A Definitive Ranking of EVERY Song from Selena Gomez & The Scene's A Year Without Rain Album

Welcome Back to Disney!👋😊🎉I hope you enjoyed my last post on A Definitive Ranking of Every Song from Selena Gomez & The Scene’s Kiss & Tell Album, because today we’re continuing with Selena Gomez’s Disney discography and talking all about her and the band’s SECOND album, A Year Without Rain. So let’s get into it!🎶💿🤍🩵🩷

As I briefly mentioned before, A Year Without Rain is the SECOND studio album by Selena Gomez & The Scene.🎶💿🤍🩵🩷It was recorded from April to August in 2010 and released on September 17, 2010, via Hollywood Records. Selena worked with Rock Mafia duo Tim James and Antonina Armato once again for this album, as well as Fefe Dobson, Superspy, and Toby Gad. New contributors to this album were Katy Perry, Kevin Rudolf, RedOne, and Jonas Jeberg among others. 

Rather than the pop rock and electronic rock sound of Kiss & Tell, and due to the success of their breakout hit, “Naturally”, this album roots mainly from dance-pop and synth-pop. While also making use of the auto-tune effect, A Year Without Rain also infuses influences of several other genres, including Eurodance and dancehall, among others. Most of the songs on this album are dedicated to the fans, according to Selena. With her also saying that she wanted content with more melodies and empowering lyric themes. Which as a longtime listener of this album, she definitely accomplished those things.👍🤍🩵🩷 

A Year Without Rain was given mixed to positive reviews, with critics noting it as an improvement from the band’s debut album. Which again, I think Kiss & Tell is BETTER than this album, but A Year Without Rain is still a GOOD album. In other words, in my opinion, there was just no need for much improvement from the first album with this album, because the FIRST album was/is GREAT. But this album, A Year Without Rain, sold 66,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #4 in the U.S. .👏A Year Without Rain also spawned TWO TOP 40 hit singles in the U.S., with the lead single, “Round & Round”, and the title track “A Year Without Rain”.👏👏A Year Without Rain was certified Gold by RIAA in January 2011, making it Selena Gomez and The Scene’s SECOND gold selling album.👏

In February 2010, in an interview with MTV News, when referring to the then-upcoming album, Selena said, “It’s kind of different— older — and it’s got, like, a reggae sound.” Which, I agree, this album definitely showcased her growing up, maturing, and it does have that more reggae sound. She (Selena) apparently also stated that she was unsure of taking on the responsibility of the album’s main songwriter, not wanting the added pressure of that. Selena also talked about producers for the album, expressing interest to work with “Naturally” producers, Rock Mafia. Selena pointed out that her main goals for the album 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.” Selena also gave hints about the album later on, in an interview with Digital Spy, 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. Which, I agree, this album is definitely different from her FIRST album. In the BEST way, of course.👍🏻😊

She (Selena) stated that A Year Without Rain 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 that song. Selena went into further explanation, stating, “I mean, even down from putting the track listing and numbering it, I wanted to make sure I envisioned [fans] putting it in their car or putting it on their iPod and how I wanted them to listen to the record.” According to Selena, most of the songs on this album were inspired by the band’s dedicated fans, as she once stated, “I wish I could give to them, because they mean so much to me.” She also called the album “a feel-good record”, and said that it has more of a dance/techno vibe. To which again I say, it definitely does. As mentioned before, Selena also said that she wanted something with more “meaning and melody, and more empowering lyrics.” Which again, I would say she accomplished. When it comes to this album being more techno-leaning, Selena once said that it was inspired by the success of her and The Scene's breakout hit, “Naturally”. As 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.” Selena confirmed, in July 2010, that an unreleased track co-penned by Katy Perry was given to her, and that Katy Perry also contributed background vocals for the song. That song being “Rock G*d”. At that time, Selena also confirmed the titles of the songs  “A Year Without Rain” and “Intuition”. And on August 17, 2010, Selena officially revealed the album’s track listing. 

