When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going (song)

This article is about the 1985 song by Billy Ocean. For the 1985 song by Raven, see Stay Hard. For other uses, see When the Going Gets Tough.
"When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going"
Standard picture sleeve
Single by Billy Ocean
from the album The Jewel of the Nile Soundtrack and Love Zone
Released15 November 1985 (1985-11-15)
Recorded1985
GenreDance-pop[1]
Length
  • 5:44 (album version)
  • 4:09 (single/soundtrack version)
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Barry Eastmond
  • Wayne Brathwaite
Billy Ocean singles chronology
"The Long and Winding Road"
(1985) 		"When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going"
(1985) 		"There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)"
(1986)

"When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" is a 1985 song co-written and originally recorded by English singer Billy Ocean in 1985.

Description

Written by Wayne Brathwaite, Barry Eastmond, Mutt Lange and Ocean, the song was used as the theme song for the Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner film The Jewel of the Nile (1985), a sequel to Romancing the Stone (1984). The saxophone solo is by Vernon Jeffrey Smith.[2]

The song became a major international success, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in February 1986,[3] and number two on the Billboard Hot 100, stalling behind "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston. It remains his only number-one single in the UK to date.

Music video

A music video was shot at Brixton Academy in London,[4] and features Douglas and his Jewel of the Nile co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito as lip-synching backing vocalists. It reportedly boosted the popularity of the venue.

The video was initially banned on Top of the Pops because the actors were not part of the Musicians' Union, meaning DeVito's miming of the saxophone solo went against the rules.[5]

Critical reception

Jerry Smith of the Music Week magazine gave a critical review of "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going", stating it was a "very slick US pop number" that "lacks substance and is barely saved by Ocean's strong vocal performance".[6]

Track listing

12-inch single
A1 "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" (Extended Version) – 5:43
A2 "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" (7″ Version) – 4:08
B1 "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" (Club Mix) – 7:35
B2 "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" (Instrumental) – 5:12[7]

Other versions

  • 7th Heaven Club Mix – 6:44
  • 7th Heaven Radio Edit – 4:22

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[50] Gold 25,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[51] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[52] Platinum 20,000*
Sweden (GLF)[53] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Boyzone version

"When the Going Gets Tough"
Single by Boyzone
from the album By Request
Released1 March 1999 (1999-03-01)
Length3:38
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Steve Mac
Boyzone singles chronology
"I Love the Way You Love Me"
(1998) 		"When the Going Gets Tough"
(1999) 		"You Needed Me"
(1999)

Irish boy band Boyzone recorded a cover version for the 1999 Comic Relief telethon, shortening the title to "When the Going Gets Tough". Like the original, their version also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks, becoming their fifth chart-topper and receiving a platinum certification in the UK. The video included Graham Norton, Jo Brand, Phill Jupitus, Mel Smith, Davina McCall, Harry Hill, Steve Collins, John McCririck, Jimmy White, Mystic Meg, Will Mellor, James Dreyfus, the cast of Emmerdale, Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish, and Ulrika Jonsson and Saracen from Gladiators.

Track listings

UK CD single[55]

  1. "When the Going Gets Tough"
  2. "What a Wonderful World" (performed by Alison Moyet)
  3. "Love Can Build a Bridge" (documentary track—performed by Cher, Chrissie Hynde and Neneh Cherry)

UK cassette single[56]

  1. "When the Going Gets Tough"
  2. "What a Wonderful World" (performed by Alison Moyet)

French CD single[57]

  1. "When the Going Gets Tough" – 3:35
  2. "I'll Never Not Need You" – 4:07

Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the By Request album booklet.[58]

Main personnel

Orchestra

  • Guy Barker – trumpet
  • Phil Todd – saxophone
  • Ann Morfee – violin
  • Ian Humphries – violin
  • Rebecca Hirsch – violin
  • Nicolette Humphries – violin
  • Helen Paterson – violin
  • Richard George – violin
  • Clare Thompson – violin
  • Anna Hemery – violin
  • Laura Melhuish – violin
  • Steve Morris – violin
  • Deborah Widdup – violin
  • Gillian Kent – violin
  • Clare Finnimore – viola
  • Bruce White – viola
  • Paul Martin – viola
  • Sue Dench – viola
  • Nick Cooper – cello
  • Jonathan Tunnell – cello
  • Audrey Riley – cello
  • Emma Black – cello
  • Richard Niles – string and brass arrangement
  • Graeme Perkins – orchestra contractor

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "When the Going Gets Tough"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[67] Platinum 600,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "When the Going Gets Tough"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 1 March 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 Polydor [68]
Japan 19 May 1999 CD [69]

References

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  2. ^ "V. JEFFREY SMITH (TORS-Producer/Sound Engineer)... - The Outlet Radio Show". Theoutletradioshow.tumblr.com. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
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  4. ^ Billy Ocean is Finding Out About the Important Things in Life
  5. ^ When the Going Gets Tough Lyrics Meaning
  6. ^ Smith, Jerry (25 January 1986). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 10. Retrieved 7 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
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