"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is a song co-written by

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. Wa ...

and Albert Hammond and recorded by American rock band

Starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 188 ...

for their second studio album, '' No Protection'' (1987). It is a power ballad duet featuring vocalists Grace Slick and Mickey Thomas and is the theme to the romantic-comedy film '' Mannequin''. The song reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Warren's first single to do so. Elsewhere, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" topped the charts in Canada, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, where it became the second-best-selling song of 1987. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards.

Background

In a radio interview, Hammond said that the idea for the song came from his impending marriage to his live-in girlfriend of seven years after his divorce from his previous wife was finalized. He had said to Warren, "It's almost like they've stopped me from marrying this woman for seven years, and they haven't succeeded. They're not gonna stop me doing it." The song has been considered "feel good" propelled by a strong synthesizer beat.

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called the song "an emotional duet by Thomas and Grace Slick" and "a blustery, expansive production."

Commercial performance

The song topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on April 4, 1987. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became the UK's second-best-selling song of 1987 behind " Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. The song also reached the top 10 in six other European countries. It became the first chart-topping song to be written by Warren. Grace Slick, at age 47, became the oldest woman to attain a number-one single in the United States, surpassed only by

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

, who was 52 when her song "

Believe Believe may refer to: *Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition *Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven Arts, entertainment, and me ...

" reached number one in early 1999.

Music video

The music video for "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" was released in 1987. It features Kim Cattrall and shows Mickey Thomas pursuing a mannequin who comes to life, played by Grace Slick, and is intercut with scenes from the film '' Mannequin''. Meshach Taylor makes a cameo playing his role in the film as window dresser Hollywood Montrose, as does

Narada Michael Walden Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy. He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...

, the producer of the song, who appears with the band.

Track listings

*7-inch single :A. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" – 4:29 :B. "Layin' It on the Line" (live at

Stopher Gym David R. Stopher Gymnasium or Stopher Gym is a 3,800-seat multi-purpose arena in Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States, on the campus Nicholls State University. It is named for David R. Stopher. It is home to the Nicholls Colonels men's and women ...

Nicholls State University Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nicholl ...

) – 4:15 *12-inch single :A1. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" – 4:29 :A2. "Layin' It on the Line" – 4:15 :B1. " We Built This City" (special club mix) – 7:00 :B2. "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight" – 3:41

Personnel

* Mickey Thomas – vocals * Grace Slick – vocals * Donny Baldwin – drums, vocals * Craig Chaquico – guitar (lead/solo only)Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship - Track Info @AllMusic.com
Retrieved 21 January 2023. * Pete Sears – bass

Additional personnel

* Walter "Baby Love" Afanasieff – keyboards, synth bass *

– drums * Corrado Rustici – Charvel MIDI guitar * Robert "Bongo Bob" Smith – drum sampling and percussion * Karen "Kitty Beethoven" Brewington,

Jim Gilstrap James Earl Gilstrap (born November 10, 1946)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American singer, considered one of the most prolific session musicians in the industry. He is best known for ...

– background vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes

References

{{authority control 1980s ballads 1986 songs 1987 singles Albert Hammond songs American soft rock songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Love themes Male–female vocal duets Number-one singles in Portugal RCA Records singles Rock ballads RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Narada Michael Walden Songs about marriage Songs written by Albert Hammond Songs written by Diane Warren Songs written for films Starship (band) songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles