Adele Is the Global Best Seller of 2012

Adele's '21' came out in early 2011, but it was still the best-selling album of 2012 on a global scale. The Oscar winner's watershed record moved another 8.3 million copies last year, outselling its closest competition, which was Taylor Swift's October 2012-released 'Red, by nearly 3 million units.

You know what that means? The public likes music made by girls nursing broken hearts and using their songs and their voices to heal themselves. Both '21' and 'Red' are albums erected on that universality, but in very different ways. Adele's style is more introspective, whereas Swift is pointing and shaking the finger at her very visible exes. We're still trying to figure out if a fashion photographer is allegedly the ex who inspired '21.'

According to the stats, Adele's fellow Brits in One Direction had both the third and fourth best-selling platters of 2012, thanks to 'Up All Night' and 'Take Me Home,' which combined to sell 8.9 million albums. They needed two albums to get near Adele's tally.

Somewhat shockingly, Lana Del Rey's debut 'Born to Die' sold 4.4 million copies.

'Call Me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen was the best-selling single internationally.

Watch the Adele 'Rolling in the Deep' Video