Adele Hello: the best social media reactions to new hit single

Adele's new music video for her single Hello has been viewed tens of millions of times since its release online on Friday and has already prompted some hilarious reactions. From gifs to video mash-ups – and even a response from Lionel Richie – we look at some of the best.

The singer's video for Hello, which premiered online on Friday, has already been watched more than 88 million times on YouTube, reports the BBC. Directed by Canadian film-maker Xavier Dolan, it's one of the first music videos to be shot with large-format IMAX cameras.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"86021","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]

The sepia-toned clip features Adele dwelling on a past relationship with an ex-boyfriend, portrayed by Tristan Wilds, a former child actor from The Wire and a Grammy-nominated musician in his own right.

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Reviews for the single, the first from her upcoming album 25, have been overwhelmingly positive. The Daily Telegraph calls it "a beautiful song of loss and regret", while The Guardian describes it as "striking, witty and lovelorn".

The video went viral when it was released, and not just because of its haunting lyrics and artistic shots, says Sophie Jamieson in the Daily Telegraph. "It's the singer's anachronistic flip phone and unorthodox tea-making technique that has really got people talking."

Online fans wondered why she had resisted getting a touchscreen smartphone, pointing out she could probably afford a top-of-the-range device after the success of her previous albums 19 and 21.

Others commented on her unconventional practice of putting the tea bag into the cup after the hot water.

And there were those who were just thankful that they had never had a relationship with Adele.

Adele's expressive and lovelorn face in the video has also inspired a range of gifs. Vulture has collected some of the best with suggested uses, such as a gif showing Adele smoking and pouting, for when you're plotting revenge, and another of Adele in the middle of a full-throttle scream, for when life gets too much.

Hello has even given rise to some creative video mash-ups. According to many, the singer's smash hit is reminiscent of Lionel Richie's 1983 track of the same name. YouTube user BlendTV has taken the comparisons to the next level by cutting together visuals from both to make it look like a dramatic phone conversation. Adele calls Lionel on her flip phone, and he answers on his landline, only to have her hang up on him.

And in a moment of life imitating art, Lionel Richie then responded to the video on his Instagram page.

Hello is the lead single from Adele's third album, 25, which is due out on 20 November.