Adele, ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ – Song Review

Heartbreak sucks and it feels worse than death served up on a stick. Believer it or not, there is an upside to the pain, heartache and emotional flogging that Adele received courtesy of her ex-boyfriend, and that's the beautifully cathartic songs she created as part of her therapy for getting over her hurt.

'Set Fire to the Rain' is one of those songs that can be a salve to soothe the so-deep-it-reaches-marrow pain of heartbreak.

The elements collide on the British rose's latest single, 'Set Fire to the Rain,' which appears on her mega-selling, critically worshipped '21.' It's a mid-tempo song that builds tension from its opening notes. It's also the follow up to the hard-to-follow-up, heart-wrenching ballad 'Someone Like You,' but it's not like Adele's 16 horsepower voice (currently recovering from surgery) is any less potent on a bit of a faster song! She sings from that core buried deep within her, where pain often resides.

Adele sings her guts out as the song swells. At first, she is backed at first by a repetitive drum beat and then the song grows, blossoms and expands, with sweeping, lush and semi-orchestral accompaniment behind her. When she sings about her knees being "too weak" and that "There's a side to you I never knew / Never knew / All the things you say / They were never true / Never true," you're sharing her pain and comparing it to your own. With Adele, it's like you are dealing with the emotional devastation of heartache together. You know she knows how you feel and vice versa.

'Set Fire to the Rain' is a strong, angry song. When she sings "Let it burn" as the song fades out, you will feel flames licking at your heels and a wave of heat rush over your skin. Adele's voice does that to people.

Listen to Adele, 'Set Fire to the Rain'