"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is a 1979

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

song performed by American R&B duo

McFadden & Whitehead McFadden and Whitehead were an American R&B duo, best known for their signature tune "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". They wrote and produced some of the most popular R&B hits of the 1970s, and were primarily associated with the Gamble and Huff re ...

, from their debut album ''

''. They wrote and produced the song along with keyboard player Jerry Cohen. McFadden & Whitehead would revisit the song in their 1984 single "Ain't No Stoppin' (Ain't No Way)".

Background

"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 African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

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 "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is a hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). Written from the context of African Americans in the late 19th century, the hymn is a pray ...

").

Kelefa Sanneh Kelefa T. Sanneh (born 1976) is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for ''The New York Times'', covering the rock and roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes. Since 2008 he has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorke ...

noted the song was, "an exuberant number often interpreted as an expression of Black pride", but also that the authors of the song were in a dispute over royalties with their record label

Philadelphia International Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. I ...

. Whitehead said, "If anything, the song was a declaration of our independence from

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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 The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hi ...

, 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. This song features a female Chorus in the repeated refrain. Electronic Beeping feedback sounds are heard towards the ending of the longer version of the song.

Chart performance

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. The single also made it to number 10 on the disco charts, and reached number 5 in the UK. It eventually went double platinum, selling over 2 million copies.

Weekly singles charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1979 debut singles 1979 songs Disco songs Songs written by Gene McFadden Songs written by John Whitehead (singer) Philadelphia International Records singles