Before the Rain (album)

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Before the Rain
Studio album by
Eternal
Released17 March 1997
Recorded1996–1997
Genre
Length49:02
Label
Producer
  • Dennis Charles
  • Ronnie Wilson
  • Nigel Lowis
  • Simon Climie
  • Harvey Mason Jr.
Eternal chronology
Power of a Woman
(1995) 		Before the Rain
(1997) 		Greatest Hits
(1997)
Singles from Before the Rain
  1. "Someday"
    Released: 5 August 1996[1]
  2. "Don't You Love Me"
    Released: 24 February 1997[2]
  3. "Finally"
    Released: 16 April 1997 (Japan only)[3]
  4. "I Wanna Be the Only One"
    Released: 19 May 1997[4]
  5. "Think About Me"
    Released: 25 June 1997 (Japan only)[5]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Music Week[7]

Before the Rain is the third album by the British R&B vocal group Eternal, released on 17 March 1997. The album includes the single "I Wanna Be the Only One" (a duet with BeBe Winans), which became Eternal's first and only number one hit in the United Kingdom. "Someday" and "Don't You Love Me" were also issued as singles, and two other songs, "Finally" and "Think About Me", were released only in Japan. The album features lead vocals from Vernie Bennett ("Think About Me") and Kéllé Bryan ("I'm Still Crying", "All My Love"), and is their last to feature Bryan.

A commercial success, the album went Gold in its first week, debuting with sales of 100,000 copies before being certified Platinum. In June 2019, Before the Rain was ranked at number 35 on the Official Charts Company's list of the "top 40 biggest girl band studio albums of the last 25 years".[8] According to Billboard, a US release was planned for 26 August 1997, featuring 4 additional tracks. "Dreams", produced by Peter Mokran and Emosia was slated as the lead single and was serviced to R&B radio on 9 June 1997.[9]

Single releases[edit]

"Someday", which was the theme to Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was released as a single in 1996, the year before Before the Rain was released. "Don't You Love Me" was released just before the album's release, followed by the duet with American singer BeBe Winans "I Wanna Be the Only One", which reached number one in the UK, becoming Eternal's first and only number one hit there. "How Many Tears" was scheduled for release as a single but plans were dropped due to the future release of the Greatest Hits. Australian version of the album includes the original mix of Dreams. Dreams was intended to be a single in the US where a repackaged version of Before The Rain would've been released, re-titled "Dreams" and including a further two new songs. These are thought to have been "Angel of Mine" and "Talk About It".

Critical reception and sales[edit]

Before the Rain received a positive response from music critics and fans and it gained Eternal a MOBO Award. The album peaked at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Platinum by the BPI for sales of over 300,000 copies.

Track listing[edit]

Before the Rain track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Don't You Love Me"
  • Cynthia Biggs
  • Carolyn Mitchell
  • Terence Dudley
  • Christopher Kellum
  • Dennis Charles
  • Ronnie Wilson
3:49
2."I Wanna Be the Only One" (duet with BeBe Winans)
Andy Bradfield4:18
3."How Many Tears"
  • St. Paul Peterson
  • Oliver Leiber
Harvey Mason, Jr.4:37
4."Grace Under Pressure"
  • Bruce Forest
  • John Themis
  • Beverley Skeete
  • Derek Green
  • Andy Whitmore
  • Charles
  • Wilson
4:41
5."Someday"
Simon Climie4:14
6."Think About Me" (featuring Basil Reynolds)Michelle Lewis
  • Charles
  • Wilson
4:39
7."Promises"
  • Easther Bennett
  • Vernie Bennett
  • Charles
  • Wilson
4:07
8."I'm Still Cryin"
Lowis4:50
9."All My Love" (featuring G-Man)
  • Lowis
  • Bryan
  • Plato
Lowis3:06
10."What Do You Mean When You Say"Vernie Bennett
  • Charles
  • Wilson
4:58
11."Why Am I Waiting"
  • E. Bennett
  • Mason
  • Robert Gerald
  • Denis Ingoldsby
Mason4:16
12."It's Never Too Late" (Interlude)E. Bennett
  • Charles
  • Wilson
1:14
Australian bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Dreams"
  • Charles
  • Wilson
4:13

Japanese bonus tracks[edit]

  • 1. "Finally" (On the Japanese edition this was placed as the first track)
  • 14. "12 Months"
  • 15. "I'll Take a Pass on Love"
  • 16. "I Wanna Be the Only One" (This version features only Easther on lead vocals)

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for Before the Rain
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[28] Gold 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[29] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Platinum 300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 3 August 1996. p. 27.
  2. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 22 February 1997. p. 41.
  3. ^ "ファイナリー | エターナル" [Finally | Eternal] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  4. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 17 May 1997. p. 36.
  5. ^ "シンク・アバウト・ミー | エターナル" [Think About Me | Eternal] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Review: Before the Rain – Eternal". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 8 March 1997. p. 29. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  8. ^ "The Official Top 40 biggest girl band studio albums of the last 25 years". Official Charts Company. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Billboard (21 June 1997)". Billboard. 21 June 1997. p. 83. Retrieved 18 December 2017. eternal record sales.
  10. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Eternal – Before the Rain". Hung Medien.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Eternal – Before the Rain" (in German). Hung Medien.
  12. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Eternal – Before the Rain". Hung Medien.
  13. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 30 August 1997. p. 13. Retrieved 28 December 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Eternal – Before the Rain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  15. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  16. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 1997-03-01" (in Japanese). Oricon.
  17. ^ "Charts.nz – Eternal – Before the Rain". Hung Medien.
  18. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Eternal – Before the Rain". Hung Medien.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Eternal – Before the Rain". Hung Medien.
  21. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Eternal – Before the Rain". Hung Medien.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  23. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  24. ^ "Danishcharts – Jahreshitparade 1997". Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jahreshitparade 1997". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  26. ^ "Year in Focus — European Top 100 Albums 1997" (PDF). Music & Media. 27 December 1997. p. 7. Retrieved 28 December 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  27. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 1997". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Eternal – ビフォア・ザ・レイン" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 28 July 2021. Select 1997年3月 on the drop-down menu
  29. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Eternal – Before the Rain" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 15 July 2012. Enter Before the Rain in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1997 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  30. ^ "British album certifications – Eternal – Before the Rain". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012.


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