''A Year Without Rain'' is the second studio album by American band

Selena Gomez & the Scene Selena Gomez & the Scene was an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2008, its last lineup consisted of vocalist Selena Gomez, drummer Greg Garman, bassist Joey Clement, keyboardist Dane Forrest, and guitarist Drew Ta ...

. The album was released on September 17, 2010, via

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...

. Gomez worked with Rock Mafia duo Tim James and

Antonina Armato Antonina Armato is an American songwriter, record producer, music producer and businesswoman. She is the co-founder and member of Rock Mafia, a record production/songwriting team. She has worked with Justin Bieber, Zedd, Gwen Stefani, Demi Lov ...

, as well as Fefe Dobson, Toby Gad, and Superspy. New contributions came from Kevin Rudolf,

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

, Jonas Jeberg and

RedOne Nadir Khayat (, Latn, ar, Nādir Ḵayyāṭ; born 9 April 1972), also known as RedOne, is a Moroccan-Swedish record producer, record executive, singer and songwriter. He has worked in production for high-profile recording artists including La ...

among others. Due to the success of their breakout hit, " Naturally", the record roots mainly from

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

, rather than the

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

and

electronic rock Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock b ...

sound of ''Kiss & Tell''. While making use of the

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune is audio processor software released on September 19, 1997, by the American company Antares Audio Technologies. It uses a proprietary device to measure and Pitch correction, correct pitch in music. It operates on different principles ...

effect, the album also infuses influences of several other genres, including

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

and

Eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

, among others. According to Gomez, most of the songs on the album are dedicated to the fans, while she wanted content with more melodies and empowering lyric themes. The album has been given mixed to positive reviews, with critics noting it as an improvement from the band's debut album. ''A Year Without Rain'' debuted in the United States at number four, selling 66,000 copies in its first week. The album spawned two top 40 hit singles in the United States, lead single, " Round & Round", and the title track " A Year Without Rain". In January 2011, the album was certified Gold by

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 ...

making it the band's second gold selling album.

Background and development

Recording and production

In an interview with

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

in February 2010, when referring to the then-upcoming record, Selena Gomez said, "It's kind of different — older — and it's kind of got, like, a reggae sound." Gomez also stated she was unsure of taking on the responsibility of the album's main songwriter, unwanting the added pressure. She also talked about producers for the album, expressing interest to work with " Naturally" producers,

Rock Mafia Rock Mafia is an American record production team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato who have been active since the early 2000s. They have written and produced 38 top ten singles, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. They ...

. She pointed out main goals for the record, which were making sure that she could relate to it, and that the fans could also, stating, "all of those songs are things that I went through, and that's why I put that all together." Later in an interview with

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

, Gomez gave hints about the album, stating that instead of pulling another single from 2009's '' Kiss & Tell'', that she looked forward to moving into the next album, which would be completely different. Gomez stated that the album was named after the titular single because it was the first song recorded for the album, and she wanted to base the rest of the work on the song. Gomez went into further explanation, stating, "I mean, even down from putting the track listing and numbering it, I wanted to make sure I envisioned ansputting it in their car or putting it on their iPod and how I wanted them to listen to the record." According to Gomez, most songs on the album were inspired by the band's dedicated fans, as she stated, "I wish I could give to them, because they mean so much to me." Calling the album "a feel-good record", Gomez said it has a more

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

vibe. The frontwoman also said that she wanted something with more "meaning and melody, and more empowering lyrics." About the new techno-leaning, Gomez said that it was inspired by the success of their breakout hit, "Naturally". She explained, "There's a feeling when I perform that song that I love, so when I was going back in the studio, I had a better understanding of where I wanted to be musically." In July 2010, Gomez confirmed that an unreleased track co-penned by

was given to her, and that Perry also contributed background vocals. She also confirmed the titles of songs " A Year Without Rain" and "Intuition". On August 17, 2010, Gomez revealed the album's track listing.

Composition and singles

The album features predominant

, and

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...

characteristics, while incorporating

and

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

influences. On most tracks, Gomez's vocals contain the

effect. Lyrical content deals with themes of love, freedom, and the joy of living in the moment. Tim Sendra of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

noted while ''Kiss & Tell'' was more lighthearted and fun, that this album is "more serious lyrically and musically." Sendra also said where the previous album had a "retro feel" and "plenty of guitars", this work was "totally of the moment", accompanied by Auto-Tune and guest raps. Album opener "Round & Round", an upbeat synth-driven song, features a "riding electro groove", while "Summer's Not Hot" has a Eurodance chorus, courtesy of

. "Spotlight" seems to derive from dancehall, and according to Mikael Wood of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', the song does not feature a

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

. The title track, "A Year Without Rain" is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

that also shows disco music elements, described as "

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

". Eric Bellinger makes an appearance in rap interludes in "Intuition", while

sing backing vocals on "Rock God". "Ghost of You" is another ballad about breakup. The ending track "Live Like There's No Tomorrow" has been called a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...

