Through the Rain
Encyclopedia
"Through the Rain" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Mariah Carey
, taken from her ninth studio album
, Charmbracelet
(2002). It was written by Carey and Lionel Cole
, and produced by the former and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
. The song was released as the album's lead single
on October 17, 2002. Classified by Carey as a ballad
, it draws influence from Pop
and R&B
music genres, and features a simple and under-stated piano melody, backed by soft electronic synthesizers
. "Through the Rain" was meant to be an insight into Carey personal struggles throughout 2001. Lyrically, the song finds Carey encouraging others that no matter what may lay in opposition, one must find their inner strength and make it "through the rain".
The song was met with generally positive reception from music critics. Many complimented the song's inspirational lyrical content, and described it as an open window into Carey's personal life for listeners. However, while were fond of the song's restrained vocals and production, some reviewers found the song to be too dramatic and poor choice for a first single. The song became Carey's lowest charting single to date on the US Billboard Hot 100
, and her first lead single to that point to not reach the top ten in the United States. Though stalling at number eighty-one, "Through the Rain" managed to achieve stronger international charting, peaking within the top ten in Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Carey performed "Through the Rain" live on several television and award show appearances around the world. She debuted the song at the 2002 NRJ Awards, and features it on a one hour special titled Mariah Carey: Shining Through the Rain, which aired three days later on MTV
. In the United States, Carey performed the song on Today, filmed at Mall of America
, The Oprah Winfrey Show
, and 30th annual
American Music Awards, held on January 13, 2003. Throughout Europe, Carey performed the song on The Graham Norton Show
and on talent competition, Fame Academy
. Additionally, "Through the Rain" was included on the set-list of Carey's Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey
, which spanned throughout 2003–04.
The music video, directed by Dave Meyers
, was filmed on location in New York City
on September 30, and October 1, 2002. Set in the late-1960s, the video features a past and present story-line based on Carey's childhood, and stars J. D. Williams
and Jamie-Lynn Sigler
as the singer's parents. The video begins with past scenes of Carey's mother being disowned by her family after becoming romantically involved with a black man, and finds the singer in the present walking through a heavy rainstorm in New York. The song was covered on live television by Filipino singers Regine Velasquez
and Charice Pempengco
.
and the World Music Award for Best-Selling Female Artist of the Millennium in 2000, Carey parted from Columbia Records
and signed a record-breaking $100 million five-album recording contract with Virgin
(EMI Records
). She often stated that Columbia had regarded her as a commodity, with her separation from Tommy Mottola
exacerbating her relations with label executives. Just a few months later, in July, 2001, it was widely reported that Carey had suffered a physical and emotional breakdown. and her relationship with the Latin icon Luis Miguel
ended. In an interview the following year, she said, "I was with people who didn't really know me and I had no personal assistant. I'd do interviews all day long and get two hours of sleep a night, if that." Carey began posting a series of disturbing messages on her official website, and displayed erratic behavior on several live promotional outings. On July 19, 2001, Carey made a surprise appearance on the MTV
program Total Request Live
(TRL). As the show's host Carson Daly
began taping following a commercial break, Carey came out pushing an ice cream cart while wearing a large men's shirt, and began a striptease
, in which she shed her shirt to reveal a tight yellow and green ensemble. While she later revealed that Daly was aware of her presence in the building prior to her appearance, Carey's appearance on TRL garnered strong media attention.
Only days later, Carey began posting irregular voice notes and messages on her official website: "I'm trying to understand things in life right now and so I really don't feel that I should be doing music right now. What I'd like to do is just a take a little break or at least get one night of sleep without someone popping up about a video. All I really want is [to] just be me and that's what I should have done in the first place ... I don't say this much but guess what, I don't take care of myself." Following the quick removal of the messages, Berger commented that Carey had been "obviously exhausted and not thinking clearly" when she posted the letters. On July 26, she was hospitalized, citing "extreme exhaustion" and a "physical and emotional breakdown". News websites and programs began reporting how Carey threatened to commit suicide by slitting her wrists
the night before, and how Patricia, Carey's mother, hastily called for help. When questioned regarding Carey's suicidal rumor, Berger claimed she had broken dishes out of desperation, and as a result, accidentally cut her hands and feet. Carey was inducted at an un-disclosed hospital in Connecticut, and remained hospitalized and under doctor's care for two weeks, followed by an extended absence from the public. Following the heavy media coverage surrounding Carey's publicized breakdown and hospitalization, Virgin Records
and 20th Century Fox
delayed the release of both Glitter
, as well as its soundtrack of the same name.
Critics panned Glitter
, as well as its accompanying soundtrack; both were unsuccessful commercially. The accompanying soundtrack album, Glitter, became Carey's lowest-selling album to that point. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
dismissed it as "an absolute mess that'll go down as an annoying blemish on a career that, while not always critically heralded, was at least nearly consistently successful." Following the negative cloud that was ensuing Carey's personal life at the time, as well as the project's poor reception, her unprecedented $100 million five-album record deal with Virgin Records
(EMI Records
) was bought out for $50 million. Soon after, Carey flew to Capri, Italy for a period of five months, in which she began writing material for her new album, stemming from all the personal experiences she had endured throughout the past year. Carey later said that her time at Virgin was "a complete and total stress-fest [...] I made a total snap decision which was based on money and I never make decisions based on money. I learned a big lesson from that." Later that year, she signed a contract with Island Records
, valued at more than $24 million, and launched the record label MonarC. To add further to Carey's emotional burdens, her father, with whom she had little contact since childhood, died of cancer that year.
