Sunday, August 5, 2012

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!

MC FADDEN& WHITHEAD ~ AIN'T NO STOPPING US NOW

Today, I remember one of my most favorite songs, I mean those songs I consider as the greatest songs ever recorded. These are the songs to which I listen to everyday for necessary emotional sucor, upliftment, inspiration and motivation. This particular one is titled "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!" by McFadden and Whitehead. Click on the above link to see the video.

Many people did not know what inspired this great song. It was during the Memorial day weekend in 1979. Gene McFadden and John Whitehead, together with the "Bionic Woman", Lindsay Wagner, were scheduled to board American Airlines flight 191. All three almost got on. Gong by news reports at that time, no one knew why McFadden & Whitehead refused to board the plane but Wagner was said to have had some "bad vibes" about the flight and so did not get on the plane. The plane crashed in Chicago, killing 271. It was America's deadliest plane crash before 911. And this was the incident that inspired the song "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!"

It was such an irony though that one of these guys, Whitehead, would end up murdered (on May 11, 2004) while working on his car with his nephew on the street outside of his Philadelphia home. In an apparent case of mistaken identity, Whitehead was shot by two unknown gunmen, who then fled. The case remains unsolved. He was 55 years old. About 2 years later (January 27, 2006) McFadden died of liver and lung cancer. He was 57.

When they were teenagers, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead formed a group called The Epsilons. The personnel included Allen Beatty, James Knight, and future Blue Notes member Lloyd Parks.[2] They were discovered by Otis Redding and toured with him during the late 1960s until Redding's death in a plane crash in 1967. The duo later joined Philly International Records, where they wrote hit after hit, the first being "Back Stabbers" in 1972 for the O'Jays. It became #1 across the board in one week.

McFadden and Whitehead also wrote hits such as " I'll Always Love My Momma," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody," "Where Are All My Friends," "The More I Get, The More I Want", and "Cold, Cold World". The production team also worked with Melba Moore, Freddie Jackson, Producer/ Rahni Song and Gloria Gaynor, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Gladys Knight, The Jackson 5, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Lou Rawls, Archie Bell & the Drells, Jerry Bell and The Intruders.[3]
Rise to stardom

McFadden and Whitehead formed together as a group officially under the name "McFadden & Whitehead" in 1977. The pinnacle of their success came in 1979 with "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now," which went to #1 on the R&B charts, #13 on the pop charts, sold eight million records worldwide and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The duo was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, where they sang their most famous song on an episode in which Oprah featured the top hits of the 1970s.

Here is the lyrics of the song, Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!:

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

There's been so many things thats held us down.
But now it looks like things are finally comin' around.
I know we've got, a long long way to go,
and where we'll end up, I don't know.
But we won't let nothin' hold us back,
we're putting our selves together,
we're polishing up our act!
If you felt we've been held down before,
I know you'll refuse to be held down anymore!

Don't you let nothing, nothing,
Stand in your way!
I want ya'll to listen, listen,
to every word I say, every word I say!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

I know you know someone that has a negative vibe,
and if you're trying to make it they only push you aside.
They really don't have, no where to go.
Ask them where they're going, they don't know.
But we won't let nothin' hold us back,
we're gonna put our selves together,
we're gonna polish up our act!
And if you've ever been held down before,
I know you'll refuse to be held down anymore!

Don't you let nothing, nothing,
Stand in your way!
I want ya'll to listen, listen,
to every word I say, every word I say!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We're on the move!
Ain't No Stoppin Us Now!
We've got the groove!

2 comments:

The Doctor said...

Hi - I just recently learned of this story and found your webpage and thought I would add what I know. Casey Kasem reported this story on American Top 40 in August of 1979 - His version of the story was that McFadden and Whitehead were originally scheduled to be on this flight but agreed to do one more radio interview in Chicago which meant they wouldn't make the flight and caused them to reschedule their flight to the next day -

The song Ain't No Stopping Us Now first made the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1979, a month before the plane crash.

I know these stories sometimes evolve over time, but interested to know how you heard this version of the story. Either way, it's a great song! Thanks,

Femi Olawole said...

Hi Doctor,

Thanks for your kind comment.

Guess what? You have now provided the missing link in the story. This is because I wrote thus:

"...Gong by news reports at that time, no one knew why McFadden & Whitehead refused to board the plane..."

But now, you have supplied the missing link in the story.

Thanks again.

Femi.