"You Can't Stop The Beat" is the finale number in the 2002 musical ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

''. It is sung by Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, Edna, Motor Mouth, Velma, and Amber with Corny and Wilbur as backing singers. Although the lyrics touch on

sizeism Sizeism or size discrimination is prejudice directed at people based on their size. Discrimination This type of discrimination can take a number of forms, ranging from refusing to hire someone because they are considered to be too short or too ...

and

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

, the song also references broader themes of

change Change or Changing may refer to: Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period * Metamorphosis, or change, ...

and progression. The song pays tribute to the

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

-produced 1966

Ike Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

hit "

River Deep – Mountain High "River Deep – Mountain High" is a song by Ike & Tina Turner released as the title track to their 1966 studio album on Philles Records. Produced by Phil Spector and written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked "R ...

". Members of the

Hairspray Live! ''Hairspray Live!'' is an American television special that aired live on the American television network NBC on December 7, 2016. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and hosted by Darren Criss, it is a performance of a new adaptation of the 2 ...

cast have lovingly mocked the song as "You Can't Stop to Breathe"

Production

The song was edited for the 2007 film. Notably the Von Tussle section was removed. It was shot however, and is featured as a bonus feature on the DVD.

Critical reception

The ''

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'' deemed it a "contagiously elating finale". Reviewing the stage show, the Leicester Mercury described the song as "infectiously catchy" and added "you can't fail to leave singing You Can't Stop The Beat". The Boston Globe called it "the show's splashy closing number", The

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...

deemed it "joyous", In Newsweekly described it as "the fabulous ensemble closing number", and Theatre Mirror noted "you won't be able to stop your feet from stomping out the rhythm". The Sun Southwestern College said ""You Can't Stop the Beat" was so high energy it seemed the cast had drained the espresso machine. It left the audience exhausted".

NY Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...

called it a "boisterous finale", Spark Sunderland named it "famous", while Plays in the Park dubbed it the "show's anthem". Joyce's Choices said the song was "jubilant...one of my all time favorite affirmations and musical numbers". 99.9 Kez said " You Can't Stop the Beat is the ultimate infectious show closer, designed to have you leaving the theatre wishing every musical ended with such an up-beat, high-energy song and dance. Reviewing a 2014 production, Hoopla wrote "The show's finale, "You Can't Stop the Beat," was just a little shaky at first. The younger principles weren't synced on the choreography and didn't all belt out the song with the required verve. But after a bit of plot was taken care of, Holmes and Watkins took their turns center stage on the song and showed everyone how it's done. Once the whole cast joined in, the joyous singing and dancing was infectious, bringing the show to its rousing, moving conclusion." Spirituality and Practice said "Hairspray is blessed with a vibrant vitality in song and dance that just doesn't stop from the opening to the film's finale "You Can't Stop the Beat.""

Awards

The

People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

for "Favorite Song from a Soundtrack" was given to the Hairspray cast for "You Can't Stop the Beat". The cover from the 2016 live version of the musical was nominated for "Best Musical Moment" at the 2017 MTV Movie & TV awards.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2002 songs Songs from Hairspray (musical) Songs against racism and xenophobia Song articles with missing songwriters Songs written by Scott Wittman Songs written by Marc Shaiman