influenced R&B. Additionally, her image was of a reserved and modestly dressed female, or as Carey's later described it "the 90s version of Mary Poppins
". As the 1990s wore on, Carey began featuring rappers
on remixes, and began infusing hip-hop
into her musical palette. As her music changed, so too did her image, which became more sexual, and aimed at younger audiences than the more contemporary appeal of her earlier works. According to Michael Paoletta from Billboard
, "Through the Rain" was used not only as a vehicle for listeners to become more in-tune with Carey's personal struggles, but also as a means to "re-capture" her audience throughout the earlier stages of her career. A contemporary and pop ballad, he felt the song would find "much embrace" from her older fans, while her audience that grew accustomed to her hip-hop flavored music would feel "lost and abandoned". In an interview with MTV News
, the song's co-producer Jimmy Jam
described why Carey chose to release it as the lead single
: "I think 'Through the Rain' is a great way to start the record, because it is emotional and it kind of speaks directly to the questions people might have about the last year of her life. It's a good idea to get that out of the way and move on to happy, less emotional songs."
and Joe
. The remix incorporates a more up-tempo background, and differs melodically from the original. While the album's co-producer, Jimmy Jam, described it as a "star search", Sarah Rodman from the Boston Herald
felt that even though the remix was more up-beat than the original, it "failed to quicken the pulse".
, which draws influence from pop
and R&B
music genres. The song is built around a piano melody, and features a beat that is accentuated by synthesizers
. Aside from its pop-driven melody and structure, Jeff Vrabel of the Chicago Sun-Times
noted an hint of gospel
towards the song's crescendo, describing it as "lite-gospel". Vocally, "Through the Rain" finds Carey singing in a "restrained" style for the duration of most of the song, as the first verse and chorus are sung in breathy vocals
. After the second chorus, the bridge
is linked to the song's climax through a long belted
note. The Daily Union
s David Germain felt the song's composition, as well as Carey's vocal performance were "simple and reserved", with Carey in "complete control" of her voice. "Through the Rain" was written by Carey and Lionel Cole
and produced by the former and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
. According to the sheet music
published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Ltd.
, "Through the Rain" is set in common time
with a tempo of 64 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of A-flat major, with Carey's vocal range spanning from the low-note of E3 to the high-note of G5.
Lyrically, the song features an inspirational message of inner strength, and finds Carey reaching out to listeners. The song uses a rainstorm as a metaphor for troubles in life, while encouraging others to "make it through the rain" through perseverance. The fist chorus begins: "When you get caught in the rain / With no where to run / When your distraught and in pain without anyone / When you keep crying out to be saved", illustrating a moment in an individual's life where they are surrounded by conflict. The chorus then serves as a guide to those still suffering, "I can make it through the rain, I can stand up once again on my own / And I know that I'm strong enough to mend / And everytime I feel afraid I hold tighter to my faith / And I live one more day and I make it through the rain". Similarly, the second verse once again revisits difficult times when "shadows grow close", before continuing into the second chorus and climax. While the song in meant for listeners to gain confidence and strength, it also allows them into Carey's personal struggles she endured throughout 2001. Lola Ogunnaike of The New York Times
described the song as a "triumph over adversity", while a writer from the Sydney Morning Herald wrote "its an insight into her recent troubles." In an interview with MTV News, Carey described the song's lyrical content in depth:
of The New York Times
described it as "inspirational", and felt that due to its vagueness, the song is would be applicable to all listeners, not just Carey. The Daily Union
s David Germain commented how the song's simple musical arrangement and Carey's "restrained" vocal delivery aided it in becoming "modest and reserved". Writing for Billboard
, Michael Paoletta chose "Through the Rain" as a top pick from the album, as did Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
. He described it as a song that was designed as "'Vision of Love
' meets 'Hero
'", and wrote, "Mariah is back in the adult contemporary camp, no longer trying to prove that she's real." Cara DiPasquale from the Chicago Tribune
called it a "powerhouse ballad", while Entertainment Weekly
s Tom Sinclair wrote "embellished with her trademark vocal pyrotechnics, it is one of those highly personal songs about finding your way out of an emotional wilderness, but it sinks in its own sodden sentimentality". Similarly, a writer from Newsday
also described "Through the Rain" as a "powerhouse ballad", and felt it was reminiscent of Carey's previous single "One Sweet Day
" (1995). Writing for the Los Angeles Times
, Randy Lewis noted how the song was able to effectively take listeners right into Carey's personal struggles from the previous year. Tina Brown
from Newsweek
felt that while Carey's personal troubles may not have been fully solved, the song made her appear "strong and triumphant".
. Though accompanied by several live promotional appearances, the song failed to garner sufficient airplay to make much of an impact on radio stations. While barely managing to crack the primary US charts, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs. While radio appeal was primarily weak throughout the United States, the song managed to sustain strong airplay throughout Asia. In Canada, "Through the Rain" peaked at number five on the singles chart, and was certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA), denoting shipments of over 50,000 units. Throughout Australasia and Europe, the song managed to peak within the top five in several countries. In Australia, "Through the Rain" debuted at its peak position of number fifteen on the singles chart
, during the week of November 14, 2002. The following week, the song began its decline, and had a total chart trajectory of ten weeks. On November 11, 2002, "Through the Rain" debuted at number forty-eight on the Ö3 Austria Top 40
chart. The song peaked at number forty-five the next week, and fell out of the chart in its eleventh week, while it was at sixty-eight.