. The album's lead single, " Round & Round", co-written and produced by Kevin Rudolf of Cash Money and Andrew Bolooki, Jeff Halavacs, was released on June 22, 2010. Fefe Dobson and Andrew Bolooki also receives writing credits. The song received positive reviews from critics who noted its catchiness and expanding of Gomez's demographic. The single was met with chart success as well, debuting at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US. The single also became the band's second dance hit, when it peaked at number 2 on the

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. The song also had radio success, peaking at number 34 on the

Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...

chart. Outside of the US, the song was less successful. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the song only climbed to a peak of 51, despite the success of their previous singles in the country. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where 'Naturally' performed inside the Top 10, 'Round & Round' failed to match its success, only reaching a peak of 47. In

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, the single is one of their lowest performing songs there to date, only reaching a peak of 80 on the singles chart. The song's accompanying music video, shot in

Budapest, Hungary Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, features Gomez and the band in a secret spy storyline. The second single, " A Year Without Rain", written by

Lindy Robbins Lindy Robbins is an American songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Her songwriting credits includes multiple hit songs, including Demi Lovato's "Skyscraper", Jason Derulo's " Want to Want Me", David Guetta's "Dangerous (David Guetta song), D ...

and produced by Toby Gad, was released on September 7, 2010. It debuted at thirty-five in the United States, where it peaked. Despite little to no success on US radio and downloads, the single was a dance hit, becoming the band's second single to top the

chart. In

, the single debuted at number 37, before quickly climbing to a peak of 30. This makes it the band's second single to reach the Top 40 in

, as well as the band's third Top 40 hit in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In

, the song debuted and peaked at 78, only two spots higher than their previous single. The song did enjoy success in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, however, reaching a peak of 3 on their singles chart.

Promotion

''A Year Without Rain'' was promoted mainly through a series of live televised performances, as well as a tour. Gomez first performed " Round & Round" live for the first time on ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...

'' on July 14, 2010. The performance saw Gomez wearing a red dress that spread out at the bottom, while her band performed behind her. Gomez and her band also made an appearance on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

'', on September 22, where they performed " A Year Without Rain". On September 23, only six days after the album's release, Gomez and The Scene appeared on

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

, where they performed "Round & Round", as well as "A Year Without Rain". While promoting in the United Kingdom, Gomez appeared on '' Daybreak'' on September 27, 2010, and on ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC ...

'' on the following day, September 28, 2010. Gomez performed the song on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's ''The Seven'' on October 1, 2010. On November 16, Gomez performed the title track on '' Lopez Tonight''. The performance saw Gomez wearing a silver, strapless dress with sparkles on it, performing the song as the show closed. On December 1, the song was yet again performed on ''

Live with Regis and Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Mark'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American Broadcast syndication, syndicated breakfast television, morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show ...

'', in which Gomez, wearing a sleeveless sparkly dress, performed the song towards the end of the show. They also performed the song at the 2011

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...

on January 5, 2011, and afterwards were awarded the Choice award for Favorite Breakout Artist. Gomez appeared on stage accompanied by low lights and fog. Kara Warner of

commented, "Although it wasn't a stadium-rocking performance à la Lady Gaga or Katy Perry, Gomez powered through her pop song with a sense of earnestness and commitment. She didn't even miss a beat when her earpiece appeared to fall out mid-song." The band also promoted the album through their second tour, A Year Without Rain Tour. Previously, the band had toured the

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

playing at

state fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

s and

music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...

s with a few headlining concerts thrown in. The tour became a major success with critics and spectators alike, selling out many dates within the United States. After the release of their second studio album, the band tour alongside Katy Perry,

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...

and

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums ''Enrique Iglesias (album), Enrique ...

for the

KIIS-FM KIIS-FM (102.7 FM broadcasting, FM, "102.7 KIIS FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States, and broadcasts to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format. Owned by i ...