As I briefly mentioned before, A Year Without Rain features predominant dance-pop and synth-pop characteristics, while also incorporating Eurodance, disco, and dancehall influences. Apparently, on most tracks, Selena’s vocals contain the Auto-Tune effect. Lyrically the songs deal with themes of love, freedom, and just the joy and importance of living in the moment. Tim Sendra of Allmusic once noted that while Kiss & Tell is more lighthearted and fun, this album is “more serious lyrically and musically.” To which I also agree. Although, there are still some more serious and deeply meaningful songs on Kiss & Tell, too, but I understand what he’s saying. Tim Sendra also once said that 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. 

The album’s opener, “Round & Round”, is an upbeat synth-driven song that features a “riding electro groove”. While “Summer’s Not Hot” has a Eurodance chorus, courtesy of RedOne. “Spotlight” seems to derive from dancehall, and according to Billboard’s Mikael Wood, the song does not feature a hook. Which, yeah, it doesn't. Which definitely makes it the MOST INTERESTING song on the album. The title track, “A Year Without Rain” is a dance ballad that also shows disco music elements, described as “emo”. In the song “Intuition”, Eric Bellinger makes an appearance during the rap interludes, while Katy Perry sings the backing vocals on “Rock G*d”. “Ghost of You” is another ballad about a breakup. And the ending track, “Live Like There’s No Tomorrow” is an UNFORGETTABLE power ballad, as well.

A Year Without Rain’s lead single, “Round & Round”, which was co-written and produced by Kevin Rudolf of Cash Money, Jeff Halavacs, Fefe Dobson and Andrew Bolooki, was released on June 22, 2010. Which, June 22nd is my little sister’s birthday, so that’s pretty cool.🎂🥳 Now I have to go tell her that, because I didn’t remember that before.😊“Round & Round” received positive reviews from music critics who noted its catchiness and expanding of Selena’s demographic. That single was met with chart success as well, debuting at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. .👏 “Round & Round” also became Selena and The Scene’s SECOND dance hit, when it peaked at #2 on the Hot Dance Club Play Chart. “Round & Round” also had radio success, peaking at #34 on the Pop Songs Chart.👏 Although, the song was less successful outside of the U.S. .😞For instance, in Canada, “Round & Round” only climbed to a peak at #51, despite the success of Selena and The Scene’s previous singles in the country. Where “Naturally” performed inside the TOP 10 in the U.K., “Round & Round” failed to match its success. Having only peaked at #47. “Round & Round” was also one of Selena and The Scene’s lowest performing songs to date in Australia. Only reaching a peak at #80 on the singles chart. The single’s accompanying music video was shot in Budapest, Hungary, and features Selena and The Scene in a secret spy storyline. Which, the song and music video aren't my favorite either, but it’s still VERY NOSTALGIC and PRETTY ICONIC. 

“A Year Without Rain”, written by Lindy Robbins and produced by Toby Gad, was the SECOND single that was released on September 7, 2010. That song debuted and peaked at #35 in the U.S. .👏“A Year Without Rain” was a dance hit, becoming Selena and The Scene’s SECOND single to top the Hot Dance Club Play Chart, despite its little to no success on U.S. radio and downloads.👏The song debuted at #37 in Canada, before quickly climbing to its peak at #30.👏Which made it Selena and The Scene’s SECOND single to reach the TOP 40 in Canada, as well as their THIRD TOP 40 hit in the U.S. .👏👏“A Year Without Rain” also debuted at #78 in Australia, which was only two spots higher than Selena and The Scene’s previous single. However, the song did enjoy success in Belgium, having reached a peak at #3 on their singles chart.👏 

