Set Fire to the Rain
Encyclopedia
"Set Fire to the Rain" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele
from her second studio album 21
. Written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith
and produced by Smith, the power ballad was released as the second single from the album in Europe. It was released as the third single in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2011, where the song has peaked at number 11. The song has peaked at number one in Belgium, Poland and the Netherlands. The song has charted within the top 10 of Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland. "Set Fire to the Rain" was released on November 21, 2011 as 21s third official single in the United States.
while the production was handled by Smith. On 28 October, during an interview with Billboard, Columbia Records revealed that "Rumour Has It
" will be released as the third single from the album and serviced to pop and adult contemporary radio. However, the release of the song was scrapped and "Set Fire to the Rain" was released as the third US-single on 21 November 2011. A spokesperson for Columbia, Pete Cosenza stated: "Our research found more programmer preference for 'Set Fire to the Rain'. [...] Both 'Rumour' and 'Fire' came back strong, but 'Fire' was a bit stronger. [...] It's a better plan to go with 'Fire' over 'Rumour' at pop and adult radio. [...] Everyone, from radio to the buying public, seems to be on board."
with whom she has worked on various tracks. It is written in the key of D Minor
and Adele's voice expands from Bb3-D5. The song describes the contradictory elements of a relationship, and the impossibility of letting go which is displayed in the lyrics "You and me together, nothing gets better/But there’s a side to you that I never knew, never knew/All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true/And the games you play, you would always win." One of the most pop-influenced of the album, the song is characterized by John Murphy of MusicOMH
as a "power ballad". In contrast to the understated production of most songs on the album, the song features lush instrumentation and a swelling string arrangement over a mid-tempo rhythm, creating a wall of sound
for the singer's mourning vocals. Dave Simpson of The Guardian
concluded that the song was inspired "when mah lightah stopped workin'" in the wet.
concluded that the song had "scorned-woman balladry" and it "surge[s] on the pure force of her titanic wail." While reviewing 21, a writer of The New York Times
said, "the vocal effects on 'Set Fire to the Rain,' produced by Fraser T. Smith, the most pop-minded of the assembled team, are superfluous." John Murphy of MusicOMH
gave a negative review towards the song calling it "real misfire" and "overproduced". However he added, "it's a decent enough song, but Adele's always sounded best when it's just a piano and a voice." Writing for the magazine Herald Sun
, Camreon Adams called the song a "triumphant radio-hit-in-waiting of next single" and concluded that "once the chorus kicks in, you're a goner."
Gary McGinley of No Ripcord
highlighted "Set Fire to the Rain" calling it "the catchiest song" on 21. Another writer of Daily Herald said that Adele sounds "epic" on the song. Allison Stewart of The Washington Post
found the song to be "galloping, out-of-place synth-rock number" and added that "even Adele can't save" the song. Nick Freed of Consequence of Sound
said that "Set Fire to the Rain" finds Adele at "her strongest and most open." He further called the song "one of 21s angrier tracks" and concluded: "The chorus' hooks are crazy catchy, and by the final one Adele releases and her hurt slips through the anger to give you a damn real and forward show of emotion. I’d imagine seeing this song live or in a stripped down setting would make one bawl like a child. You’ll want to pump your fist and pound your chest. That’s a guarantee." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy
praised the song saying, "'It was dark and I was over/ Until you kissed my lips and saved me,' she admits over a gloomy piano riff, before launching into a ballsy, hands-in-the-air chorus. 'I set fire to the rain/ and I threw us into the flames,' she belts with growly vocals against cinematic strings. Rounding out with a suitably breathtaking blast from her impressive pipes and the result sounds like classic, though it's anything but camp."
and it moved to number 44 the next week selling 6,286 copies. It later peaked at number 11 on the chart on the week ending 16 July, 2011 and it stayed on the same position for two weeks selling another 24,978 copies. A Moto Blanco remix of the song received some airplay in Spain.
