Consider “Easy on Me,” the album’s first single. Unlike Adele’s previous lead singles — the brawny fight song “Rolling in the Deep,” the showstopping epic “Hello” — “Easy on Me” was smaller in scope.

This month the album Help: A Day In The Life, recorded in just 24 hours by a roster of artists including Radiohead and Coldplay, became the biggest-selling download album ever. All the proceeds go to ...