Through the Rain

"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 lie in opposition, one must find one's 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 some reviewers were fond of the song's restrained vocals and production, others found the song to be too dramatic and a 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, it managed to achieve stronger international charting, reaching the #1 spot in Spain and 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. (wiki)