Stole (song)

"Stole"
Single by Kelly Rowland
from the album Simply Deep
Released	September 9, 2002 (2002-09-09)
Recorded	2002
Studio	Henson, Hollywood
Length	4:09
Label	Columbia Music World
Songwriter(s)	Dane Deviller Sean Hosein Steve Kipner
Producer(s)	Dane Deviller Sean Hosein Steve Kipner
Kelly Rowland singles chronology
"Dilemma" (2002) "Stole" (2002) "Can't Nobody" (2003)

"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" describes the collateral effects of a school shooting.^[1][2] Following "Dilemma" (2002), Rowland's worldwide number-one hit with rapper Nelly, "Stole" was released as her official solo debut single as well as 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.