Stole (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Stole
Artist = Kelly Rowland
Album = Simply Deep


Released = October 21, 2002 (U.S.)
January 20, 2003 (worldwide)
Format = CD single, digital download, maxi single, 12" single
Writer = Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein, Steve Kipner
Recorded = 2002;
Henson Recording Studios
(Hollywood, California)
Genre = Pop rock, urban pop
Length = 3:56 (radio edit)
4:03 (album version)
Label = Columbia
Producer = Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein, Steve Kipner
Last single = "Dilemma"
(2002)
This single = "Stole"
(2002)
Next single = "Can't Nobody"
(2003)

"Stole" is a pop song recorded by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was written and co-produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein and Steve Kipner for Rowland's solo album "Simply Deep" (2002), and received a generally positive reception from music critics.

The song was released as the album's second single in Australia and North America in October 2002 (see 2002 in music) and elsewhere in January 2003 (see 2003 in music). "Stole" entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on. It reached the top 5 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, but was not as commercially successful as its previous single "Dilemma."

Background and writing

"Stole" is a mid-tempo pop song performed with a slow groove, incorporating elements of rock and urban pop music. It is composed in the key of C major, and — like the majority of pop music — is set to ninety-six beats per minute in common time.Cite web |title=Product Information on "Stole"|url=http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0045079|work=Musicnotes|accessdate=2008-07-08] The song is written in the common verse-chorus form and features four instruments: electric guitar, drums, guitar, and keyboards. Rowland's vocal range covers close to two octaves; she performs her highest pitch (D5) during the chorus, and her lowest pitch (E3) at the beginning of the verses.

A significant breakaway from Rowland's love-themed recordings with Destiny's Child, the narrative lyrics of "Stole" detail three different scenarios with young people. "It tells a story about each of their lives and what they go through and how their lives were taken away from them," Rowland remarked in an interview with CNN's "The Music Room",cite web|author=CNN|title="Kelly Rowland pursues her own destiny"|work=CNN/Entertainment (The Music Room)|date=2003-01-23|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/01/23/mroom.rowland/index.html|accessdate=2008-03-26] "I loved the song when I heard the lyrics and I hoped it would hopefully touch young people and inspire. I don't mean to sound preachy 'cos it's still got a great melody and a great musical feel behind it but it was just such a great song [...] ."cite web|date=2003-01-09|title="Kelly chatted on 9th January 2003"|work=BBC|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp/artists/r/rowland_kelly/chat/page1.shtml|accessdate=2008-07-08]

Music video

The music video for "Stole" was filmed by Moroccan director Sanaa Hamri and produced by Melissa Larsen for Anonymous Content. [Cite news|title=Production information on "Stole" music video|url=http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=32036|work=MVD Base|accessdate=2008-07-09] In the clip, Rowland is seen acting as an unseen character singing to the audience while explaining what is going on. The first scene is of a young man getting up to go to school, then he goes downstairs to see his distraught mother who had obviously been crying. He goes to school, walks into one of the bathroom stalls and shoots himself. A girl, who is alluded to have known the boy, walks by and hears the shooting, goes into the bathroom, finds his body and calls the police. Rowland explains that after his death many of his classmates mentioned either never talking to the boy or treating him like an outsider.

Another sequence of the video shows that same girl going to a doctor's appointment and the song explains that she is pregnant; many believe the father to have been the young boy who had killed himself, and her pregnancy being one of the factors in his suicide. Next we see a group of young boys on a basketball court, one boy in particular who, as Rowland explains, dreamed of becoming a star basketball player. Then the boys glance over at a group of their classmates, obviously not on good terms, then the boy is shot and dies. The girl is later seen writing "Think before you act" on a class mural dedicated to the two deceased boys.

Chart performance

"Stole" was released as the first single from "Simply Deep", following Rowland's pre-released collaboration with rapper Nelly, "Dilemma," whose success affected the production of both the single and its accompanying album and saw Rowland switching expected album release dates with band member Beyoncé Knowles. [Cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |title=Destiny's Child's Long Road To Fame (The Song Isn't Called 'Survivor' For Nothing) |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1504044/20050613/destinys_child.jhtml |work=MTV News |date=2005-06-13|accessdate=2008-04-24] On September 28, 2002, the song debuted at number 76 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, with "Dilemma" still being on number-one. [Cite news|title=The Billboard Hot 100 (2002-09-28)|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/search/detailed_chart_display.jsp?g=s&cd=Sep-28-2002&f=The_Billboard_Hot_100&model.chartId=3046965|work=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|accessdate=2008-07-03] It took another nine weeks until the single reached its peak position at number 27 on November 30,Cite news|title=The Billboard Hot 100 (2002-11-30)|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/search/detailed_chart_display.jsp?g=s&cd=Nov-30-2002&f=The_Billboard_Hot_100&model.chartId=3047661|work=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|accessdate=2008-07-03] making it Rowland's highest-charting single to date as a leading solo artist on the U.S. Hot 100. The single was however more successful on "Billboard"'s component charts, where "Stole" reached the top twenty on the Top 40 Tracks and the Top 40 Mainstream, while its remixes peaked at number 24 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. [Cite news|title=Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (2002-11-30)|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/search/detailed_chart_display.jsp?g=s&cd=Nov-30-2002&f=Hot_Dance_Music/Maxi-Singles_Sales&model.chartId=3047657|work=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|accessdate=2008-07-08]

Enjoying more international interest, "Stole" entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on outside the States. In the end it even reached the top ten of the singles charts in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland and in the United Kingdom, simultaneously peaking at number three on the composite Euro 200 chart and number nine on the United World Chart. "Stole" also received several gold certifications.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "Stole."

U.S. CD single

# "Stole" (radio edit)
# "Stole" (D. Elliott Dreambrotha mix)
# "Stole" (EV3's Never Never Know dub)

International CD single

# "Stole"
# "Stole" (pop edit)
# "Stole" (Dreambrotha mix)
# "Stole" (H & D Nu Soul mix)
# "Stole" (Maurice's Nu Soul mix)

UK 12" promo

# "Stole" (H&D New Soul mix)
# "Stole" (album version)
# "Stole" (Azza New Soul mix)
# "Stole" (D. Elliott Dreambrotha mix)

UK CD single II

# "Stole" (album version)
# "Stole" (Azza Nu Soul mix)
# "Simply Deep" (album version; featuring Solange Knowles)
# "Stole" (video)

Credits and personnel

*Vocals: Kelly Rowland
*Backing vocals: Sherree Ford
*Writers and producers: Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein, Steve Kipner
*Programmed and arranged: D. Deviller, S. Hosein, S. Kipner
*Vocal arrangement: S. Ford
*Engineering: Spider
*Mixing: Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado
**Mixing assistant: Ethan Willpughby
*Guitar: D. Deviller

Charts

References

External links

*Youtube|yYQiivAzfrU|"Stole" music video