Jingle Ball The KIIS-FM Jingle Ball (also referred to as just Jingle Ball) is an annual concert produced by the Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM that takes place in early-to-mid December. Since 2000, the concert series has been staged at various venues ar ...

concert series. Gomez remarked her excitement for the tour and stated that it provided motivation to plan a "big" tour for 2011. During a backstage interview, Gomez remarked that she was conceptualizing the tour as far as stage and production and promised an amazing show with an "epic" stage for 2011. The tour was officially announced on the band's official website in September 2010 to begin in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Allstar Weekend opened up for Gomez on select dates, while

Christina Grimmie Christina Victoria Grimmie (March 12, 1994 – June 10, 2016) was an American singer and internet personality. In 2009, she began posting covers of popular songs onto YouTube. After releasing her debut EP, '' Find Me'' (2011), her YouTube c ...

, who also had done background vocals on the album, was present for most of the US shows on the tour.

Critical reception

''A Year Without Rain'' generally received positive reviews by the

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, Mikael Wood of ''

'' stated while the lyrics contain "standard issue tween-pop topics", the effort was an improvement over 2009's '' Kiss & Tell'', commenting that the production outweighed the lyrical content. Although noting most songs on the album as "over-produced" dance-pop songs ballads and that Gomez spends most of the record trying to "dig herself out" of vocal effects, Allison Stewart of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' said at its worst, the album was a marked improvement over the "attitude-heavy", ''Kiss & Tell''. Calling Gomez a young version of

, Stewart commented, "Disney princesses seem to come along every 15 minutes, but few of them charm like Selena Gomez." Bill Lamb of

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...

reviewed the album saying, "Clearly Selena Gomez and the Scene have evolved musically in the short year that has elapsed since their first album ''Kiss and Tell''... This time around they are immersed in a more polished dance-pop style that moves easily from the glossy midtempo title cut to perky uptempo club tunes. If you have dismissed Selena Gomez as merely a cookie cutter Disney pop princess, it is high time to listen to more of her music and he musicis likely to change your mind. While not deep, ''A Year Without Rain'' is a solid, pleasing pop album. The '' Wairarapa Times-Age'' said in their review of the album, "''A Year Without Rain'', Selena Gomez & The Scene's second album, is full of dance floor-friendly synth pop, probably more suited to a slightly older set than her teen-targeted TV show, and with less of a rock edge than fellow Disney Stars

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

and

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...

." At the end of the review, they listed "Live Like There's No Tomorrow", and the title track "A Year Without Rain" as the two highlights from the album.

MusicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, stating "It would be the easiest thing in the world to dismiss A Year Without Rain as a cynical implementation of fan base exploitation; Gomez is, with regards to a certain demographic, a licence to print money. She also, however, boasts an embarrassment of talents, and those talents are more often than not afforded the space to breathe on a solid pop offering." PortraitMagazine also praised the album, commenting "Though Selena does seem intent on holding fast to the dance-pop style, with a bit of techno thrown in here and there for good measure, just like she did on her first album, the tracks she's got here are a definite improvement over her previous effort. She's trying out new things and experimenting a little with her sound. I was actually able to listen to this album all the way through without getting a migraine, which, I'm sorry to say, I couldn't do on her first. Because I think that she is such a talented person, I can't be happier with this album. Yes, there are a few tracks that, now that I've heard them, I don't really care to listen to again, but overall, this is a great album."

praised the album as well, stating "A Year Without Rain is similar in many ways but also very different in some important ways. Where Kiss was lighthearted and fun, Year is less fun and more serious both lyrically and musically. It feels like someone in her camp decided that it was time to position Gomez as more grown up, time to leave behind the sunny, good-time appeal and get a little more 'real'."

Commercial performance

''A Year Without Rain'' was released on September 17, 2010. It debuted on the US ''Billboard'' 200 at number 4, with sales of 66,154, barely beating out ''Kiss & Tell'', which sold barely over 66,000 and debuted at number 9 on the ''Billboard'' 200. After three months of release, the album charted at number 144 on the ''Billboard'' 200 Year-End Chart for 2010. It fared much better the following year, when it peaked at number 67 on the same chart. On January 19, 2011, the album was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

in the US, for shipments of 500,000. As of January 2020, the album has sold 817,000 copies in the United States. The album debuted on the

Canadian Albums Chart The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...

at number 6, 16 spots higher than the band's previous effort, which debuted and peaked at number 22 on the chart. The album also peaked at number 6 in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, 4 spots lower than that of ''Kiss & Tell''. In

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, the album climbed to a peak of number 9, making it the band's first album to chart in both countries. In

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, the album debuted at number 10, an 8 spot drop from that of the band's previous album. The album quickly fell off the Greek Albums Chart, however, attributed mainly by the low performance of the two singles in the country. In both

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, the album narrowly missed the Top 10, debuting at number 11. In the

, the album debuted at number 14, two spots lower than ''Kiss & Tell'' did the previous year. The album had the opposite chart performance in Mexico, where it debuted at 16, 4 spots higher than its predecessor. In

