Analysis of “Set Fire To The Rain” by Adele
Adele’s song “Set fire to the rain” has achieved a wide popularly since it was released in 2011. Proof of this is that the YouTube posting of the song has achieved more than 60,000,0000 views. I enjoy the song for song for several reasons that are likely shared with its other fans. This essay explores why I personally like it as well as some technical elements of the song.
One of the things I enjoy most about the song. The song is about a difficult separation. In such situations it is often difficult to express how one feels. Her syllabic lyrics that give the song it’s name are, “I set fire to the rain, and it burst into flames.” This creates a tension that anyone who has had a breakup can realate to. This is a contradiction, since it is not possible to set fire to water, but it sets the mood of intense passion, which is mirrored by some of the technical elements of the song.
The rhythm of the song is a trap set which comes in after two measures of piano. The meter is 4/4 times at a moderate pace. This would be a difficult song to dance to because it is slow, but also intense.
The instrumentation is as follows: the main instrument is the piano, which is accompanied by the trap set. At times snyth strings join for the intense parts of the song specifically on the refrain. The song centers around the single melody found in the refrain. The signer has a ranger of two octaves beginning around middle C. The sweeping melody is the most affecting part of the song. The primary mode of the song is in a minor key which affects the mood it attempts to create that “nothing gets better” after a breakup. This is certainly something that is usually felt in the immediate aftermath of one.