When it came to promotion for this album, A Year Without Rain was mainly promoted through a series of live TV performances, as well as on tour. Selena performed “Round & Round” live for the FIRST TIME on July 14, 2010, on America’s Got Talent. On September 23, 2010, only six days after the album’s release, Selena and her band appeared on Good Morning America, where they performed “Round & Round” and “A Year Without Rain”. For promotion in the U.K., Selena appeared on Daybreak on September 27, 2010, and on Blue Peter the following day, September 28, 2010. On October 1, 2010, Selena performed on MTV’s The Seven. She also performed “A Year Without Rain” on Lopez Tonight on November 16, 2010 as the show closed. Selena, yet again, performed “A Year Without Rain” on Live with Regis and Kelly, towards the end of the show, on December 1, 2010. On January 5, 2011, Selena Gomez and The Scene performed “A Year Without Rain” at the 2011 People’s Choice Awards, where after their performance they were awarded the Choice Award for Favorite Breakout Artist.👏

As mentioned briefly before, Selena and The Scene also promoted A Year Without Rain through their SECOND tour, the A Year Without Rain Tour. Previously, for their FIRST tour, Selena and The Scene toured the U.S. and Europe playing at state fairs and music festivals, with a few headlining concerts thrown in. But the A Year Without Rain Tour became a major success with critics and spectators alike, and sold out many dates within the U.S. . In fact, after the release of their SECOND studio album, Selena and The Scene toured alongside Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, and Enrique Iglesias for the KISS-FM Jingle Ball concert series. Selena once remarked her excitement for the tour and stated that it provided motivation to plan a “big” tour for 2011. As during a backstage interview at the time, Selena remarked that she was conceptualizing the tour as far as stage and production and promised an amazing show with an “epic” stage for 2011. In September 2010, the A Year Without Rain Tour was officially announced on Selena and The Scene’s official website, and that it was to begin in London. Allstar Weekend opened up for Selena on select dates, while Christina Grimmie, who had also done background vocals on the album, was present for most of the U.S. shows on the tour, as well. 

Like I also briefly mentioned before, A Year Without Rain generally received positive reviews by music critics. With Billboard’s Mikael Wood stating that 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. To which, again, I slightly agree with his first statement, but not his last. This album definitely showed growth from the first album, but it didn’t need improvement from the first album because the first album was GREAT. This album just added to what Selena already gave us with Kiss & Tell, which was GREATNESS.😊Bill Lamb of About.com reviewed A Year Without Rain saying, “Clearly Selena Gomez and The Scene have evolved musically in the short year that has elapsed since their first album Kiss & 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 up-tempo 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 [the music] is likely to change your mind. While not deep, A Year Without Rain is a solid, pleasing pop album.” To which I mostly agree with that statement. However, I do think a few of the songs on this album are actually very deep and thought-provoking.

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 and Demi Lovato.” And at the end of their review, they listed the title track “A Year Without Rain” and the closing track “Live Like There’s No Tomorrow” as the two highlights from the album. Yes, I agree that this album is less rock than Selena and The Scene’s first album, and maybe also less rock than whatever album the reviewer is talking about of Miley and Demi’s, but I disagree with their statement about this album not being suited for Selena’s teenage TV show audience, because I was the target demographic for this album at the time and it worked for me. I enjoyed it. Also, I agree that “A Year Without Rain” and “Live Like There’s No Tomorrow” are both great, stand-out songs from this album. 

Portrait Magazine also praised A Year Without Rain, commenting that “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, 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 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.” I kind of agree with this review, although like I said before, I don’t think this album was an improvement from Selena’s and The Scene’s first album, because that first album was GREAT, and this second album just showed more growth. And I also agree that, yes, you can tell that Selena was trying new things and experimenting with new sounds for this album, which I LOVE. I also agree that not all of the songs on this album are GREAT (cough, cough…"Rock G*D" and "Spotlight") but overall the album is still GREAT. Allmusic also praised A Year Without Rain, stating, “A Year Without Rain is similar in many ways but also very different in some important ways. Where Kiss & Tell was lighthearted and fun, A Year Without Rain 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’.” Which, I see what that reviewer is saying about this being a more mature and grown up album compared to the first, but that’s not a bad thing. I also find this album to be, yes, a little more serious than the first one, but it also still has that fun and lightheartedness, too. But, who cares what the “music critics” have to say about this album anyways? ‘Cause real fans know how GREAT this album truly is.😊🤍🩵🩷