The song achieved relatively weak charting in both the Flemmish and Wallonian territories in Belgium, peaking at numbers forty-four and twenty-nine, respectively. Making its debut at its peak position of number sixteen, "Through the Rain" charted for a total of nineteen weeks in France, before falling out on March 22, 2003. On the Dutch Top 40
chart, the song made its debut at number thirty-two. Four weeks later, the song peaked at number nine, before dropping outside the top 40 five weeks later, ending its eleven week run. "Through the Rain" entered the New Zealand Singles Chart
at number thirty-seven, during the week dated December 1, 2002. In total, the song spent three weeks at its peak position of number thirty-seven, and a total of seven weeks on the chart. In both Denmark and Norway, the song saw moderate success, peaking at numbers thirteen and fifteen, and lasting on the chart for one and three weeks, respectively. On November 28, 2002, "Through the Rain" debuted at number twelve on the Swedish Singles Chart
, and reached a peak of number seven. Though released at the end of the year, it managed to finish at number 83 on the year-end chart. Similarly in Switzerland, the song peaked at number seven, and finished at number 98 on the end of year chart. On the UK Singles Chart
, "Through the Rain" debuted at its peak of number eight. The following week, the song dropped to number twenty-one on the chart, before dropping outside the top-forty two weeks later.
, was filmed on location in New York City
on September 30, and October 1, 2002. It is loosely based on the singer's parents, Alfred and Patricia Carey, during the times that she was conceived. Both characters are played by J. D. Williams
and Jamie-Lynn Sigler
and incorporates themes from Charmbracelet as well as from Carey's life. In an interview with MTV News, Carey said that originally, the plot for the video wasn't going to have anything to do with her parent's past experiences with racism, but was changed a few days before shooting began. During the interview, she described how to plot came into reality, and went into the videos plot in detail:
Sigler, who was offered the role only days before filming commenced, said that she had always been a fan of Carey, and accepted the offer immediately. She described that the shoot was set in the 1960s, and that she played the singer's mother during and after her pregnancy. Sigler also described the plot: "With my character, she's basically going against her parent's wishes to be with this gentleman. She's pregnant with a baby, which is Mariah, and they run away together. So it's kind of an epic love story, it's nice." Carey also revealed that the video would incorporate a rainstorm scene in New York City. Carey jokingly explained how she originally did not intend to get wet, but felt it added a lot to the video.
While rain starts to fall, and people start to clear the streets, Carey remains walking on the pathway. The girl now reaches her destination, and is welcomed into the home of her lover. They soon board a bus, and travel to a new home where they will live together. As they are about to enter the bus, the girl's mother is seen screaming in tears for her daughter to return to her. She hesitates, and then continues with her lover onto the transport. The scene once again focuses on Carey, who is standing in the midst of a torrential downpour, singing to the heavens. As she reaches the song's climax, Carey, now dry and dressed in a long black gown, is shown singing at the altar of a church. As she sings at the church, scenes of the girl lighting a candle, and her lover laying together with her on a bed are shown, before focusing back on Carey. She stares at an elderly couple in the first row at the church, an inter-racial couple now revealed to be her parents, and smiles while wearing her mother's charmbracelet. The elderly woman begins crying, as her husband holds her in embrace as they intently stare at Carey. Their faces rejuvenate to show them as a young couple, as their photo is taken and placed into the family album from the beginning of the video.
, in which Carey was interviewed and sang several songs from Charmbracelet and of her catalog. During the interview, Carey addressed rumors of her breakdown and its cause, as well as of the album and its inspiration, followed by a question and answer with fans. During the album's month of release, Carey appeared on several television talk shows, launching her promotional tour on Today, where she performed a four song set-list at Mall of America
for a crowd of over 10,000. On December 3, 2002, Carey appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show
, where she performed "Through the Rain" and "My Saving Grace", and covered a highly publicized interview regarding Carey's hospitalization. On December 4, Carey traveled to Brazil for South American promotion of Charmbracelet, appearing on the popular Brazilian program, Fantástico
. She sang "My All
", and reprised performances of "Through the Rain" and "I Only Wanted" wearing a long pink gown.
One month later, Carey was featured as one of the headlining performers at the 30th annual
American Music Awards, held on January 13, 2003. Introduced by Sharon Osbourne
, Carey performed "Through the Rain" alongside a complete live gospel choir, and wore a long black evening gown. During the recital, images of newspaper headlines describing Carey's breakdown were projected on a large curtain behind her, with one reading "When you fall down, you get back up." Following the song's completion, Carey received a standing ovation. Towards the end of March, Charmbracelet saw release throughout Europe, prompting Carey to appear on several programs in promotion of the album. She first performed the album's leading two singles on the British music chart show, Top of the Pops
, followed by a similar set on The Graham Norton Show
and Fame Academy
. On the latter program, Carey was joined on stage by the show's finalists, as they all sang the climax on "Through the Rain" alongside her. "Through the Rain" was only performed on Carey's Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey
, which spanned throughout 2003–04. During the performances, Carey wore a sparkling bra and mini-skirt. During most of the song, Carey performed it while sitting on a large sofa, before standing for the climax. At her concert in Manila, Rito P. Asilo from Philippine Daily Inquirer
praised Carey's live rendition of the song, describing it as one of the show's high-lights.
, performed a live rendition of "Through the Rain" as part of an intimate concert that was later broadcast on Asian television. Additionally, while promoting her debut EP in the Philippines in 2007, Charice Pempengco
sang an a-capella
version of the song's bridge and climax.
European CD maxi-single
Japanese CD single
UK 12" single
UK CD maxi-single
US CD single
US CD maxi-single
liner notes.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, taken from her ninth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Charmbracelet
Charmbracelet
Charmbracelet is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on December 3, 2002 through Island Records and MonarC Entertainment. The album was her first release since facing a breakdown following the release of her film Glitter and its accompanying...
(2002). It was written by Carey and Lionel Cole
Lionel Cole
Lionel Cole is a pianist, songwriter, composer, music editor, and music supervisor. He has served as a regularly touring member Mariah Carey's live band. Cole also partnered with Malcolm-Jamal Warner, to create the jazz and funk band Miles Long. The first album "The Many Facets of Superman" ...
