"Nothing Can Stop Us" is a song by English band Saint Etienne, released in May 1991 as the third single from their debut album, '' Foxbase Alpha'' (1991). It is the first release to feature

Sarah Cracknell Sarah Cracknell (born 12 April 1967) is an English singer-songwriter and lead singer of the electronic music band Saint Etienne. Career Cracknell's career started with the Windsor-based indie band The Worried Parachutes in 1982. Following the d ...

, who would continue to front the band from this release on. The single reached the number one spot on the American dance charts for one week. The song is based on a looped sample from Dusty Springfield's recording of " I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face". "Nothing Can Stop Us" was released as a double A side with "Speedwell". As such, "Speedwell" takes lead track duty on the remix 12" single with the Flying Mix and Project Mix. The American remixes were done by the

Masters At Work Masters at Work is the American garage house production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. The duo has produced music together under the names MAW, KenLou, Sole Fusion, Hardrive, and Nuyorican Soul. They have been r ...

team of

Kenny "Dope" Gonzales Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (born July 5, 1970), also sometimes known as K-Dope, is an American record producer and disc jockey. He is one half of the classic house music Masters at Work musical production team with Little Louie Vega; and also releas ...

and Little Louie Vega. The lyric was partly re-written for these mixes, and the changes were retained in subsequent live performances. In 1994, Saint Etienne produced a new version of the song for

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

, which was released as a b-side on her single "

Confide in Me "Confide in Me" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, taken from her Kylie Minogue (album), self-titled fifth studio album (1994). It was released as the album's lead single on 29 August 1994 by Deconstruction Records, Deconstr ...

Critical reception

In an 2016 retrospective review, Justin Chadwick from Albumism remarked the "buoyant throwback soul" of the song, stating that it is an "indisputable highlight" from the '' Foxbase Alpha'' allbum. Upon the release,

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' felt that the band returns with a similar-sounding jam to "

Only Love Can Break Your Heart "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" is a song written by Canadian-American singer-songwriter, musician, and activist Neil Young. It has been covered by many bands. Genesis and recording The song is the third track on Neil Young's album ''After t ...

". He wrote, "In its original form, the tune is an endearing modern-pop gem. With a little (make that a lot) of help from remixers

Louie Vega Luis Ferdinand Vega Jr. (born June 12, 1965), as known as "Little Louie" Vega, is an American DJ, record producer and Grammy Award winner remixer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is one half of the Masters at Work musical production team. Biograph ...

and Kenny Gonzalez, the track is now a hip deep-houser that should thrill club jocks upon impact." Everett True from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' praised it as "magnificent!" Davydd Chong from '' Music Weeks ''RM'' Dance Update said it "sounds so familiar, so classic, that you first thought is that it's another cover version. The breathy vocals of

, the joyous strings, the impish guitar licks and the loving kiss of romantic optimism belong to the Northern Soul era, but, no, it's a St Etienne original." Mandi James from '' NME'' wrote, "Music to swoon to. Pure sexy vibes, breathless vocals and brilliant drum rolls. Haunted by the spectre of Northern Soul, wrapped in perfect pop melodies and probably the best record this year." Another editor, Jim Wirth, noted that "it's funky, it's got flutes, and it's a totally awesome pop song. There's nothing even remotely ironic about that." Mark Frith from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' commented, "Their music is light and

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

but dancey with it. Vocals are breathy and euphoric."

Music video

There were produced two different music videos for "Nothing Can Stop Us". The original features the band driving and walking around central London with a late 60s movie style. The second version only featured the group utilizing the remixes done in a sixties-esque background setting.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nothing Can Stop Us (Song) Saint Etienne (band) songs 1991 singles Songs written by Bob Stanley (musician) Songs written by Pete Wiggs Kylie Minogue songs 1991 songs Heavenly Recordings singles