Plus, the numbers although not the most important thing, speak for themselves, too. As after A Year Without Rain was released on September 17, 2010, it debuted at #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 with sales of 66,154.👏After three months of its release, A Year Without Rain charted at #144 on the Billboard 200 Year-End Chart for 2010.👏 But it actually fared much better the following year, when it peaked at #67 on the same chart.👏A Year Without Rain was certified Gold in the U.S. on January 19, 2011, for shipments of 500,000.👏The album had sold 817,000 copies in the U.S. as of January 2020.👏Which is probably even more now in 2025. A Year Without Rain debuted at #6 on the Canadian Albums Chart, which was 16 spots higher than Selena and The Scene’s previous effort.👏As Kiss & Tell had debuted and peaked at #22 on the chart. In Spain, A Year Without Rain peaked at #6, which was four spots lower than that of Kiss & Tell. But in Portugal and the Czech Republic, A Year Without Rain climbed to and peaked at #9, making it Selena and The Scene’s FIRST album to chart in both countries.👏 A Year Without Rain also debuted at #10 in Greece, which was an eight spot drop from that of Kiss & Tell, but still good.👏But, A Year Without Rain quickly fell off the Greek Albums Chart due to low performance of the two singles in the country.😞And in Belgium and Poland, A Year Without Rain narrowly missed the TOP 10, debuting at #11. Again, still not bad at all.

A Year Without Rain also debuted at #14 in the U.K., which was two spots lower than what Kiss & Tell did the previous year. However, A Year Without Rain had the opposite chart performance in Mexico, where it debuted at #16.👏Which was four spots higher than its predecessor. A Year Without Rain debuted at #22 in Germany, which was three spots lower than Kiss & Tell, and was mainly due to the poor performance of both singles in the country. The album debuted at #24 in New Zealand, which was three spots lower than what Kiss & Tell did the previous year. And the album saw a similar sales decline in France, when it debuted at #26 on the official albums chart, which was two spots lower than Kiss & Tell. A Year Without Rain also debuted at #37, one spot lower than Kiss & Tell, in Switzerland. In Ireland, the album performed "poorly" compared to Selena and The Scene’s first album, too, having debuted at #40 on the official albums chart. The year prior, Kiss & Tell had debuted and peaked at #14 on the chart, making a 26 spot difference between the two albums. However, this album did have success in Australia, where Kiss & Tell failed to even chart. As A Year Without Rain debuted and peaked at #46 on the official albums chart.👏 Apparently, this album also helped Selena and The Scene develop a fan base in the Netherlands, when it debuted at #51 on the official albums chart, becoming their FIRST album to chart in the country.👏On January 19, 2011, A Year Without Rain was certified Gold by the RIAA.👏 And as of January 2020, A Year Without Rain has sold 817,000 copies in the U.S. .👏

Again, as I’ve mentioned many times before when talking about these albums from Disney Channel stars, the numbers and all that chart stuff really means nothing to me, but they were wins for Selena and therefore something I thought was still worth mentioning here.😊But those facts and statistics did not make me enjoy this album any more or any less than I did before doing this relisten. Nor did they affect my thoughts and opinions about the album back then, when I was a teen listening to this album for the first time, because I never looked at that stuff back then either. I’ve always just LOVED this album for what it is, and that’s why I am SO EXCITED to finally get to talk about the songs from this album and share my ranking of them here with you.😊🤍🩵🩷But first, before we really get into the songs from this album and my ranking of them, as always, I want to just give my brief history and memories associated with this album.😊

