"Stole" is a song by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was written and produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein and Steve Kipner for Rowland's debut solo album Simply Deep (2002). A rock-tinged mid-tempo pop song, "Stole" discusses three different scenarios with teenagers whose lives have been ruined because they have made bad decisions as a result of being misunderstood, involving topics such as gun violence, bullying, suicide, adolescent pregnancy, and depression. Following "Dilemma" (2002), Rowland's worldwide number-one hit with rapper Nelly, "Stole" was released as her official debut single and the album's lead single on September 9, 2002.
The song initially divided critics; some complimented the song's social commentary, Rowland's vocal performance as well as her willingness to break away from the R&B sounds of Destiny's Child, while others criticized the musical direction and considered it an unusual single choice. A commercial success, "Stole" entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on, reaching the top five in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where it remains one of her highest-charting solo singles to date. In the United States, it peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Inspired by its lyrics, a music video for "Stole" was directed by Sanaa Hamri. In it, Rowland is portrayed as a narrator who comments on the deaths of two male teenagers and their impact on their schoolmates, particularly a female student who discovers that she is pregnant. In further promotion of the song, Rowland performed "Stole" on television shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, CD:UK, and Top of the Pops and the TMF Awards. She also made it part of the setlist of her Simply Deeper Tour (2003) and further concert tours.
Background
During recording their third album, Survivor (2001), Destiny's Child announced that members of the group would disband for a short period to produce solo albums in the coming years, which they hoped would boost interest to Destiny's Child. With different types of music for each member to produce, Rowland and her bandmates Beyoncé Knowles and Michelle Williams were not intended to compete on the charts, and thus, Destiny's Child's management strategically planned to stagger every year each member's album. Whilst Williams was the first to release a debut solo album, Heart to Yours (released in April 2002), the unexpected success of Rowland's collaboration with American rapper Nelly on the song "Dilemma" caused the label to advance the release date of her debut solo album, Simply Deep, to late 2002, replacing it with Knowles' solo debut Dangerously in Love (2003). As a result, Rowland was requested to rush the recording of the album within three weeks to get done, and as no time was left to produce any new material, "Stole"—as with many songs on the album—was selected out of Sony Music's song pool of demo tapes.
Music and lyrics
"Stole", written and produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein and Steve Kipner, is a midtempo pop rock ballad, which incorporates elements of R&B music. It is composed in the key of C major, and is in common time at ninety-six beats per minute. It 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. "Stole" is thematically a social commentary as well as a lament for unfulfilled potential.
"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, "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 [...]."