, and produced by the former and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
. The song was released as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
on October 17, 2002. Classified by Carey as a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, it draws influence from Pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
music genres, and features a simple and under-stated piano melody, backed by soft electronic synthesizers
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. "Through the Rain" was meant to be an insight into Carey personal struggles throughout 2001. Lyrically, the song finds Carey encouraging others that no matter what may lay in opposition, one must find their inner strength and make it "through the rain".
The song was met with generally positive reception from music critics. Many complimented the song's inspirational lyrical content, and described it as an open window into Carey's personal life for listeners. However, while were fond of the song's restrained vocals and production, some reviewers found the song to be too dramatic and poor choice for a first single. The song became Carey's lowest charting single to date on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and her first lead single to that point to not reach the top ten in the United States. Though stalling at number eighty-one, "Through the Rain" managed to achieve stronger international charting, peaking within the top ten in Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Carey performed "Through the Rain" live on several television and award show appearances around the world. She debuted the song at the 2002 NRJ Awards, and features it on a one hour special titled Mariah Carey: Shining Through the Rain, which aired three days later on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. In the United States, Carey performed the song on Today, filmed at Mall of America
Mall of America
The Mall of America, also called MOA and the Megamall, is a shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, in the United States. It is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the...
, The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, and 30th annual
American Music Awards of 2003
The 30th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 13, 2003.-Pop/Rock Category:-Hip/Hop/R&B Category:-Country Category:-Adult Contemporary Category:-Alternative Category:-Latin Category:-Soundtrack Category:-Inspirational Category:...
American Music Awards, held on January 13, 2003. Throughout Europe, Carey performed the song on The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show is a British comedy chat show that is broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It was originally shown on BBC Two from February 2007 to May 2009 until it moved to BBC One from October 2009...
and on talent competition, Fame Academy
Fame Academy
Fame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
. Additionally, "Through the Rain" was included on the set-list of Carey's Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey
Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey
Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey is the name of Mariah Carey's 2003–04 worldwide concert tour. It takes its name from Carey's 2002 album Charmbracelet, which had been released six months earlier.-History:...
, which spanned throughout 2003–04.
The music video, directed by Dave Meyers
Dave Meyers (director)
David "Dave" Meyers is an American music video director.-Career:Meyers has directed over 200 music videos including: P!nk's "There You Go", "Most Girls", "You Make Me Sick", "Get The Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", "Feel Good Time", "Stupid Girls", "U + Ur Hand", "So What", "Please Don't...
, was filmed on location in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on September 30, and October 1, 2002. Set in the late-1960s, the video features a past and present story-line based on Carey's childhood, and stars J. D. Williams
J. D. Williams
Darnell "J.D." Williams is an American actor with starring roles in the HBO television programs Oz and The Wire, in which he appeared as Preston "Bodie" Broadus...
and Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...
as the singer's parents. The video begins with past scenes of Carey's mother being disowned by her family after becoming romantically involved with a black man, and finds the singer in the present walking through a heavy rainstorm in New York. The song was covered on live television by Filipino singers Regine Velasquez
Regine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...
and Charice Pempengco
Charice Pempengco
Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco , popularly known by the mononym Charice, is a Filipino recording artist and actress who rose to popularity through YouTube. Dubbed by Oprah Winfrey as the Most Talented Girl in the World, she released her first international studio album Charice in 2010...
.
Background
After she received Billboards Artist of the Decade AwardBillboard Music Award
The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011...
and the World Music Award for Best-Selling Female Artist of the Millennium in 2000, Carey parted from Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and signed a record-breaking $100 million five-album recording contract with Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
(EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
). She often stated that Columbia had regarded her as a commodity, with her separation from Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
exacerbating her relations with label executives. Just a few months later, in July, 2001, it was widely reported that Carey had suffered a physical and emotional breakdown. and her relationship with the Latin icon Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Mexican singer. He is widely known only by the name Luis Miguel and is often referred to as "El Sol de México"...
ended. In an interview the following year, she said, "I was with people who didn't really know me and I had no personal assistant. I'd do interviews all day long and get two hours of sleep a night, if that." Carey began posting a series of disturbing messages on her official website, and displayed erratic behavior on several live promotional outings. On July 19, 2001, Carey made a surprise appearance on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
program Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
(TRL). As the show's host Carson Daly
Carson Daly
Carson Jones Daly is an American television host. He is the host of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, a late-night talk show that began airing on January 7, 2002. Before his role as host of that program, Daly was a VJ on MTV's TRL, and a DJ for the Southern California based radio station KROQ-FM...
began taping following a commercial break, Carey came out pushing an ice cream cart while wearing a large men's shirt, and began a striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
, in which she shed her shirt to reveal a tight yellow and green ensemble. While she later revealed that Daly was aware of her presence in the building prior to her appearance, Carey's appearance on TRL garnered strong media attention.
Only days later, Carey began posting irregular voice notes and messages on her official website: "I'm trying to understand things in life right now and so I really don't feel that I should be doing music right now. What I'd like to do is just a take a little break or at least get one night of sleep without someone popping up about a video. All I really want is [to] just be me and that's what I should have done in the first place ... I don't say this much but guess what, I don't take care of myself." Following the quick removal of the messages, Berger commented that Carey had been "obviously exhausted and not thinking clearly" when she posted the letters. On July 26, she was hospitalized, citing "extreme exhaustion" and a "physical and emotional breakdown". News websites and programs began reporting how Carey threatened to commit suicide by slitting her wrists
Self-harm
Self-harm or deliberate self-harm includes self-injury and self-poisoning and is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue most often done without suicidal intentions. These terms are used in the more recent literature in an attempt to reach a more neutral terminology...
the night before, and how Patricia, Carey's mother, hastily called for help. When questioned regarding Carey's suicidal rumor, Berger claimed she had broken dishes out of desperation, and as a result, accidentally cut her hands and feet. Carey was inducted at an un-disclosed hospital in Connecticut, and remained hospitalized and under doctor's care for two weeks, followed by an extended absence from the public. Following the heavy media coverage surrounding Carey's publicized breakdown and hospitalization, Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
and 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
delayed the release of both Glitter
Glitter (film)
Glitter is a 2001 film starring R&B singer, songwriter Mariah Carey. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall. It centers on the life and times of a struggling singer from the early club music scene in the 1980s.-Production:Carey has said about...
