Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now

"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now"
File:Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now McFaden & Whitehead.jpg
Single by McFadden & Whitehead
from the album McFadden & Whitehead
B-side	"I Got the Love"
Released	April 1979
Recorded	1978
Studio	Sigma Sound Studios (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Genre	Funk, disco
Length	7:02 (album version) 3:38 (single edit) 10:45 (12" version)
Label	Philadelphia International
Songwriter(s)	Jerry Cohen, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead
Producer(s)	Jerry Cohen, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead
McFadden & Whitehead singles chronology
"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" (1979) "I've Been Pushed Aside" (1979)
Audio
"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" on YouTube

"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is a 1979 disco song performed by R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead, from their debut album McFadden & Whitehead. They wrote and produced the song along with keyboard player Jerry Cohen. Released as the lead single from the album, the song spent a week at number one on the R&B singles chart. It also proved to be a successful crossover hit, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached number 5 in the UK. The single also made it to number 10 on the disco charts. It eventually went double platinum, selling over 2 million copies.

"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is about succeeding despite having faced previous disadvantages ("so many things that held us down"). It was widely interpreted to be about the experience of the African American community, and after attaining popularity, became referred to as "the new black national anthem" (the original being the 1900 song "Lift Every Voice and Sing").

McFadden & Whitehead would revisit the song in their 1984 single "Ain't No Stoppin' (Ain't No Way)."

Production

Despite being seen as social commentary, in an interview conducted by Philadelphia video producer Bob Lott, John and Gene revealed that the song was actually about their frustration with Philadelphia International Records owners Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who for many years preferred that they remain as house songwriters and not performers. Gamble has confirmed that upon first hearing "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now", he tried unsuccessfully to convince McFadden and Whitehead to give the song to The O'Jays, as he felt it was better to write and produce for the prominent recording artists of the day than to try to compete with them as on-stage performers.

The bass hook was played by Philadelphia International Records house musician Jimmy Williams.

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	58
Canada RPM	25
Ireland (IRMA)	9
UK	5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	13
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B	1
U.S. Billboard Disco	10
U.S. Cashbox Top 100	12

Year-end charts

Chart (1979)	Rank
Canada	169
UK	53
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	65
U.S. Cash Box	82

Cover versions

• Guyanese-born Canadian soul singer Aubrey Mann covered their song on his 1980 album, Feeling Good, released on the Scorpio record label.
• Italian singer Pino D'Angiò took the bassline to compose his 1980 hit song, "Ma Quale Idea", as did Madison Avenue for their own, "Don't Call Me Baby"
• UK dance group Undercover released their own version of the song, naming their third album after the song in 1994.
• Luther Vandross did a cover version of this song for his 1994 cover album Songs. His version of the song was also performed as a duet with British girl group the Spice Girls for their An Audience With... special on the UK's ITV in 1997, and later appeared as a B-Side to their single "Stop".
• In 1996, the jazz fusion/contemporary jazz group The Rippingtons recorded a cover version for their album Brave New World.
• Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson of The B-52's recorded the song for the 1996 soundtrack The Associate.
• Smooth jazz artist Ben Tankard did a gospel/jazz rendition of the song on his 2004 album Piano Prophet.
• Wayman Tisdale recorded a cover version for his album Hang Time.
• George Michael covered the song during his Cover to Cover tour in 1991. He also recorded a demo version, released on Trojan Souls in 1993.
• Venezuelan boys' group Los Chamos had a Spanish cover of this song, entitled "No Nos Pararán", based in a previous recording of the New York ensemble "Charanga '76", in 1979.
• The song was covered by Sunderland AFC as the 1992 FA Cup Final song.
• Reggae artist Willie Williams covered "Ain’t No Stopping Us Now" re-titled “No One Can Stop Us Now (We’re On The Move)” in 1982 and recorded it at Studio One in Jamaica-(SO-0098A).
• It was also covered in Reggae by Ras Midas And re-titled “Can’t Stop Rasta Now” in 1979, and recorded in the UK and released on the Warrior Label-(WAR-138B), it was produced by renowned Reggae Producer Harry J aka (Harry Johnson).
• A cover version of this song was recorded and released in 1979 on Nashboro Records by Gospel recording artists, Willie Neal Johnson & The Gospel Keynotes, of Tyler, Texas.

Soundtrack appearances

• The song was featured in the movie Boogie Nights and its accompanying soundtrack album.

Other appearances

• Doctor Dre and Ed Lover sampled "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" for their song "Back Up Ofta Me".
• In 1979, New York radio station WBLS 107.5 FM used this song as their summer anthem, when the station became number one in Arbitron ratings that year.
• The song served as the 1980 theme song for the Philadelphia Phillies, 1980-81 Philadelphia Eagles and 2000-2001 Philadelphia 76ers. (McFadden and Whitehead sung a Phillies, Eagles and Sixers version of "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". For example, the line in the chorus would instead mention the team: "Ain't no stoppin' us now, the Phillies got the groove").
• The song is played at the end of Detroit Red Wings games after a victory.
• The song was played following goals scored by the St. Louis Steamers of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Recognizing its history as a St. Louis soccer favorite, USL team St. Louis FC uses it as its victory song.
• The 1979 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Football Champions, Lock Haven State College Bald Eagles used “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” as their theme song. The team was 1-8-1 in 1978 and rolled to a 9-2 record in 1979.
• The song served as the theme song for former heavyweight champion of the world and boxing hall-of-fame Larry Holmes.
• This song is also the ring walk song of former WBA Heavyweight title holder and former The Ring WBA, WBC & WBO Cruiserweight champion, David Haye.
• "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" was played at the 2008 Democratic National Convention on the night Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States.
• "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is the theme song for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Marching Band, known As "The Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South" or "M4". The band performed the song as they marched by the viewing stand for President Obama's Inaugural Parade.
• The song served as the theme song for the Baltimore Orioles during the 1979 World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• The song was also considered the unofficial theme song for the Los Angeles Rams' 1979 regular season as they reached Super Bowl XIV versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• The song was used in Only Fools and Horses episode "Go West Young Man" when it was played in a club Del and Rodney visited.
• A cover version of the song appears in a 2019 in American television TV commercial for Heinz ketchup.

Historical significance

Following the 1992 Coup in Sierra Leone, the new found government headed by Valentine Strasser attempted to replace the Sierra Leonean national anthem with this song.