"Before You Walk Out of My Life" is a song by American R&B singer Monica. It was written by

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American-Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and ''Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), ''W ...

Carsten Schack Carsten Schack (born 1968 in Gug, Denmark) and better known by his stage name Soulshock is a Danish record producer and songwriter. Beginnings Carsten Schack was born in the Aalborg suburb of Gug, the son of economics professor Bent Schack and ...

, and

Kenneth Karlin Kenneth Karlin or just Karlin (born September 18, 1966) is a Danish songwriter and producer who is best known for his work with Carsten Schack, better known as Soulshock, forming the Los Angeles-based producer duo Soulshock & Karlin. They have wo ...

, with production helmed by Schack and Karlin under their production moniker

Soulshock & Karlin Soulshock & Karlin is a duo of Danish record producers and songwriters, Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin. They have produced many successful songs, including Monica's " Before You Walk out of My Life", Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel", JoJo ...

. Initially helmed for fellow R&B singer

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won ...

's ''

Secrets Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

'' (1996) album, it was left unused and later re-recorded by Monica for her debut album ''

Miss Thang ''Miss Thang'' is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was released by Rowdy Records and distributed through the Arista label on July 18, 1995, in the United States. Recorded throughout her early teenage years, the ...

'' (1995). Built around drum machine-backed rhythms and a

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

-laced

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...

, the mid-tempo R&B

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

was released as the album's second single on August 3, 1995, with " Like This and Like That" serving as its other half on a double A-side stateside. In the United States, "Before You Walk Out of My Life" became Monica's second number-one hit on the '' Billboard''

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, spending two weeks at number-one. It also reached the top ten on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

, and the UK R&B chart. Additionally, the song was ranked number thirty-eight on the 1996 ''Billboard'' year-end chart and certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

by the RIAA. "Before You Walk Out of My Life," alongside previous single "

Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days) "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" is a song by American recording artist Monica. It was written by Dallas Austin, Willie James Baker, and Derrick Simmons for her debut album, ''Miss Thang'' (1995), while production was helmed by t ...

," made the singer the youngest recording artist to have two consecutive number-one hits on Billboard's R&B chart at the age of fourteen.

Background and recording

Written by singer

along with

and

from

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

production team

, the song was originally crafted for

's second studio album ''

'' (1996), but later offered to Monica when it was left unused. Recorded by Jay Lean, Brian Smith, and Carsten Schack at the Pure Studio and the D.A.R.P. Studios in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, "Before You Walk Out of My Life" was mixed by Jon Gass at The Enterprise Studios.

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events in ...

served as executive producer on the track.

Critical reception

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' rated the song four out of five, adding, "This 15 year old from the

Whitney Whitney may refer to: Film and television * ''Whitney'' (2015 film), a Whitney Houston biopic starring Yaya DaCosta * ''Whitney'' (2018 film), a documentary about Whitney Houston * ''Whitney'' (TV series), an American sitcom that premiered i ...

and Brandy school of crooning turns in an ultra-smooth, ultra appealing R&B

which has been top three in the US." Tony Farside from the magazine's ''RM'' Dance Update gave it five out of five, calling it "one of the best new r&b tracks around for a while." He described the song as "a mid to low tempo smoocher with an acappella-ish intro and a lazy beat", and concluded, "A grower and definitely another hit waiting to happen for Monica." Another editor, James Hamilton deemed it a "sultry" and "attractive" R&B ballad.

Music video

An accompanying

music video 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 ...

for the single was directed by Kevin Bray and released in August 1995. The video was edited by Scott C. Wilson.

Track listing

UK CD Single US CD Single Notes * denotes additional producer

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Miss Thang''. * Monica Arnold – vocals *

– executive producer *Jon Gass – mixing engineer *Jay Lean – recording engineer *

– background vocals, writer *

– producer, writer *

– producer, recording engineer, writer *Brian Smith – recording engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control Songs about parting 1995 singles Arista Records singles Monica (singer) songs Music videos directed by Kevin Bray (director) Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Soulshock and Karlin Songs written by Soulshock Songs written by Andrea Martin (musician) Songs written by Kenneth Karlin Songs about heartache 1995 songs Rowdy Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads 1990s ballads