Stole (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Stole” | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Kelly Rowland from the album Simply Deep |
|||||
Released | October 21, 2002 (U.S.) January 20, 2003 (worldwide) |
||||
Format | CD single, digital download, maxi single, 12" single | ||||
Recorded | 2002 Henson Recording Studios (Hollywood, California) |
||||
Genre | Pop rock | ||||
Length | 3:56 (radio edit) 4:03 (album version) |
||||
Label | Columbia | ||||
Writer(s) | Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein, Steve Kipner | ||||
Producer | Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein, Steve Kipner | ||||
Kelly Rowland singles chronology | |||||
|
"Stole" is a song written and co-produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein and Steve Kipner for Kelly Rowland's solo album Simply Deep (2002). It received a generally positive reception from music critics and was released as the album 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, peaking in the top 5 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, but was not as commercially successful as the previous single "Dilemma" was in the United States.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Song information
The song was one of the first records Rowland worked on while recording her solo debut. "Stole"—co-written and produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein, and Steve Kipner—not only marked her first single after the worldwide success of "Dilemma" (her chart-topping collaboration with rapper Nelly) but also put Rowland's musical output into another perspective as "Stole" surprised with massive pop and rock influences, focusing on acoustic and electric guitars among others, in opposition to the beat-driven R&B sound which Rowland had been known for as a member of Destiny's Child.
Aside from the music the lyrics also feature unusual issues for an R&B- and soul-inspired musician known for love songs or anthems of independence and emancipation. Rowland sings about lost youth in a narrative tone, referring to classifications on high schools and possible outcomes of similar systems. She reflects both the suicide's point of view and the complex destiny of the "stolen" lives, he has to answer through his misdeed. "It talks about three different scenarios with young people," Rowland said in an interview with CNN, "and it tells a story about each of their lives and what they go through and how their lives were taken away from them. What I really love is that the song and the video really go hand in hand."[1]
[edit] Music video
In the music video, directed by Sanaa Hamri, Rowland is seen many times, 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.
[edit] Chart performance
Pressure laid high on Rowland's shoulders after various number-one singles with her band Destiny's Child and a chart-topping duet with Nelly in summer 2002. However, the single managed to continue Rowland's series of hits seamlessly as "Stole" entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on. 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.
In the United States the song saw moderate success when it debuted at number ninety-two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Five weeks later it already reached its peak position at number twenty-seven, eventually leaving the Hot 100 after twelve weeks only.
[edit] Music charts
Chart (2002/2003)[2][3] | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 2 |
Ö3 Austria Top 40 | 24 |
Belgian Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) | 17 |
Danish Singles Chart | 7 |
Dutch Top 40[4] | 8 |
Euro 200[5] | 3 |
Finnish Singles Chart | 11 |
French Singles Chart | 53 |
German Singles Chart | 15 |
Irish Singles Chart | 3 |
Italian Singles Chart | 12 |
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 3 |
Norwegian Singles Chart | 6 |
Swedish Singles Chart | 14 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 9 |
UK Singles Chart | 2 |
United World Chart[6] | 9 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7] | 27 |
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[7] | 54 |
[edit] Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "Stole".
[edit] US CD single
[edit] International CD single
|
[edit] UK 12" Promo
[edit] UK CD single II
|
[edit] References
- ^ "Kelly Rowland pursues her own destiny". CNN. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ "Stole" History. a-Charts. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ International Chart Performance. Swisscharts. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ Dutch Top 40
- ^ Euro 200
- ^ United World Chart
- ^ a b Billboard Hot 100&model.chartId=3047661 The Billboard Hot 100 2002-11-20. Billboard.biz. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
[edit] External links
- Kelly Rowland music videos — watch "Stole" at LAUNCHcast
|