FX used "Set Fire to the Rain" to promote the final season of Rescue Me
along with the show's series finale. The song was also featured in promotionals to the new TV series Ringer
and Revenge
which caused an airplay in the United States without being serviced to radio stations. Before being released as a single, the song has charted on the Billboard Hot 100
for 6 weeks and re-entered 3 times, peaking at number 72 on 13 September. As of November, 2011, it has sold over 683,000 downloads in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan
. When the song was released in the United States, it re-entered the chart on number 89. Then the next week it rose to number 74.
. She also performed the track on May 3 at Jools Holland
along with the tracks "Rolling in the Deep
", "Don't You Remember" and "Take It All". Adele also added the song to the set list
of her second worldwide tour.
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
from her second studio album 21
21 (Adele album)
21 is the second studio album by English recording artist Adele. Released on 24 January 2011 in the United Kingdom and most of Europe, and on 22 February 2011 in North America, the album was named after the age of the singer at the time of its production...
. Written by Adele and Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....
and produced by Smith, the power ballad was released as the second single from the album in Europe. It was released as the third single in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2011, where the song has peaked at number 11. The song has peaked at number one in Belgium, Poland and the Netherlands. The song has charted within the top 10 of Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland. "Set Fire to the Rain" was released on November 21, 2011 as 21s third official single in the United States.
Background and release
"Set Fire to the Rain" was written by Adele and Fraser T. SmithFraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....
while the production was handled by Smith. On 28 October, during an interview with Billboard, Columbia Records revealed that "Rumour Has It
Rumour Has It (Adele song)
"Rumour Has It" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21. The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder while the production was handled by Tedder. Adele revealed that the song wasn't inspired by the media but it was aimed at her friends who believed things...
" will be released as the third single from the album and serviced to pop and adult contemporary radio. However, the release of the song was scrapped and "Set Fire to the Rain" was released as the third US-single on 21 November 2011. A spokesperson for Columbia, Pete Cosenza stated: "Our research found more programmer preference for 'Set Fire to the Rain'. [...] Both 'Rumour' and 'Fire' came back strong, but 'Fire' was a bit stronger. [...] It's a better plan to go with 'Fire' over 'Rumour' at pop and adult radio. [...] Everyone, from radio to the buying public, seems to be on board."
Composition
"Set Fire to the Rain" is the fifth track on Adele's second album 21. It was written with producer Fraser T. SmithFraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....
with whom she has worked on various tracks. It is written in the key of D Minor
D minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....
and Adele's voice expands from Bb3-D5. The song describes the contradictory elements of a relationship, and the impossibility of letting go which is displayed in the lyrics "You and me together, nothing gets better/But there’s a side to you that I never knew, never knew/All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true/And the games you play, you would always win." One of the most pop-influenced of the album, the song is characterized by John Murphy of MusicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
as a "power ballad". In contrast to the understated production of most songs on the album, the song features lush instrumentation and a swelling string arrangement over a mid-tempo rhythm, creating a wall of sound
Wall of Sound
The Wall of Sound is a music production technique for pop and rock music recordings developed by record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, California, during the early 1960s...
for the singer's mourning vocals. Dave Simpson of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
concluded that the song was inspired "when mah lightah stopped workin'" in the wet.
Critical reception
A writer for the magazine URB said that the song had "starbucks-friendlier content" and further called it "melodramatic". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
concluded that the song had "scorned-woman balladry" and it "surge[s] on the pure force of her titanic wail." While reviewing 21, a writer of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said, "the vocal effects on 'Set Fire to the Rain,' produced by Fraser T. Smith, the most pop-minded of the assembled team, are superfluous." John Murphy of MusicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
gave a negative review towards the song calling it "real misfire" and "overproduced". However he added, "it's a decent enough song, but Adele's always sounded best when it's just a piano and a voice." Writing for the magazine Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
, Camreon Adams called the song a "triumphant radio-hit-in-waiting of next single" and concluded that "once the chorus kicks in, you're a goner."
