[4] "Rolling in the Deep" received widespread critical acclaim with praise drawn towards the song's production, its lyrics, and Adele's vocal performance.

[6] As of 2019[update], with sales of over 20.6 million copies worldwide, "Rolling in the Deep" is one of the best-selling digital singles of all-time.

[15] In an interview, Adele expressed her initial reservations prior to meeting Paul Epworth due to their divergent musical styles; she characterised their collaboration as "a match made in heaven".

"[16] According to reviewer Bill Lamb, "Rolling in the Deep" features "martial beats, pounding piano keys and chanting backing singers".

[18] According to Nadine Cheung from AOL Radio Blog the song is "sung from the perspective of a scorned lover, who is finally able to see the light, but despite regretful sentiments, reconciliation is not an option here.

[20] Musically, Simon Reynolds of The New York Times described the song as "1960s rhythm-and-blues tightened up with modern production" and vocals rooted in soul.

[24] It was "her reaction to, 'being told that my life was going to be boring and lonely and rubbish, and that I was a weak person if I didn't stay in the relationship.

"[26] Rolling Stone magazine's Barry Walters stated, "'Rolling in the Deep' finds the 22-year-old in bluesy gospel mode, sounding powerful but not particularly pop.

Starting with a stroked acoustic guitar, this breakup-mourning track builds to a stomping, hand-clapping climax that affirms the British knack for rejiggering the sound of American roots music.

[30] The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll ranked "Rolling in the Deep" as the top single of 2011.

[45] As of 26 July 2011[update], "Rolling in the Deep" was the third-best-selling digital single across Europe with 1.26 million copies sold.

[48][49] In 2013, as a celebration of the chart's 55th anniversary, Billboard counted down the 100 biggest Hot 100 hits ever, and the song was ranked at number 31.

The song achieved number one positions in Belgium (both Flanders & Wallonia), Finland, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, remaining atop the Dutch Top 40 singles chart for seven weeks.

[54] The drummer plays his drums under the stairs, and china is thrown breaking on a piece of suspended plywood at the bottom of a staircase.

On 25 November 2010, the singer appeared on Dutch presenter Paul de Leeuw's Madiwodovrij Show to perform the song for the first time.

[76] As part of a promotional tour in North America for the album, Adele performed the song on Late Show with David Letterman on 21 February 2011, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

"Rolling in the Deep" was used as the theme song for E4's reality series Made in Chelsea[83] and appeared in So You Think You Can Dance's eighth season during contestant Mitchell Kelly's solo performance.

[85] It was also featured in CBC's intro to Game 1 of the hockey 2011 Stanley Cup Finals between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins.

[91] Commentators, including David Lister of The Independent, have noted that United States Copyright law does not prevent politicians from using pieces of music at their rallies, providing the venue has a public performance licence.

"Rolling in the Deep" was covered by American rock band Linkin Park and was included on their live EP, iTunes Festival.

Performed as an acoustic version of the song as part of their set, with Chester Bennington as the lead vocalist and Mike Shinoda on the piano.

[268] The performance may be termed a mash-up or medley as it includes the chorus from "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" written by singer-songwriters Ashford & Simpson.

[279] The song became popular and has been covered by various artists including David Cook, Ariana Grande,[280] Haley Reinhart, Nicole Scherzinger,[281][282][283] The Overtones[284] and rapper Lil Wayne.

[285] In January 2011, Jamie xx remixed the song, on top of which Childish Gambino later added a rap verse.

Idolator described his version as "a very cool electronic piece that still somehow manages to retain the heartbroken feel of Adele's original tune.

[288] "Rolling in the Deep" was then covered by Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff of Glee for the second season episode "Prom Queen".

[286] On October 2011, Misha B performed a "show-stopping"[290] cover of the track on the eighth season of The X Factor, regarded by the Daily Telegraph as one of the highlights of the series.

[291] The Telegraph noted that Misha B delivered "impressive soulful vocals and a quirky rapping style" injecting it with a "fresh UK urban twist".

[292] Mexican sibling trio Vázquez Sounds released a cover version which quickly became popular on YouTube.

[296] The cover surged in popularity in 2023 and 2024 due to Simhadri's leading role as Grover Underwood in the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians often paired with other clips of the show's young cast members in the form of an Internet meme.