, as well as its soundtrack of the same name.
Critics panned Glitter
Glitter (film)
Glitter is a 2001 film starring R&B singer, songwriter Mariah Carey. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall. It centers on the life and times of a struggling singer from the early club music scene in the 1980s.-Production:Carey has said about...
, as well as its accompanying soundtrack; both were unsuccessful commercially. The accompanying soundtrack album, Glitter, became Carey's lowest-selling album to that point. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
dismissed it as "an absolute mess that'll go down as an annoying blemish on a career that, while not always critically heralded, was at least nearly consistently successful." Following the negative cloud that was ensuing Carey's personal life at the time, as well as the project's poor reception, her unprecedented $100 million five-album record deal with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
(EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
) was bought out for $50 million. Soon after, Carey flew to Capri, Italy for a period of five months, in which she began writing material for her new album, stemming from all the personal experiences she had endured throughout the past year. Carey later said that her time at Virgin was "a complete and total stress-fest [...] I made a total snap decision which was based on money and I never make decisions based on money. I learned a big lesson from that." Later that year, she signed a contract with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, valued at more than $24 million, and launched the record label MonarC. To add further to Carey's emotional burdens, her father, with whom she had little contact since childhood, died of cancer that year.
Release
Throughout the first years of her career, Carey's musical styles mainly involved popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
influenced R&B. Additionally, her image was of a reserved and modestly dressed female, or as Carey's later described it "the 90s version of Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins is a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London and into the Banks' household to care for their...
". As the 1990s wore on, Carey began featuring rappers
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
on remixes, and began infusing hip-hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
into her musical palette. As her music changed, so too did her image, which became more sexual, and aimed at younger audiences than the more contemporary appeal of her earlier works. According to Michael Paoletta from Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, "Through the Rain" was used not only as a vehicle for listeners to become more in-tune with Carey's personal struggles, but also as a means to "re-capture" her audience throughout the earlier stages of her career. A contemporary and pop ballad, he felt the song would find "much embrace" from her older fans, while her audience that grew accustomed to her hip-hop flavored music would feel "lost and abandoned". In an interview with MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
, the song's co-producer Jimmy Jam
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
described why Carey chose to release it as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
: "I think 'Through the Rain' is a great way to start the record, because it is emotional and it kind of speaks directly to the questions people might have about the last year of her life. It's a good idea to get that out of the way and move on to happy, less emotional songs."
Remix
The song's official remix features guest vocals from Kelly PriceKelly Price
Kelly Price is an American R&B and soul singer, formerly on the Def Soul label.-Life and music career:Kelly Cherelle Price was born in Queens, New York. She was first discovered by Mariah Carey in February 1992 and subsequently introduced to Sony Columbia's then CEO Tommy Mottola...
and Joe
Joe (singer)
Joseph Lewis Thomas , usually credited simply as Joe, is an American R&B singer and record producer.-Early life:Joe is a native of Cuthbert, Georgia and later moved to Opelika, Alabama. The son of two preachers, Joe spent much time in church singing, playing guitar, and even directing the choir...
. The remix incorporates a more up-tempo background, and differs melodically from the original. While the album's co-producer, Jimmy Jam, described it as a "star search", Sarah Rodman from the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
felt that even though the remix was more up-beat than the original, it "failed to quicken the pulse".
Composition
"Through the Rain" is a mid-tempo balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, which draws influence from pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
music genres. The song is built around a piano melody, and features a beat that is accentuated by synthesizers
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. Aside from its pop-driven melody and structure, Jeff Vrabel of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
noted an hint of gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
towards the song's crescendo, describing it as "lite-gospel". Vocally, "Through the Rain" finds Carey singing in a "restrained" style for the duration of most of the song, as the first verse and chorus are sung in breathy vocals
Breathy voice
Breathy voice is a phonation in which the vocal cords vibrate, as they do in normal voicing, but are held further apart, so that a larger volume of air escapes between them. This produces an audible noise...
. After the second chorus, the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
is linked to the song's climax through a long belted
Belt (music)
Belting refers to a specific technique of singing by which a singer produces a loud sound in the upper middle of the pitch range. It is often described as a vocal register although some dispute this since technically the larynx is not oscillating in a unique way...
note. The Daily Union
The Daily Union
The Daily Union is the city newspaper for Junction City, Geary County, Kansas, United States, and one of the oldest in the state.The paper had its origin in the Smoky Hill and Republican Union which began publishing on September 19, 1861, founded by George W. Kingsbury...
s David Germain felt the song's composition, as well as Carey's vocal performance were "simple and reserved", with Carey in "complete control" of her voice. "Through the Rain" was written by Carey and Lionel Cole
Lionel Cole
Lionel Cole is a pianist, songwriter, composer, music editor, and music supervisor. He has served as a regularly touring member Mariah Carey's live band. Cole also partnered with Malcolm-Jamal Warner, to create the jazz and funk band Miles Long. The first album "The Many Facets of Superman" ...
and produced by the former and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
. According to the sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Ltd.
Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group is a music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group.UMPG owns or administers more than 1 million copyrights. They are one of the largest music publishing businesses in the world with more than 47 offices in 41 countries...
