"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (also known in short as just "And I Am Telling You") is a
torch song from the
Broadway musical ''
Dreamgirls
''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. It is based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, and p ...
'', with lyrics by
Tom Eyen and music by
Henry Krieger. In the context of the musical, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is sung by the character Effie White, a singer with the
girl group The Dreams, to her manager, Curtis Taylor Jr., whose romantic and professional relationship with Effie is ending. The lyrics to "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", often considered the show's signature tune, describe Effie's love for Curtis, both strongly devoted and defiant. She refuses to let Curtis leave her behind, and boldly proclaims to him, "I'm staying and you ... you're gonna love me."
In addition to its presence in the musical, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is also notable as the debut single of two women who portrayed Effie.
Jennifer Holliday originated the role on Broadway in 1981 and won a
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the role as well as the
Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for its re-release in 1982 for which it became a number-one R&B hit for Holliday.
Jennifer Hudson portrayed Effie in the 2006
film adaptation of the musical, winning the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...
for her performance. Hudson's version became a Top 20 R&B single, and a number-one dance hit.
Jennifer Holliday version
In 1982, Jennifer Holliday, the actress who portrayed Effie in the original
Broadway production, released the song as a single. It was her first single release and it met with great success, topping the ''
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 advertis ...
'' R&B charts and attaining top forty positions on both the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the
UK Singles Chart. In 1983, Holliday won the
Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female for the single.
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" was designed as the closing number of ''Dreamgirls first act. Holliday's performance of the song, in a style owing much to
gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...
singing traditions, was regularly staged to thunderous applause; it was hailed as the highlight of the show in several printed reviews of the musical. In his review of ''Dreamgirls'', ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' theatre critic
Frank Rich referred to Holliday's "And I Am Telling You" as "one of the most powerful theatrical coups to be found in a Broadway musical since
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theatre, musical theater,Obituary ''Variety Obitua ...
sang '
Everything's Coming Up Roses' at the end of Act I of ''
Gypsy''" "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" remains Holliday's signature song.
Charts
Rosabel with Jennifer Holliday version
Jennifer Hudson version
In 2006, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" was recorded by
Jennifer Hudson for her film debut, as
Effie White in the
DreamWorks/
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS.
**Paramount Picture ...
motion picture adaptation of ''
Dreamgirls
''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. It is based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, and p ...
''. Her recording of the song peaked at number 60 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and number 14 on the R&B chart.
Hudson's version received widespread praise from film and music critics as well as the audiences, which highlighted her strength as both a vocalist and an actress. ''
The New York Observer
''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper established in 1987. In 2016, it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainment ...
'' described Hudson's performance as "five mellifluous, molto vibrato minutes...." ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' said that when moviegoers hear Hudson sing the song, she "is going to raise goose bumps across the land." ''
Variety'' wrote that Hudson's performance "calls to mind debuts like
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
in ''
Funny Girl'' or
Bette Midler in ''
The Rose'', with a voice like the young
Aretha." For her performance, Hudson won a multitude of accolades, including the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...
. The song also appeared in Hudson's
eponymous debut album (2008).
On June 26, 2007, the 7th Annual
BET Awards
The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...
opened with Jennifer Holliday and Jennifer Hudson performing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" live in their first duet together.
Although it in essence is Hudson's first single release, it became her fourth top 75 hit in the United Kingdom after a performance on ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
'' in 2009 after being sung by
Danyl Johnson. Hudson performed the song again at the
85th Academy Awards, as part of the ''Dreamgirls'' section in the tribute to movie musicals.
In February 2022, Hudson's rendition was named a finalist for Oscars Cheer Moment as part of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
' "
Oscars Fan Favorite" contest, finishing in fourth place.
Dance remix
A club remix was created for this single, engineered by Richie Jones and
Eric Kupper, and appears as a bonus track on the "Deluxe Edition" of the ''Dreamgirls'' soundtrack album. This version of Hudson's "And I Am Telling You" was a chart success, reaching the top of the ''
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 advertis ...
''
Hot Dance Club Play chart in early 2007. A shortened edit of the full remix appeared on a
promotional-only CD accompanying the Jones & Kupper remix of another ''Dreamgirls'' song, the
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most culturally significant figu ...
/
Anika Noni Rose/
Sharon Leal/Jennifer Hudson rendition of "
One Night Only". Also included were the
Freemasons remixes of Beyoncé's singles "
Déjà Vu
''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is the phenomenon of feeling like one has
lived through the present situation in the past.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford University Press. pp. 167–1 ...
" and "
Ring the Alarm".
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Other notable versions
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
performed the song as part of a medley with "
I Loves You, Porgy" and "
I Have Nothing" at the 1994
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
of 1994. This performance is included on her posthumous 2014 CD/DVD release, ''
Live: Her Greatest Performances'', and was re-enacted by
Naomi Ackie as Houston in the 2022 film
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Houston also performed the tune as part of the set list during
The Bodyguard World Tour in 1993.
In 1994, Donna Giles scored a minor club hit in the US and UK with her rendition of the song. The track remained a sleeper club hit in the UK throughout 1995, prompting a spate of re-releases and remixes, including
Stonebridge, culminating in a major release on Ore Records in 1996. This last release would finally take the track to number 27 on the
UK Singles Chart in February of that year. On November 20, 2007, the original master, Produced by critically acclaimed Eve Nelson, was released digitally by
Breaking Records and is available on all major download sites.
