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 [...]." Critical reception "Stole" received generally mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic editor Jon O'Brien named the song one of the album's highlights along with "Can't Nobody", "Dilemma" and "Everytime You Walk Out That Door" and called it a "rock-tinged [...] emotive tale of school shootings and suicides." Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian found that the "silky" song emphasized that Rowland's "speciality is the slightly funky party number with a moralising overtone." Chuck Taylor from Billboard found that it was proving "that Rowling is willing to take a risk to prove a point [...] She will likely gain a whole new fan base with her combination of social commentary and impressive vocal talent." British morning newspaper The Independent called "Stole" Simply Deeps "strongest track [...] a lament for unfulfilled