It is a pop power ballad with lush instrumentation and a swelling string arrangement, in contrast to the understated production of most songs on the album.

Dave Simpson of The Guardian in an article revealed that Adele got inspiration for the song "when mah lightah stopped workin' [sic]" in the wet.

[14] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly concluded that the song had "scorned-woman balladry" and it "surge[s] on the pure force of her titanic wail.

"[15] The New York Times said "the vocal effects on 'Set Fire to the Rain,' produced by Fraser T Smith, the most pop-minded of the assembled team, are superfluous.

"[10] Writing for the newspaper Herald Sun, Camreon Adams called the song a "triumphant radio-hit-in-waiting of next single" and concluded that "once the chorus kicks in, you're a goner.

"[7] He further called the song "one of 21's angrier tracks" and concluded: "The chorus' hooks are crazy catchy, and by the final one Adele releases and her hurt slips through the anger to give you a damn real and forward show of emotion.

"[7] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy praised the song saying, "'It was dark and I was over/ Until you kissed my lips and saved me,' she admits over a gloomy piano riff, before launching into a ballsy, hands-in-the-air chorus.

[29] With this achievement, 21 became one of only six albums to yield at least three number one singles during the decade; sharing the honour with Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (5), Rihanna's Loud (3), Taylor Swift's 1989 (3), Justin Bieber's Purpose (3) and Drake's Scorpion (3).

No proper music video was shot for "Set Fire to the Rain" (as well as other singles from 21, "Rumour Has It" and "Turning Tables") as Adele had recently undergone vocal surgery.

[30] Instead, a live performance video filmed at The Royal Albert Hall was uploaded on YouTube to her Vevo account and has received more than 789 million views as of December 2023.