In an episode of ''
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Will (
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
) serenades Uncle Phil to the song by lip-syncing it when trying to win his forgiveness but only ends up annoying him.
In an episode of ''
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
'', Gina (
Tisha Campbell) performs the song while interrupting Pam's performance of the song "Home" (from ''
The Wiz'') on Martin's talk show "Word on the Street". As both are auditioning for
Biggie Smalls, they attempt to out-sing each other, ultimately resulting in embarrassing Martin.
In 1998,
Jim Carrey flamboyantly performed a parody of the song in the final episode of ''
The Larry Sanders Show
''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. Created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein, the show ran for six seasons and List of The Larry Sanders Show episodes, ...
'' (entitled "Flip"), pleading to the titular Sanders to persuade him not to leave his late-night talk show.
In the 2001 film ''
Down to Earth'', the song is performed by several people at the
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...
, with the audience only approving when sung by Phil Quon (
John Cho).
Various renditions appear in several episodes of the sitcom ''
Everybody Hates Chris
''Everybody Hates Chris'' (stylized in all lowercase) is an American semi-autobiographical sitcom created by Chris Rock and Ali LeRoi that originally aired on UPN from 2005 to 2006, and then on The CW until 2009. The series is based loosely ...
'', often sung by
Chris' mother Rochelle (
Tichina Arnold), or by off-screen performers watched by Rochelle.
In 2006, then 11-year-old
Bianca Ryan auditioned with the song for ''
America's Got Talent''. Ryan subsequently won the contest that year.
Jake Gyllenhaal performed it on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' shortly after the film's release in a pastiche of Hudson. He wore a wig and black sequined dress, with three of the female regulars on SNL as his "backup singers", dressed in red glitter dresses, heels and wigs.
In 2009, it was performed by
Amber Riley as her character
Mercedes Jones in the
first season ''
Glee
Glee may refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album)
* ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album)
* Gle ...
'' episode "
Sectionals". Riley would go on to play Effie onstage in the 2016 London Premiere performance of ''Dreamgirls''.
Also in 2009, the
parody film
A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that lampoons other film genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of many different films reassembled together.
Although the subgenre is often overlooked by cri ...
''
Dance Flick'' features
David Alan Grier performing a version of the song telling the protagonists that they're "gonna feed
im with assorted foods and name brand items.
''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' runner-up
Jessica Sanchez performed the song as one of her two songs in the Top 4. Her performance during the Top 4 was praised by Jennifer Holliday. Holliday later performed the song with Sanchez during the
eleventh season finale in 2012.
Dami Im, the 2013 winner of the Australian version of ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
'', performed this as one of her final three songs. Her performance received a rapturous response from all four judges and the audience. The judges stood up on the judges table as an indication of their overwhelming adulation of her exquisite performance while the audience applauded strongly for 70 seconds. Her performance debuted number 29 on the
Australian ARIA Charts. On December 1, 2013, Im released a version of the song as part of her
self-titled album, which debuted at number one in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, and was certified Platinum.
Also in 2013,
Sam Bailey
Samantha Florence Bailey (born 29 June 1977) is an English Pop music, pop singer who won the The X Factor (British series 10), tenth series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor'' in 2013. Following her win, her debut single, a c ...
performed it with
Nicole Scherzinger as her celebrity duet choice during the first part of the
tenth-season finale of ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
'' in the UK. The duet also appeared on her 2014 debut album ''
The Power of Love''.
Also in 2013,
Jacquie Lee performed this song in
season 5 of ''
The Voice''.
Also in 2013, actor/singer
Tituss Burgess performed a rendition at the event "Broadway Backwards" for the charity
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
In 2015,
Louisa Johnson performed this song both in the six chair challenge and with
Rita Ora
Rita Sahatçiu Ora (; born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer-songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Rig ...
as her celebrity duet choice during the first part of the
twelfth-season finale of ''The X Factor'' in the UK.
In 2016,
Chi Chi DeVayne and
Thorgy Thor lipsynced to the song on the
eighth season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
.'' The performance, specifically from DeVayne, was viewed as the best lipsync of the season and one of the best in the franchise's history.
In ''
Britain's Got Talent'' 2017, Sarah Ikumu sang this song as her audition. It won her the Golden Buzzer from
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...
, which got her an unchallenged pass into the live finals.
In 2020,
Destiny Chukunyere performed it as her Big Band choice during the semifinals of the second season of ''
X Factor Malta''.
In 2025,
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo ( ; born 8 January 1987) is a British actress and singer. Known for her work on both stage and screen, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Cynt ...
sang a version of the song at the conclusion of the
78th Tony Awards, with lyrics altered to reference the awards.
See also
*
List of number-one dance singles of 2007 (U.S.)
References
{{authority control
1980s ballads
1981 songs
1982 debut singles
2001 singles
2006 debut singles
Jennifer Holliday songs
Jennifer Hudson songs
Bianca Ryan songs
Songs from Dreamgirls
Torch songs
Songs about heartache
Songs written by Henry Krieger
Songs with lyrics by Tom Eyen
Song recordings produced by David Foster
Columbia Records singles
Geffen Records singles