"Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" is a song performed by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

singer

Samantha Fox Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from East London. She rose to public attention aged 16, when her mother entered her photographs in an amateur modelling contest run by ''The Sunday Peopl ...

and written and produced by Mike Stock,

Matt Aitken Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as the creative force behind the 1980s and early 1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman ...

, and

Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Water ...

(SAW). It was released as the first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from Samantha’s eponymous second album, ''

'', in the spring of 1987. The track was recorded after Fox's label heavily lobbied SAW to record with the singer, who the trio had previously vowed nor to work with due to her topless modelling past. The producers agreed to record with Fox after being impressed with her during an initial meeting, with Stock then writing lyrics inspired by Fox's comments to him about wanting to break free of her manager father. Stock wrote most of the lyrics with Fox sitting beside him at the console, a process interrupted for a few hours when she spilt a cup of tea onto the mixing desk. Fox and her manager father insisted on the inclusion of a guitar solo, which was added - but the sound was simulated with a synthesiser. Fox never knew the guitar was simulated until 2022, expressing her shock at the revelation. The single became Samantha's third and final top ten single 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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, peaking at #8 in June. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, the single was released in the fall of 1987 and reached only #80 that October. It was a Top 10 hit in Continental Europe. It also reached #22 in Australia. In 2010 the song was covered by German television celebrity

Daniela Katzenberger Daniela Denise Katzenberger (born 1 October 1986) is a German reality TV personality, TV host, model, and singer. She has featured in several television shows in Germany, mostly on VOX. Her first single, a version of " Nothing's gonna stop me now ...

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the song was filmed in

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the reg ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Samantha Fox is shown using several forms of locomotion including a Sunseeker XPS 34

motorboat A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...

, a horse, an

Alfa Romeo Spider The Alfa Romeo Spider (105/115 series) is a two-seater, front engine, rear drive roadster manufactured and marketed by Alfa Romeo from 1966 to 1994 in four distinct generations, or ''Series'', each with modifications ranging from modest to exte ...

, a

Cessna Skymaster The Cessna Skymaster is an American twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Its engines are mounted in the nose and rear of its pod-style fuselage. Twin booms extend aft of the wings to the vertical stabilizers ...

, and a

BMX bike A BMX bike is an off-road sport bicycle used for racing or stunt riding. BMX mean''s bicycle'' ''motocross''. Construction Though originally denoting a bicycle intended for BMX racing, the term "BMX bike" is now used as a generic term to ...

. She is also shown beside (and in) an outdoor swimming pool, wearing a "zebra-print" one-piece bathing suit with high-heeled shoes. Fox had never ridden a horse before the shoot and had only just qualified for her driver's license, having never driven a manual car before, despite the video requiring her to drive on steep mountain roads.

Critical reception

In ironic review of 23 May 1987 for ''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

'' John Aizlewood said that this song is completely similar to "other hits" of the singer and proposed to change profession to bar maid.

Impact and legacy

British magazine ''

Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

'' ranked the song number 40 in their list of 'Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs' in 2021. They wrote, "Page 3 girl Samantha Fox, the pin-up on many a pre-pubescent teen’s bedroom wall, was hardly the pop sophisticate, but SAW gave her an exceptionally big hit with this inspiriting UK No.8."

Formats and track listings

; 7" Single #"Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" - 3:42 #"Dream City" - 4:55 ; UK / EU 12" Single #"Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" (Extended Version) - 7:01 #"Dream City" - 4:55 #"Want You to Want Me" - 3:31 ; US 12" Single #"Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" (Extended Version) - 7:01 #"Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" - 3:42 #"Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" (Cub Mix) - 6:58 #"Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" (Instrumental) - 3:58 #"Dream City" - 4:55

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Daniela Katzenberger version

Charts

References

{{authority control 1987 singles 1987 songs Dance-pop songs Jive Records singles Number-one singles in Finland Samantha Fox songs Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Songs written by Matt Aitken Songs written by Mike Stock (musician) Songs written by Pete Waterman