, "Through the Rain" is set in common time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
with a tempo of 64 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of A-flat major, with Carey's vocal range spanning from the low-note of E3 to the high-note of G5.
Lyrically, the song features an inspirational message of inner strength, and finds Carey reaching out to listeners. The song uses a rainstorm as a metaphor for troubles in life, while encouraging others to "make it through the rain" through perseverance. The fist chorus begins: "When you get caught in the rain / With no where to run / When your distraught and in pain without anyone / When you keep crying out to be saved", illustrating a moment in an individual's life where they are surrounded by conflict. The chorus then serves as a guide to those still suffering, "I can make it through the rain, I can stand up once again on my own / And I know that I'm strong enough to mend / And everytime I feel afraid I hold tighter to my faith / And I live one more day and I make it through the rain". Similarly, the second verse once again revisits difficult times when "shadows grow close", before continuing into the second chorus and climax. While the song in meant for listeners to gain confidence and strength, it also allows them into Carey's personal struggles she endured throughout 2001. Lola Ogunnaike of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described the song as a "triumph over adversity", while a writer from the Sydney Morning Herald wrote "its an insight into her recent troubles." In an interview with MTV News, Carey described the song's lyrical content in depth:
I've always tried to insert positivity into my songs wherever I can, to inspire other people who go through stuff. I mean the stuff they talked about in tabloids and the things that were so overly exaggerated, that's one aspect. I also went through a lot of personal stuff, a lot of family stuff this year. Losing a parent is an intense thing for anybody. It's brought me to another place. People are going to read into it as, 'This is Mariah and her struggle'. But the way I try to word it is, 'It's OK once you say I can make it through the rain.' Not just me going, 'I can make it through the rain,' it's me telling people that if you believe you can get through whatever you're going through, you can get to the other side.
Critical reception
"Through the Rain" received generally positive reviews from music critics; many complimented Carey's restrained vocal performance, as well as the song's simple instrumental accompaniment, while others criticized it for being overly-dramatic. Jon ParelesJon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described it as "inspirational", and felt that due to its vagueness, the song is would be applicable to all listeners, not just Carey. The Daily Union
The Daily Union
The Daily Union is the city newspaper for Junction City, Geary County, Kansas, United States, and one of the oldest in the state.The paper had its origin in the Smoky Hill and Republican Union which began publishing on September 19, 1861, founded by George W. Kingsbury...
s David Germain commented how the song's simple musical arrangement and Carey's "restrained" vocal delivery aided it in becoming "modest and reserved". Writing for Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, Michael Paoletta chose "Through the Rain" as a top pick from the album, as did Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
. He described it as a song that was designed as "'Vision of Love
Vision of Love
"Vision of Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It served as Carey's debut single, the first from her self-titled debut album. Written by Carey and Ben Margulies, "Vision of Love" was released on May 15, 1990 by Columbia Records. After being featured on Carey's demo tape for...
' meets 'Hero
Hero (Mariah Carey song)
"Hero" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993 by Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box . Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...
'", and wrote, "Mariah is back in the adult contemporary camp, no longer trying to prove that she's real." Cara DiPasquale from the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
called it a "powerhouse ballad", while Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Tom Sinclair wrote "embellished with her trademark vocal pyrotechnics, it is one of those highly personal songs about finding your way out of an emotional wilderness, but it sinks in its own sodden sentimentality". Similarly, a writer from Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
also described "Through the Rain" as a "powerhouse ballad", and felt it was reminiscent of Carey's previous single "One Sweet Day
One Sweet Day
"One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men. The song was written by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and the members of Boyz II Men: Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary. "One Sweet Day" was produced by Carey and Afanasieff for...
" (1995). Writing for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Randy Lewis noted how the song was able to effectively take listeners right into Carey's personal struggles from the previous year. Tina Brown
Tina Brown
Tina Brown, Lady Evans, CBE , is a journalist, magazine editor, columnist, talk-show host and author of The Diana Chronicles, a biography of Diana, Princess of Wales. Born a British citizen, she took United States citizenship in 2005 after emigrating in 1984 to edit Vanity Fair...
from Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
felt that while Carey's personal troubles may not have been fully solved, the song made her appear "strong and triumphant".
Commercial performance
After premiering in the United States, "Through the Rain" managed to peak at number at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Though accompanied by several live promotional appearances, the song failed to garner sufficient airplay to make much of an impact on radio stations. While barely managing to crack the primary US charts, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs. While radio appeal was primarily weak throughout the United States, the song managed to sustain strong airplay throughout Asia. In Canada, "Through the Rain" peaked at number five on the singles chart, and was certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA), denoting shipments of over 50,000 units. Throughout Australasia and Europe, the song managed to peak within the top five in several countries. In Australia, "Through the Rain" debuted at its peak position of number fifteen on the singles chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, during the week of November 14, 2002. The following week, the song began its decline, and had a total chart trajectory of ten weeks. On November 11, 2002, "Through the Rain" debuted at number forty-eight on the Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...
chart. The song peaked at number forty-five the next week, and fell out of the chart in its eleventh week, while it was at sixty-eight.
The song achieved relatively weak charting in both the Flemmish and Wallonian territories in Belgium, peaking at numbers forty-four and twenty-nine, respectively. Making its debut at its peak position of number sixteen, "Through the Rain" charted for a total of nineteen weeks in France, before falling out on March 22, 2003. On the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
chart, the song made its debut at number thirty-two. Four weeks later, the song peaked at number nine, before dropping outside the top 40 five weeks later, ending its eleven week run. "Through the Rain" entered the New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
at number thirty-seven, during the week dated December 1, 2002. In total, the song spent three weeks at its peak position of number thirty-seven, and a total of seven weeks on the chart. In both Denmark and Norway, the song saw moderate success, peaking at numbers thirteen and fifteen, and lasting on the chart for one and three weeks, respectively. On November 28, 2002, "Through the Rain" debuted at number twelve on the Swedish Singles Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
, and reached a peak of number seven. Though released at the end of the year, it managed to finish at number 83 on the year-end chart. Similarly in Switzerland, the song peaked at number seven, and finished at number 98 on the end of year chart. On the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, "Through the Rain" debuted at its peak of number eight. The following week, the song dropped to number twenty-one on the chart, before dropping outside the top-forty two weeks later.
