[1] Classified by Carey as a ballad, it is influenced by R&B and soul music genres, and features a simple and under-stated piano melody, backed by soft electronic synthesizers.

She debuted the song at the 2002 NRJ Awards, and features it on a one-hour special titled Mariah Carey: Shining Through the Rain, which aired three days later on MTV.

The video begins with past scenes of Carey's mother being disowned by her family after becoming romantically involved with a black man, and finds the singer in the present walking through a heavy rainstorm in New York.

[2][6] Soon after, Carey flew to Capri, Italy for a period of five months, in which she began writing material for her new album, stemming from all the personal experiences she had endured throughout the past year.

According to Michael Paoletta from Billboard, "Through the Rain" was used not only as a vehicle for listeners to become more in-tune with Carey's personal struggles, but also as a means to "re-capture" her audience throughout the earlier stages of her career.

A contemporary and pop ballad, he felt the song would find "much embrace" from her older fans, while her audience that grew accustomed to her hip-hop flavored music would feel "lost and abandoned".

[11] 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.

[13] 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.

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".

[19] The first chorus begins: "When you get caught in the rain / With no where to run / When your distraught and in pain without anyone / When you keep crying out to be saved", illustrating a moment in an individual's life where they are surrounded by conflict.

[18] Lola Ogunnaike of The New York Times described the song as a "triumph over adversity",[20] while a writer from the Sydney Morning Herald wrote "it's an insight into her recent troubles.

Jon Pareles of The New York Times described it as "inspirational", and felt that due to its vagueness, the song is would be applicable to all listeners, not just Carey.

[23] The Daily Union's David Germain commented how the song's simple musical arrangement and Carey's "restrained" vocal delivery aided it in becoming "modest and reserved".

[24] He described it as a song that was designed as "'Vision of Love' meets 'Hero'", and wrote, "Mariah is back in the adult contemporary camp, no longer trying to prove that she's real.

"[24] Cara DiPasquale from the Chicago Tribune called it a "powerhouse ballad",[25] while Entertainment Weekly's Tom Sinclair wrote "embellished with her trademark vocal pyrotechnics, it is one of those highly personal songs about finding your way out of an emotional wilderness, but it sinks in its own sodden sentimentality".

[26] Similarly, a writer from Newsday also described "Through the Rain" as a "powerhouse ballad", and felt it was reminiscent of Carey's previous single "One Sweet Day" (1995).

[27] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Randy Lewis noted how the song was able to effectively take listeners right into Carey's personal struggles from the previous year.

[28] Tina Brown from Newsweek felt that while Carey's personal troubles may not have been fully solved, the song made her appear "strong and triumphant".

[34] In Canada, "Through the Rain" peaked at number five on the singles chart, and was certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), denoting shipments of over 50,000 units.

[38] Making its debut at its peak position of number twenty-two, "Through the Rain" charted for a total of nineteen weeks in France, before falling out on March 22, 2003.

[52] In an interview with MTV News, Carey said that originally, the plot for the video wasn't going to have anything to do with her parents' past experiences with racism, but was changed a few days before shooting began.

As she reaches the song's climax, Carey, now dry and dressed in a long black gown, is shown singing at the altar of a church.

As she sings at the church, scenes of the girl lighting a candle, and her lover laying together with her on a bed are shown, before focusing back on Carey.

Following the release of "Through the Rain", Carey embarked on several stateside, European and Asian promotional tours in support of Charmbracelet, as well as its accompanying singles.

[54] During the album's month of release, Carey appeared on several television talk shows, launching her promotional tour on Today, where she performed a four-song set-list at Mall of America for a crowd of over 10,000.

[56][57] On December 4, Carey traveled to Brazil for South American promotion of Charmbracelet, appearing on the popular Brazilian program, Fantástico.

[59] On December 7, 2002, Carey performed "Through the Rain" in front of a crowd of 50,000 people, at the closing concert of the Mexican Teletón, which took place in the country's Azteca Stadium.

[61] Introduced by Sharon Osbourne, Carey performed "Through the Rain" alongside a complete live gospel choir, and wore a long black evening gown.

[62] During the recital, images of newspaper headlines describing Carey's breakdown were projected on a large curtain behind her, with one reading "When you fall down, you get back up.

[67] At her concert in Manila, Rito P. Asilo from Philippine Daily Inquirer praised Carey's live rendition of the song, describing it as one of the show's high-lights.