Before the Rain (album)

Before the Rain
Studio album by Eternal
Released 17 March 1997
Recorded 1996–97
Genre R&B, pop
Length 49:02
Label EMI
Producer Dennis Charles, Ronnie Wilson, Nigel Lowis, Simon Climie and 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: August 5, 1996
  2. "Don't You Love Me"
    Released: February 24, 1997
  3. "I Wanna Be the Only One"
    Released: May 19, 1997
  4. "Finally"
    Released: 1997 (Japan)
  5. "Think About Me"
    Released: 1997 (Japan)

Before the Rain is the third album by the British R&B vocal group Eternal, released in 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.

The album features lead vocals from Vernie Bennett and Kéllé Bryan unlike their previous two albums which had featured Esther Bennett doing the majority of the lead vocals. It was the last album to feature Bryan, who was sacked in 1998.

Single releases

"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 #1 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.

Critical reception and sales

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

# Title Length
1. "Don't You Love Me" (Cynthia Biggs/Carolyn Mitchell/Terence Dudley/Christopher Kellum) 3:49
2. "I Wanna Be the Only One" (duet with BeBe Winans) (BeBe Winans/Rhett Lawrence) (Horns by Gary Barnacle, Stuart Brooks and Andy Rogers) 4:18
3. "How Many Tears" (St. Paul Peterson/Oliver Leiber) 4:37
4. "Grace under Pressure" (Bruce Forest/John Themis/Beverley Skeete/Derek Green/Andy Whitmore) 4:41
5. "Someday" (featuring Eric Clapton) (Alan Menken/Stephen Schwartz) 4:21
6. "Think about Me" (featuring Basil Reynolds) (Michelle Lewis) 4:39
7. "Promises" (Easther Bennett/Vernie Bennett) 4:07
8. "I'm Still Crying" (Nigel Lowis/Kéllé Bryan/Graham Plato) 4:50
9. "All My Love" (featuring G-Man) (Nigel Lowis/Kéllé Bryan/Graham Plato) 3:06
10. "What Do You Mean When You Say" (Vernie Bennett) 4:58
11. "Why Am I Waiting" (Easther Bennett/Harvey Mason, Jr./Robert Gerald/Denis Ingoldsby) 4:16
12. "It's Never Too Late" (Interlude) (Easther Bennett) 1:14
13. "Dreams (Australian Bonus track) 4:13

Japanese Bonus Tracks

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[1] 10
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[1] 16
Danish Albums Chart[2] 4
Dutch Albums Chart[1] 1
European Albums Chart[3] 18
German Albums Chart[1] 50
Japanese Albums Chart[4] 18
New Zealand Albums Chart[1] 42
Norwegian Albums Chart[1] 20
Swedish Albums Chart[1] 33
Swiss Albums Chart[1] 21
UK Albums Chart[5] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (1997) Position
Danish Albums Chart[6] 32
Dutch Albums Chart[6] 39
UK Albums Chart[7] 42

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Japan (RIAJ)[8] N/A 77,400^
Netherlands (NVPI)[9] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] Platinum 300,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Steffen Hung. "Eternal - Before The Rain". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  2. ↑ "Eternal / Before The Rain". Top20.dk. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  3. ↑ "Hits of the World - Eurochart". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 16 August 1997. p. 49. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "エターナルのCDアルバムランキング │オリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  5. ↑ "ETERNAL | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Danishcharts – Jahreshitparade 1997". Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  7. ↑ "Chart Archive – 1990s Albums". Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  8. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – Eternal – Always & Forever" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Eternal – Before the Rain" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  10. ↑ "British album certifications – Eternal – Before the Rain". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Enter Before the Rain in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search