Background
The music video, directed by Dave MeyersDave Meyers (director)
David "Dave" Meyers is an American music video director.-Career:Meyers has directed over 200 music videos including: P!nk's "There You Go", "Most Girls", "You Make Me Sick", "Get The Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", "Feel Good Time", "Stupid Girls", "U + Ur Hand", "So What", "Please Don't...
, was filmed on location in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on September 30, and October 1, 2002. It is loosely based on the singer's parents, Alfred and Patricia Carey, during the times that she was conceived. Both characters are played by J. D. Williams
J. D. Williams
Darnell "J.D." Williams is an American actor with starring roles in the HBO television programs Oz and The Wire, in which he appeared as Preston "Bodie" Broadus...
and Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...
and incorporates themes from Charmbracelet as well as from Carey's life. In an interview with MTV News, Carey said that originally, the plot for the video wasn't going to have anything to do with her parent's past experiences with racism, but was changed a few days before shooting began. During the interview, she described how to plot came into reality, and went into the videos plot in detail:
Originally it wasn't going to have anything to do with that, but people were looking through my photo albums this year. My father and I had made some photo albums together of his relatives and different people in the family. A couple people saw [the albums] and they were like, 'This is amazing that you have this.' I guess everybody was like, 'How would you feel about this type of concept [for a video]?' So I guess I thought if someone's going to do it might as well be me. The story line [of the video] is about an interracial couple. It's sort of Romeo and Juliet but it's set in the '60s and they're kind of torn apart. It's about their struggle and I'm sort of the narrator. I don't want to give too much away about it, but it's nice. Something I could relate to, being the product of an interracial union, though [my parents] did not wind up happily ever after standing in church together.
Sigler, who was offered the role only days before filming commenced, said that she had always been a fan of Carey, and accepted the offer immediately. She described that the shoot was set in the 1960s, and that she played the singer's mother during and after her pregnancy. Sigler also described the plot: "With my character, she's basically going against her parent's wishes to be with this gentleman. She's pregnant with a baby, which is Mariah, and they run away together. So it's kind of an epic love story, it's nice." Carey also revealed that the video would incorporate a rainstorm scene in New York City. Carey jokingly explained how she originally did not intend to get wet, but felt it added a lot to the video.
Synopsis
The video begins with a view of a Carey's personal family album. As the pages open, the camera zooms to one particular photograph, of her young mother facing a wall, with her back turned. As the picture comes into full view, it turns into actual footage. Her mother turns around in anguish, as her own mother begins shouting at her and calling her a disgrace to the family. This is due to that fact that she is pregnant with the child of a black man, with whom she wants to move out with. As she goes to leave the home, her mother grabs her arm and rips off a "charmbracelet" from her wrist. As she picks it off the floor, she tell her mother how much she hates her and leaves to a taxi. From the clothing and scenery, it is notable that the scenes depicted are happening in the late 1960s, prior to Carey's birth. As the song starts playing, the video focuses on Carey, walking down the street in New York City. As she continues singing and walking down the street, the camera aims to the sky, which is darkened with cloud while light starts to peer through.While rain starts to fall, and people start to clear the streets, Carey remains walking on the pathway. The girl now reaches her destination, and is welcomed into the home of her lover. They soon board a bus, and travel to a new home where they will live together. As they are about to enter the bus, the girl's mother is seen screaming in tears for her daughter to return to her. She hesitates, and then continues with her lover onto the transport. The scene once again focuses on Carey, who is standing in the midst of a torrential downpour, singing to the heavens. As she reaches the song's climax, Carey, now dry and dressed in a long black gown, is shown singing at the altar of a church. As she sings at the church, scenes of the girl lighting a candle, and her lover laying together with her on a bed are shown, before focusing back on Carey. She stares at an elderly couple in the first row at the church, an inter-racial couple now revealed to be her parents, and smiles while wearing her mother's charmbracelet. The elderly woman begins crying, as her husband holds her in embrace as they intently stare at Carey. Their faces rejuvenate to show them as a young couple, as their photo is taken and placed into the family album from the beginning of the video.
Live performances
Following the release of "Through the Rain", Carey embarked on several stateside, European and Asian promotional tours in support of Charmbracelet, as well as its accompanying singles. Promotion for the former song began at the 2002 NRJ Awards, where Carey appeared on stage sporting a long wavy style and wearing a long black skirt and denim blazer. Three days prior to the album's stateside release, a one hour special titled Mariah Carey: Shining Through the Rain aired on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, in which Carey was interviewed and sang several songs from Charmbracelet and of her catalog. During the interview, Carey addressed rumors of her breakdown and its cause, as well as of the album and its inspiration, followed by a question and answer with fans. During the album's month of release, Carey appeared on several television talk shows, launching her promotional tour on Today, where she performed a four song set-list at Mall of America
Mall of America
The Mall of America, also called MOA and the Megamall, is a shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, in the United States. It is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the...
for a crowd of over 10,000. On December 3, 2002, Carey appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, where she performed "Through the Rain" and "My Saving Grace", and covered a highly publicized interview regarding Carey's hospitalization. On December 4, Carey traveled to Brazil for South American promotion of Charmbracelet, appearing on the popular Brazilian program, Fantástico
Fantástico
Fantástico is a Brazilian weekly television newsmagazine broadcast on Sundays by Rede Globo.-Format:The show's first episode was on August 5, 1973 in black-and-white. It began as a variety show featuring music, dance numbers, teletheater, humor, mixed with a small amount of news. The following...
