hits as hard as the best ones, but the sincerity is hard to ignore.
Looking back, In the Lonely Hour feels like one of those defining early-2010s pop albums. It introduced me to an artist whose voice I immediately recognized, even if I eventually remained more of a casual listener than a hardcore fan. And honestly, that’s still a pretty meaningful connection to have with an album.
“Stay With Me” may have been the song that introduced me to Sam Smith, but In the Lonely Hour is what made me understand why people were paying attention.”
