"Before You Walk Out of My Life" is a song by American R&B singer Monica. It was written by Andrea Martin, Carsten Schack, and Kenneth Karlin, with production helmed by Schack and Karlin under their production moniker Soulshock & Karlin. Initially helmed for fellow R&B singer Toni Braxton's Secrets (1996) album, it was left unused and later re-recorded by Monica for her debut album Miss Thang (1995). Built around drum machine-backed rhythms and a saxophone-laced beat, the mid-tempo R&Bballad 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. It is considered to be one of her signature songs.
In the United States, "Before You Walk Out of My Life" became Monica's second number-one hit on the BillboardHot R&B Singles chart, spending two weeks at number-one. It also reached the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100, the New Zealand Singles Chart, and the UK R&B chart. Additionally, the song was ranked number thirty-eight on the 1996 Billboard year-end chart and certified platinum by the RIAA.[1] "Before You Walk Out of My Life," alongside previous single "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)," 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
"Before You Walk Out of My Life" was written by American singer Andrea Martin along with Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin from Danish production team Soulshock & Karlin.[2] The song was originally crafted for Toni Braxton's second studio album Secrets (1996),[3] but later offered to Monica when Arista Records president Clive Davis demanded the song to be recorded by his protégé.[4] In an 2020 interview, Schack commented on the sound of the song: "[Davis] was testing us [...] We were really dirty on the beats like on “Before You Walk Out Of My Life” by Monica and then Karlin would play really poppy type of chords. No one was doing that and it may be because of our upbringing in Denmark."[4]
A mid-tempo R&Bballad with drum machine-backed rhythms and a saxophone-laced beat,[4] the song was recorded by Jay Lean, Brian Smith, and Schack at the Pure Studio and the D.A.R.P. Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Mixing of "Before You Walk Out of My Life" was overseen by Jon Gass at The Enterprise Studios.[2]Dallas Austin served as executive producer on the track.[2] Schack further commented on the recording sessions: "[Monica] was amazing. Her voice was so raw and her gospel runs were incredible. We loved that it had that street vibe. We walked out and we just knew it. We sent it to Clive and he didn’t change anything. It came out and we had a number one record."[4]
Critical reception
"Before You Walk Out of My Life" earned generally favorable reviews upon its release and has since been considered to be one of Monica's signature songs.[5]Music Week rated the song four out of five, adding, "This 15 year old from the Whitney and Brandy school of crooning turns in an ultra-smooth, ultra appealing R&Bballad which has been top three in the US."[6] 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."[7] Another editor, James Hamilton deemed it a "sultry" and "attractive" R&B ballad.[8] Christian Hoard from The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the song a "soppy MOR ballad" the was not playing "to her strengths."[9]
In a retrospective review of the song, Singersroom editor Erica Henderson felt that "the track features a heartfelt vocal performance from Monica, as she pleads with her lover not to leave her. The song’s catchy melody and relatable lyrics made it an instant hit, with its memorable chorus and powerful vocals [...] "Before You Walk Out of My Life" continues to be a standout moment in Monica’s discography."[10] Grant Rindner from Oprah Daily described the record as "another simmering love song dressed up like a mellow rap record filled with DJ scratches."[11]Park Jin-young called the "perfectly written" and further noted: "It was my ultimate role model as songwriting: a song with a strong beat that was good enough as a ballad."[12] During her Verzuz battle with Brandy in August 2020, Monica cited the song as "one of her favorites to sing to this day."[13]
Chart performance
In the United States, "Before You Walk Out of My Life" debuted at number 11 on the BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the week of October 21, 1995.[14] It would eventually become Monica's second number-one hit on the chart when it – after recording-breaking 25 weeks[15] – took the top spot of the chart in January 1996.[14] The song would spent one further week at number-one.[14] "Before You Walk Out of My Life," alongside previous single "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" (1995), made Monica the youngest recording artist to have two consecutive number-one hits on Billboard's R&B chart at the age of fourteen.[16]Billboard later ranked it ninth on its 1996 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs year-end chart.[17]
Elsewhere, the song reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 as well as the top ten of the Dance Singles Sales and the Rhythmic chart.[18][19] It also peaked at number eight on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming Monica's second consecutive top ten single there,[20] and would ermege as her highest-charting single from the Miss Thang era in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart,[21] while also reaching number three of the UK R&B Chart and number six on the UK Dance Chart.[22][23] In the United States, "Before You Walk Out of My Life" reached Gold status on January 11, 1996.[24] For shipments figures in excess of 1.0 million units, it was eventually certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 19, 1996.[24]Billboard ranked the song 38th on the 1996 Hot 100 year-end chart.[25]
An accompanying music video for "Before You Walk Out of My Life" was directed by Kevin Bray and filmed in Los Angeles, California.[13] It begins with Monica sitting on the sidewalk and later on a roof. A man walks away from her and she looks in his direction sadly.[26] Edited by Scott C. Wilson, it was released in October 1995.[27]
In the 2010s, Monica became meme fodder after being teased for the "now infamous, old-school" shoes she wore in a scene in the video.[28] A pair of what was described as "low-heeled white sandals with wide white straps across her feet, and a chunky square heel,"[29] Monica was filmed wearing them while sitting on a curb.[30] During her Verzuz battle with Brandy in August 2020, she jokingly commented: "I think whoever made them knew that they should go away. I never found the shoes."[29] On April 27, 2021, Monica shared a TikTok video shared on Instagram account in which she put on a pair of white open-toe kitten heels that resembled the sandals.[31]
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