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." Remix The song's official remix features guest vocals from Kelly Price 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." Composition "Through the Rain" is a mid-tempo ballad, which is influenced by 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 Unions 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 but with the transposing key to B-major, with Carey's vocal range spanning from the low-note of E3 to the high-note of F5. 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