Basically, I don’t remember exactly when I bought the CD of this album in 2010, but I do remember buying it (or my dad buying it for me) around the time when it first came out. Maybe I was even gifted it for Christmas that year?🤔 Again, I don't remember exactly. But I do remember having the CD of this album and listening to it all the way through from beginning to end in my radio that I had (and still have) in my bedroom at the time. And then I just listened to that same CD multiple times throughout the years. ‘Cause it’s one of those albums that’s just a CLASSIC, and SO NOSTALGIC, and it still holds up...Well, most of it.😊I also just have specific, fond memories of specific songs from this album that I’ll talk about when I get to each song. Having said that, though, it’s definitely been a long time since I last listened to this album. The last time I remember listening to A Year Without Rain was actually a couple years ago when my sister made a YouTube video ranking all the songs, and so I got to relisten to all the songs then after I hadn’t for a long time. But it’s even been a while since that day, so I was VERY CURIOUS and EXCITED to relisten to this album by myself, just me with my headphones in my phone. And so that’s what I did recently, and why I created this post. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s finally get into A Definitive Ranking of EVERY Song from Selena Gomez and The Scene’s A Year Without Rain Album!🎶💿🤍🩵🩷🎉😊

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(from LEAST to MOST FAVORITE)...

#10 "Rock G*d" 

#9 "Spotlight"

#8 "Summer's Not Hot" 

#7 "Live Like There's No Tomorrow" 

#6 "Intuition" (featuring Eric Bellinger)

#5 "Round & Round" 

#4 "A Year Without Rain" + Spanish Version (Un Ano Sin Lluvia)

 

#3 "Sick of You"

#2 "Ghost of You" 

#1 "Off the Chain"

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   Well, that concludes A Definitive Ranking of EVERY Song from Selena Gomez & The Scene’s A Year Without Rain Album!🎉🎶💿🤍🩵🩷I really enjoyed getting to go back and listen to these songs and reminisce about the memories I have of them. And I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did creating it, and that it also brought back some FUN, NOSTALGIC memories for you, too.😊 Fun fact, I actually relistened to this album on a day it was raining where I live. So, this album relisten really worked for the whole vibe of the day.🌧️

It was actually very hard to rank the songs from this album. Much harder than I initially thought it would be, just because majority of the songs are all GOOD. Especially the ones I have in my TOP 5, because the songs I have ranked in my TOP 5 are really the GREATEST from the album. It wasn’t that surprising either seeing the songs that made the top of this ranking, because those songs at the top have always been some of my MOST FAVORITES from this album, ever since I was a teenager listening to this album for the first time.😊 Although, as I mentioned when talking about each song, there were a couple of songs from this album that ranked lower this time when listening to the album that definitely used to be more of my favorites when I was a teenager. Like “Live Like There’s No Tomorrow” for instance. So, my music taste, thoughts and opinions about some of the songs from this album have definitely changed a little bit, but overall this album is still SO NOSTALGIC, UNIQUE, and just GREAT. It’s definitely worth a listen for anyone and everyone. Especially if you’re a fan of Selena Gomez and just MUSIC in general.🤍🩵🩷🎶💿

Although, being HONEST and REAL, I do think this isn’t one of Selena’s BEST albums when compared to all the other ones in her Disney discography, but it’s still a GOOD album and one that I will still be going back to listen to for years to come. Some songs more than others, of course. ‘Cause again not every song on this album is GREAT, but the REALLY GOOD ones make this album what it is…OFF THE CHAIN. (Ha, see what I did there?😜😊) 

So, I would LOVE to know, what’s your favorite song(s) from A Year Without Rain? Let me know in the comments below, hit that follow button so that you get notified when my next post goes up, and come Back to Disney soon for more FUN, NOSTALGIA, and GREAT Selena Gomez MUSIC!👋🤍🩵🩷🎉🎶💿✌️