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, the album debuted at number 22, 3 spots lower than the previous album. The poor chart performance in the country is due mainly to the poor performance of both singles. In

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, the album debuted at number 24, three spots lower than ''Kiss & Tell'' did the previous year. The album saw a similar sales decline in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, when it debuted at number 26 on the official albums chart, two spots lower than the previous album. In

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, the album debuted at number 37, one spot lower than ''Kiss & Tell''. In

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, ''A Year Without Rain'' performed very poorly compared to ''Kiss & Tell'', debuting at number 40 on the official albums chart. The previous year, ''Kiss & Tell'' had debuted and peaked at number 14 on the chart, making a 26 spot difference between the two albums. ''A Year Without Rain'' did have success in

however, where ''Kiss & Tell'' failed to chart. The album debuted and peaked at number 46 on the official albums chart. The album also helped Gomez & The Scene develop a fan base in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, when it debuted at number 51 on the official albums chart, becoming their first album to chart in the country. The album was certified Gold on January 19, 2011, by the RIAA. As of January 2020, the album has sold 817,000 copies in the US.

Track listing

Notes * signifies a vocal producer * signifies a co-producer * signifies a language adapter * signifies a remixer * signifies an original producer * "Naturally" is excluded from the North America and Japan releases of the album.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the International edition's liner notes

Musicians

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...

– vocals * Eric Bellinger – vocals * Nikki Hassman – background vocals and vocal arrangement * BG5 – background vocals * Kara Britz – background vocals * Chelsea Davis – background vocals * Brooke Adams – additional background vocals * Windy Wagner – additional background vocals * Isaac Hasson – guitar, bass guitar and keyboards *

Tim Pierce Tim Pierce (born 1958 in Albuquerque) is an American session guitarist. He has worked for artists such as Joe Cocker, Crowded House, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Jackson, Beth Hart, Roger Waters, Alice Cooper, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Collins, and th ...

– guitar * Daniel Heløy Davidsen – guitar * Toby Gad – instruments and arrangement *

Matt Squire Matt Squire is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, and songwriter. His production, songwriting, and mixing credits include Panic! at the Disco, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Kesha, One Di ...

– instruments * Adam Anders – vocal arrangement

Technical

* Brian Reeves –

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

; mixing *

Jon Lind Jonathan Gus Lind (April 14, 1948 – January 15, 2022), professionally known as Jon Lind, was an American songwriter, performer and A&R executive. Biography Lind was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 14, 1948, and raised in New York City. He ...

– recording * Travis Huff – recording * SuperSpy – recording * Serban Ghenea – mixing * Toby Gad – mixing and recording *

– mixing and

digital editing In mass communication, digital media is any communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronic d ...

* Paul Palmer – mixing *

Peer Åström Peer Åström (born in Ljusdal, Sweden) is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician, and record producer and partner. He has collaborated with artists such as Madonna, Celine Dion, Enrique Iglesias, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez, contributing to a st ...

– mixing and programming *

Clif Norrell Clif Norrell is an American record producer, recording engineer, music mixer, and musician. He has worked with many prominent artists including Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., Jeff Buckley, No Doubt, Rush, Faith No More, Shania Twain, Mick Jagger, D ...

– mixing * Steve Hammons –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* Adam Comstock – engineering * John Hanes – mix engineering * Tim Roberts – mix engineering assistance * Nigel Lundemo – digital editing * Deyder Cintron – digital editing * Adam Anders – digital editing * Isaac Hasson –

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

* Mher Filian – drum programming and beats * Kay N' Dustry – additional programming * Robert Vosgien – mastering * David Snow – creative director * Jeri Heiden – art direction * Nick Steinhardt – art direction and design * Amber Gray – photography * Miranda Penn Turin – photography

Production

* Toby Gad –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

– production * Andrew Bolooki – production * Jeff Halatrax – production * Kevin Rudolf – production *

– production * Tim James – production * Adam Anders – production *

– production *

Jonas Jeberg Jonas Jeberg (born January 28, 1975), is a Danish songwriter and music producer residing in Los Angeles. He has written and produced hit songs including Panic! at the Disco's "High Hopes (Panic! at the Disco song), High Hopes", Selena Gomez's "Fe ...

– production * SuperSpy – production * Devrim Karaoglu – co-production * Brian Reeves – vocal production *

– vocal production

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Year Without Rain, A 2010 albums Selena Gomez & the Scene albums Albums produced by RedOne Albums produced by Rock Mafia Albums produced by Toby Gad Fascination Records albums Hollywood Records albums Avex Group albums