Gary McGinley of No Ripcord
No Ripcord
No Ripcord is an online music and film magazine based in Sheffield, England.-History:The website was originally created in April 1999 by editor-in-chief David Coleman and A.M. Booth...
highlighted "Set Fire to the Rain" calling it "the catchiest song" on 21. Another writer of Daily Herald said that Adele sounds "epic" on the song. Allison Stewart of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
found the song to be "galloping, out-of-place synth-rock number" and added that "even Adele can't save" the song. Nick Freed of Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
said that "Set Fire to the Rain" finds Adele at "her strongest and most open." He further called the song "one of 21s angrier tracks" and concluded: "The chorus' hooks are crazy catchy, and by the final one Adele releases and her hurt slips through the anger to give you a damn real and forward show of emotion. I’d imagine seeing this song live or in a stripped down setting would make one bawl like a child. You’ll want to pump your fist and pound your chest. That’s a guarantee." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
praised the song saying, "'It was dark and I was over/ Until you kissed my lips and saved me,' she admits over a gloomy piano riff, before launching into a ballsy, hands-in-the-air chorus. 'I set fire to the rain/ and I threw us into the flames,' she belts with growly vocals against cinematic strings. Rounding out with a suitably breathtaking blast from her impressive pipes and the result sounds like classic, though it's anything but camp."
Chart performance
"Set Fire to the Rain" has charted at many charts enjoying moderate success especially in Europe, where the song has charted within the top 10 of Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland and topping the charts in Belgium, Poland and the Netherlands. The song debuted at number 79 on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and it moved to number 44 the next week selling 6,286 copies. It later peaked at number 11 on the chart on the week ending 16 July, 2011 and it stayed on the same position for two weeks selling another 24,978 copies. A Moto Blanco remix of the song received some airplay in Spain.
FX used "Set Fire to the Rain" to promote the final season of Rescue Me
Rescue Me (TV series)
Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...
along with the show's series finale. The song was also featured in promotionals to the new TV series Ringer
Ringer (TV series)
Ringer is an American television series that premiered on The CW on September 13, 2011. The series stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays twin sisters Bridget Kelly and Siobhan Martin...
and Revenge
Revenge (TV series)
Revenge is an American television drama inspired by the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo starring Madeleine Stowe and Emily VanCamp. It debuted on ABC on September 21, 2011, and currently airs on Wednesday nights at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central...
which caused an airplay in the United States without being serviced to radio stations. Before being released as a single, the song has charted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for 6 weeks and re-entered 3 times, peaking at number 72 on 13 September. As of November, 2011, it has sold over 683,000 downloads in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
. When the song was released in the United States, it re-entered the chart on number 89. Then the next week it rose to number 74.
Live performances
Adele peformed the song live for the first time on 29 April on The Graham Norton ShowThe Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show is a British comedy chat show that is broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It was originally shown on BBC Two from February 2007 to May 2009 until it moved to BBC One from October 2009...
. She also performed the track on May 3 at Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
along with the tracks "Rolling in the Deep
Rolling in the Deep
"Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, 21. The song was written by Paul Epworth and Adele, who described it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune". It was first released on 29 November 2010 as the lead single of the album.The song has...
", "Don't You Remember" and "Take It All". Adele also added the song to the set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
of her second worldwide tour.
Track listing
-
- Digital EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
— remixes
- Digital EP
- "Set Fire to the Rain" (Thomas Gold Remix) –
- "Set Fire to the Rain" (Thomas Gold Dub) –
- "Set Fire to the Rain" (Moto BlancoMoto BlancoMoto Blanco is an English DJ and electronic music duo consisting of Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith.They are also regularly joined by british record producer Jon Cohen.-History:...
Remix) – - "Set Fire to the Rain" (Moto Blanco Edit) –
Weekly charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... ) |
19 |
| Poland (ZPAV Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... ) |
1 |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
18 |
| US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
21 |
| US Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
49 |
Certifications
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | July 4, 2011 | Digital Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... EP Extended play An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... — remixes |
| Germany | ||
| Italy | ||
| Netherlands | ||
| United Kingdom | ||
| United States | November 21, 2011 | Top 40/Mainstream and AC radio |
| December 5, 2011 | Triple A |