"Before Your Love" is a song recorded by American pop singer

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

. On September 17, 2002, RCA released it as a

double-A side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

with "

A Moment Like This "A Moment Like This" is the debut single by American singer Kelly Clarkson. The song was written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid from British house music project Nightcrawlers) and produced by Stephen Ferrera and Steve Mac. It was released ...

" as her coronation single after winning the first season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

''. A remixed version of the song was later included on her debut studio album, '' Thankful'' (2003). It went on to become the best-selling single of 2002 in the United States.

Background and release

"Before Your Love" was written and produced by

Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. His hits as a songwriter include Kiss's "I Was Made for Lovi ...

and Cathy Dennis for the winner of the inaugural season of ''

''. Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, Nikki McKibbin, and

Tamyra Gray Tamyra Monica Gray (born July 26, 1979) is an American actress, singer and songwriter, who finished fourth place on the first season of the musical reality competition ''American Idol'' in 2002. Post ''American Idol'', Gray has begun acting on B ...

each recorded a version of the song in case one of them won the season. It was first performed live by Clarkson and Guarini during the final showdown of ''American Idol'' at the

Kodak Theatre The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

on September 3, 2002. It was then performed by Clarkson during the grand finale on September 4, 2002 before winning the title. It was released as a double-A single with "A Moment Like This" on September 17, 2002. It was also one of the few songs to be released as a

DVD single A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

in the early 2000s. Clarkson included the song in the setlist for the American Idol Tour in 2002. A music video of the song premiered on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

as her first music video in September 2002.

Reception

Critical reception

The song has received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. David Browne of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' gave the song a "D+" rating, he remarked "The lyrics are generalized banalities (''I never lived before your love/I never felt before your touch''), the melodies destined to endure as wedding songs or florist ads. A choir at the end of "A Moment Like This" is meant to indicate earthiness; the gentle acoustic guitar throughout "Before Your Love," sensitivity." Rito Asilo of the ''

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'' remarked that the song's lyrics were "corny," but praised Clarkson's voice. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote: "Yes, the girl's got immeasurable talent, but the last note of Thankful's final track, a new mix of "Before Your Love," speaks volumes: this is the sound of strained excess."

Commercial performance

The song became a commercial success throughout North America, establishing Clarkson as a hit singer. Along with "A Moment Like This", "Before Your Love" entered the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number 52. The following week it ascended to number one, fueled by sales of over 236,000 copies, making it the first single to sell more than 200,000 copies since 1999. Its ascent broke the record set by the British band

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

for the biggest leap to number one after their single " Can't Buy Me Love" rose from number 27 to number one in April 1964. That record was later broken by the American pop rock band

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

when "

Makes Me Wonder "Makes Me Wonder" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on March 27, 2007, as the first single from their second studio album, ''It Won't Be Soon Before Long'' (2007). Upon its release, the song set a record for the bigges ...

" rose from number 64 to number one in May 2007. Clarkson would later break it again when her single "

My Life Would Suck Without You "My Life Would Suck Without You" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her fourth studio album, '' All I Ever Wanted'' (2009). The song features songwriting credits from Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald, and Claude Kelly and production cre ...

" rose from number 97 to number one in February 2009. Despite being commercially successful, it received minimal radio airplay in favor of "A Moment Like This". It was later certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

and double platinum by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

Music video

The music video to the song begins with Clarkson returning to her home after her win on ''American Idol''. She sits in her bedroom before getting ready for a date with her boyfriend. Driving her home from her date, her boyfriend surprises her with a house party in her backyard with friends and family celebrating her ''American Idol'' win. Scenes of Clarkson singing in her bedroom and while sitting on her pool ladder intercut throughout.

Track listing

;CD single #"Before Your Love" – 4:00 #"A Moment Like This" – 3:50 ;7" single #"Before Your Love" – 3:59 #"A Moment Like This" – 3:47 ;DVD single #"Before Your Love" (video) – 3:52 #"A Moment Like This" (video) – 3:47

Credits and personnel

;Personnel *

– lead vocals and background vocals * Gary Burr – songwriter *

– songwriter, producer * Cathy Dennis – songwriter, producer * Carlos Alvarez – mixing * Stephen Ferrera – A&R

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2002 debut singles 2002 songs American Idol songs Canadian Singles Chart number-one singles Kelly Clarkson songs Pop ballads 2000s ballads Songs written by Cathy Dennis Songs written by Desmond Child Songs written by Gary Burr