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Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

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Not to be confused with Nothing's Gonna Stop Us, Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now, or Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now.
For the Chicago song, see Chicago 18 § Track listing.

"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
Single by Starship
from the album No Protection
B-side"Layin' It on the Line"
ReleasedJanuary 19, 1987[1]
RecordedSeptember 1986
Genre
Length4:29
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Narada Michael Walden
Starship singles chronology
"Before I Go"
(1986) 		"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
(1987) 		"It's Not Over Til It's Over"
(1987)
Music video
"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" on YouTube

"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is a song co-written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond[4] and recorded by American rock band Starship for their second studio album, No Protection (1987). It is a power ballad[5] duet featuring vocalists Grace Slick and Mickey Thomas and is the theme to the romantic-comedy film Mannequin.[6][7]

The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, Warren's first single to do so. Elsewhere, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" topped the charts in Canada, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, where it became the second-best-selling song of 1987. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards.

Background

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In a radio interview, Hammond said that the idea for the song came from his impending marriage to his live-in girlfriend of seven years after his divorce from his previous wife was finalized. He had said to Warren, "It's almost like they've stopped me from marrying this woman for seven years, and they haven't succeeded. They're not gonna stop me doing it."[8] The song has been considered "feel good" propelled by a strong synthesizer beat.[9]

Reception

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Cash Box called the song "an emotional duet by Mickie [sic] Thomas and Grace Slick" and "a blustery, expansive production."[10]

Commercial performance

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The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on April 4, 1987. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became the UK's second-best-selling song of 1987 behind "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. The song also reached the top 10 in six other European countries. It became the first chart-topping song to be written by Warren.[11] Grace Slick, at age 47, became the oldest woman to attain a number-one single in the United States,[12] surpassed only by Cher, who was 52 when her song "Believe" reached number one in early 1999.[13]

Music video

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The music video for "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" was released in 1987. It features clips from the film Mannequin, starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall, intercut with a parallel narrative of Mickey Thomas falling in love with a mannequin who comes to life, played by Grace Slick. Meshach Taylor makes a cameo reprising his film role of window dresser Hollywood Montrose, as does Narada Michael Walden, the producer of the song, who appears with the band. Towards the end of the video, viewers are shown that the band's members are also mannequins. In October 2024, the music video surpassed 500 million views on YouTube, becoming the first Starship song to reach this milestone.

In media

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The song is featured in Season 1 Episode 8 of the American sitcom The Goldbergs.[14] In The Skeleton Twins, the stars lip-sync to the song.[15] The song is played in the episode called "Oh Mylanta!" of the fourth season of the ABC revival of the American game show Press Your Luck.[16]

Track listings

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  • 7-inch single
A. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" – 4:29
B. "Layin' It on the Line" (live at Stopher Gym, Nicholls State University)[a] – 4:15
  • 12-inch single
A1. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" – 4:29
A2. "Layin' It on the Line" – 4:15
B1. "We Built This City" (special club mix) – 7:00
B2. "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" – 3:41

Personnel

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Additional personnel

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Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[58] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[59] Gold 45,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[60] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Platinum 957,336[61]
United States (RIAA)[63] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The liner notes incorrectly list Louisiana State University as the location of Stopher Gym.

References

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  1. ^ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 42.
  2. ^ Coffey, Russ (September 2, 2017). "theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Albert Hammond". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (February 10, 2021). "The Number Ones: Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Stereogum. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023. The end result is a fairly generic piece of '80s synth-rock, but it's the good kind of generic.
  4. ^ Nothing's gonna stop us now and the hit songs of Diane Warren MUSIC SCORE.D WARREN – 1991
  5. ^ "The 21 best power ballads". The Telegraph. July 23, 2015. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  6. ^ King, Alex P. (2004). Hit-parade – 20 ans de tubes (in French). Paris: Pascal. p. 340. ISBN 2-35019-009-9.
  7. ^ theguardian, 28 March 2014, Dave Eggers article, Dave Eggers: what's so funny about peace, love and Starship? Archived December 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Song details: Nothing's gonna stop us now - Albert Hammond". Archived from the original on October 27, 2007.
  9. ^ The when, where, and who of pop lyrics: the listener's prerogative. T Murphey. Popular Music, 1989 – Cambridge Univ Press
  10. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. January 24, 1987. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  11. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  12. ^ Gotta revolution, 1987: Grace slick, Paul Kantner, and "volunteers of America" W Glausser – Popular Music & Society, 1988 – Taylor & Francis
  13. ^ Fields, Gaylord (May 7, 2012). "Believe". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  14. ^ "The Kremps". The Goldbergs. Season 1. ABC.
  15. ^ Zuckerman, Esther (June 30, 2014). "Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig Go Dramatic and Lip Sync in the Trailer for 'The Skeleton Twins'". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  16. ^ "Press Your Luck ABC Episode 33 - video Dailymotion". Dailymotion. August 5, 2022. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  17. ^ Craig Chaquico (Timeline) Archived January 22, 2023, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  18. ^ Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship - Track Info @AllMusic.com Archived January 22, 2023, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  19. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 291. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  20. ^ "Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  21. ^ "Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  22. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0796." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  23. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 0746." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  24. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 21. May 30, 1987. p. 14. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  25. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  26. ^ "Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  27. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  28. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Starship" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  29. ^ "Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  30. ^ "Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  31. ^ "Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". VG-lista. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  32. ^ "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 31. August 8, 1986. p. 14. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  33. ^ "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts S". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on August 26, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  34. ^ "Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  35. ^ "Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  36. ^ "Starship: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  37. ^ "Starship Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  38. ^ "Starship Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  39. ^ "Starship Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  40. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending April 18, 1987". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  41. ^ "Starship". wweb.uta.edu. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  42. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  43. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Australian Music Report. No. 701. December 28, 1987. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020 – via Imgur.
  44. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1987". austriancharts.at (in German). Archived from the original on May 17, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  45. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1987 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  46. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. Vol. 47, no. 12. December 26, 1987. p. 5. ISSN 0033-7064. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  47. ^ "European Charts of the Year 1987 – Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 51/52. December 26, 1987. p. 34. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 28, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  48. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  49. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  50. ^ "Topp 20 Single Vår 1987" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  51. ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1987". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  52. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1987". hitparade.ch (in German). Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  53. ^ "Gallup Year End Charts 1987 – Singles" (PDF). Record Mirror. January 23, 1988. p. 36. ISSN 0144-5804. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  54. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  55. ^ "Top Adult Contemporary Singles of 1987". Billboard. December 31, 1987. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  56. ^ "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1987 – Top 50 Pop Singles". Cash Box. December 26, 1987. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  57. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1987" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  58. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Music Canada. April 22, 1987. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  59. ^ "Danish single certifications – Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  60. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. September 7, 1987. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  61. ^ Copsey, Rob (September 19, 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  62. ^ "British single certifications – Starship – Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". British Phonographic Industry. July 10, 2020.
  63. ^ "American single certifications – Starship". Recording Industry Association of America. February 24, 1989. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
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