Adele's second album, 21, was released earlier this year, in February, yet "Set Fire to the Rain" is just beginning to climb the charts in the United States. This utterly baffles me because this song clearly should have been the first single of "21" to be released.
The song was inspired one rainy night as Adele stood outside a bar trying to light a cigarette as her boyfriend at the time bitched at her about how she wouldn’t be able to light a lighter while it was raining. Well, she finally did it and upon lighting her cigarette, she calmly walked away. I find both the song and its inspiration incredibly beautiful in a poetic sort of way.
The song itself reflects the beautiful vision of setting fire to the rain. Softer, smooth vocals slowly build up through the verses until finally, the lighter sparks and Adele belts out the fiery chorus in such a way that you can’t help but join her. One of the things you have to admire about Adele is that the only instrumental accompaniment she needs is that of a piano or an acoustic guitar. She’s one of the few artists who don’t need a thumping bass or dazzling synthesizer beats to envelop a listener in the music.
Some of Adele’s best songs have very little instrumental accompaniment, but I think it absolutely adds another level to “Set Fire to the Rain”. Adele’s fantastic voice is in no way overshadowed and the captivating melody provided by a piano is still very prominent. Altogether, the song is very well composed and, no matter how much you may dislike Adele, you will still end up belting this song at the top of your lungs during your daily shower.