. She sang "My All
My All
"My All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly . It was released as the album's fourth and second commercial single on April 21, 1998 by Columbia Records. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...
", and reprised performances of "Through the Rain" and "I Only Wanted" wearing a long pink gown.
One month later, Carey was featured as one of the headlining performers at the 30th annual
American Music Awards of 2003
The 30th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 13, 2003.-Pop/Rock Category:-Hip/Hop/R&B Category:-Country Category:-Adult Contemporary Category:-Alternative Category:-Latin Category:-Soundtrack Category:-Inspirational Category:...
American Music Awards, held on January 13, 2003. Introduced by Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
, Carey performed "Through the Rain" alongside a complete live gospel choir, and wore a long black evening gown. During the recital, images of newspaper headlines describing Carey's breakdown were projected on a large curtain behind her, with one reading "When you fall down, you get back up." Following the song's completion, Carey received a standing ovation. Towards the end of March, Charmbracelet saw release throughout Europe, prompting Carey to appear on several programs in promotion of the album. She first performed the album's leading two singles on the British music chart show, Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, followed by a similar set on The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show is a British comedy chat show that is broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It was originally shown on BBC Two from February 2007 to May 2009 until it moved to BBC One from October 2009...
and Fame Academy
Fame Academy
Fame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
. On the latter program, Carey was joined on stage by the show's finalists, as they all sang the climax on "Through the Rain" alongside her. "Through the Rain" was only performed on Carey's Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey
Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey
Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey is the name of Mariah Carey's 2003–04 worldwide concert tour. It takes its name from Carey's 2002 album Charmbracelet, which had been released six months earlier.-History:...
, which spanned throughout 2003–04. During the performances, Carey wore a sparkling bra and mini-skirt. During most of the song, Carey performed it while sitting on a large sofa, before standing for the climax. At her concert in Manila, Rito P. Asilo from Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
praised Carey's live rendition of the song, describing it as one of the show's high-lights.
Cover versions
The song was covered several Asian artists. In 2003, Filipino singer Regine VelasquezRegine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...
, performed a live rendition of "Through the Rain" as part of an intimate concert that was later broadcast on Asian television. Additionally, while promoting her debut EP in the Philippines in 2007, Charice Pempengco
Charice Pempengco
Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco , popularly known by the mononym Charice, is a Filipino recording artist and actress who rose to popularity through YouTube. Dubbed by Oprah Winfrey as the Most Talented Girl in the World, she released her first international studio album Charice in 2010...
sang an a-capella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
version of the song's bridge and climax.
Formats and track listings
Australian CD maxi-single- "Through the Rain" (Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Maurice Joshua Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Full Intention Club Mix)
European CD maxi-single
- "Through the Rain" (LP Version)
- "Through the Rain" (Remix)
- "Through the Rain" (Full Intention Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Boris & Michi's Radio Mix)
Japanese CD single
- "Through the Rain" (LP Version)
- "Through the Rain" (Remix featuring Kelly Price and Joe)
- "Through the Rain" (Full Intention Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Boris & Michi's Radio Mix)
UK 12" single
- "Through the Rain" (Boris & Michi's Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Full Intension Radio Mix)
- "Through the Rain" (Hex Hector Radio Vocal Mix)
- "Through the Rain" (Maurice Joshua Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Remix Feat. Kelly Price & Joe)
UK CD maxi-single
- "Through the Rain" (Album Version)
- "Through the Rain" (Full Intention Radio Mix)
- "Through the Rain" (Boris & Michi's Radio Mix)
- "Through the Rain" (Hex Hector Radio Mix)
US CD single
- "Through the Rain" (Album Version)
- "Through the Rain" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Edit)
- "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" (Live Version)
US CD maxi-single
- "Through the Rain" (Hex Hector Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Full Intention Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Maurice Joshua Radio Edit)
- "Through the Rain" (Hex Hector Club Mix)
- "Through the Rain" (Full Intention Club Mix)
- "Through the Rain" (Maurice Joshua Club Mix)
- "Through the Rain" (Full Intention Dub Mix)
- "Through the Rain" (Maurice Joshua Dub Mix)
Credits and personnel
Credits for "Through the Rain" adapted from the CharmbraceletCharmbracelet
Charmbracelet is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on December 3, 2002 through Island Records and MonarC Entertainment. The album was her first release since facing a breakdown following the release of her film Glitter and its accompanying...
liner notes.
- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
– songwriting, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Lionel ColeLionel ColeLionel Cole is a pianist, songwriter, composer, music editor, and music supervisor. He has served as a regularly touring member Mariah Carey's live band. Cole also partnered with Malcolm-Jamal Warner, to create the jazz and funk band Miles Long. The first album "The Many Facets of Superman" ...
– songwriting - James Wright – keyboardMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, co-producer - James Harris IIIJimmy Jam and Terry LewisJames Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
– producer - Terry LewisJimmy Jam and Terry LewisJames Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
– producer - Steve Hodge – engineer (vocals)
- Brad Yost – engineer (assistant), audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Xavier Smith – engineer (assistant), audio mixing
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
– masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
Charts
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
15 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
45 |
| Belgian Flandres Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
44 |
| Belgian Wallonia Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
29 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
5 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
13 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
9 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
22 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
26 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
16 |
| Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
7 |
| Japanese Singles Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
26 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
37 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
15 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
7 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
7 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
8 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 81 |
| US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
69 |
| US Billboard Hot Singles Sales | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Singles Chart | 83 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 98 |
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certifications |
|---|---|
| Canada (CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... ) |
Gold |