Shout out to you, Andrew. Happy birthday!
“Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead (Philadelphia International, 1979)
I’d say that music became a conscious part of my life between the ages of 2 and 3. Many of my initial memories of listening to songs on the radio, watching my older relatives play records, and seeing musicians on TV shows begin in late 1978/early 1979. “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now”, along with Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” was one of the first songs I recognized as being a hit. And it was ubiquitous throughout the spring and summer of 1979 and for years after. It was the theme of family barbecues and neighborhood cookouts for years to come, and its message of unyielding positivity fueled everything from sports teams (I remember it being repurposed for the Detroit Tigers World Series run in 1984) to the concept of Black upward mobility, which was picking up steam thanks to pop culture signposts like The Jeffersons.
McFadden & Whitehead are, technically, one hit wonders. Although “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” was the only time they made noise as artists, the duo had a lengthy resume of hits as songwriters. They were most closely associated with Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International Records, penning hits for the label like “Back Stabbers”, “Wake Up Everybody”, and other songs that’ll appear here later on. The disco-flavored “No Stoppin’” signified the beginning of the end of Philly Int’l’s run at the top of the charts (Teddy Pendergrass, the label’s biggest artist, becoming a quadriplegic three years later signified the end of the end). 4 1/2 decades after topping the American soul charts, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” still supplies a boost of powerful positivity whenever I need it, and certainly remains a favorite of two-steppin’ aunties and uncles at cookouts everywhere.
“Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers (Sussex, 1971)
“Ain’t No Sunshine” by Michael Jackson (Motown, 1971)
We’re gonna switch the mood up on y’all real quick.
Bill Withers introduced himself to the world as a blue-collar soul man from West Virginia, armed with a guitar and lyrics that told a tale as old as time (my girl left me and now I’m really sad). Those lyrics (to say nothing of Bill’s powerful pipes) clearly resonated. “Ain’t No Sunshine” is a standard. It’s been covered masterfully by everyone from Nancy Wilson to Sting.
My favorite interpretation of “Ain’t No Sunshine”, however, comes from the future King of Pop. Think about the lyrics of this song. Think about the fact that MJ recorded his version when he was all of 13 years old. There’s no way that works, right? Wrong. It’s one thing to be a technically gifted vocalist when you’re still a child, it’s something else entirely to believably sell songs that should be way out of your emotional league. Performances like this are why Michael Jackson was considered one of the greats before he was legally allowed to drive a car.
And let’s also give the drummer some here. I don’t know who hit the skins on MJ’s version, but to out-drum the legendary Al Jackson Jr. (the Booker T & The M.G.s drummer who plays on Withers’ version) is a feat.
“Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin (Atlantic, 1968)
Let’s go from the King of Pop to the Queen of Soul. “Ain’t No Way” is an elegant, bluesy ballad from Aretha’s imperial phase. You can’t really go wrong with anything Aretha recorded from 1967-1972 or so, but “Ain’t No Way” has gone on to become one of her more frequently covered songs. It’s been remade so many times that I actually assumed it was a huge hit. Turned out, not so much (it peaked at #9 on the R&B charts). Anyway, Aretha’s vocals and piano playing are impeccable, soulful and bluesy. But the song’s kicked into the stratosphere by the high-pitched, near-operatic background vocals, which were provided by Cissy (Whitney’s mom) Houston.
Also, let’s give props to Aretha’s (queer!) sister Carolyn, who wrote “Ain’t No Way” and several other classics made popular by the Queen.
“Ain’t Nobody” by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (Warner Bros., 1983)
“Ain’t Nobody” by Mary J. Blige (Geffen, 2011)
Chaka Khan is my favorite vocalist of all time. Even her less exciting records are worth checking out because of her ability to sing anything, no matter the genre. She is a master at phrasing, she knows intuitively how to inhabit a lyric, and the way she bends syllables (or whole words) is a marvel. On a good day, her vocals remain transcendent, and there’s something to be said for that since she’s been ruining that voice with chemicals for fifty years. In a career full of iconic songs, “Ain’t Nobody” is one of her most iconic. It’s probably the most well-known of her hits outside of “I Feel for You” and “I’m Every Woman”. A probably apocryphal story is that Michael and Quincy turned “Ain’t Nobody” down for Thriller. And while I’m curious what this song sounds like in Mike’s voice (there’s probably an AI version of it somewhere…*shudder*), I think that ultimately, “Ain’t Nobody” landed right where it should have.
I’m also curious how many actual members of Rufus appear on this song, as it seems to be primarily Chaka and synthesizers (and some sporadic guitar). Actually, seeing as “Ain’t Nobody” is something of a toss-off (one of three studio tracks on a contractual-fulfillment live album by a band that had already split up), it’s a wonder (and a testament to Chaka’s skills) that a song this good resulted from those consequences.
There’d be no Mary J. Blige without Chaka Khan, and the Queen of Hip Hop Soul (a lot of royalty in this sequence!) has acknowledged and repaid the favor on a number of occasions. “Ain’t Nobody” isn’t the first Chaka song Mary has covered: a version of “Sweet Thing” (that Chaka rightfully dragged) appears on MJB’s very first album. However, 2011 Mary ain’t 1992 Mary. Aided by a propulsive Rodney Jerkins track that kicks hard, MJB rides “Ain’t Nobody” like a rodeo champ, making the song her own with some stuttering ad-libs towards the end. It’s a worthy tribute.
“Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But the Rent” by Gwen Guthrie (Island, 1986)
I will always associate “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But the Rent” with Eddie Murphy’s “Raw”, and it’s weird to me that in 1986, the idea that a man had to have a job to get a potential partner’s attention was novel. Seriously, though: in the first 30 years of the rock era, the typical female singer in pop music was devotional and subservient in a way that kinda gives me the ick. Janet and Madonna, Cyndi and Tina broke down that door (although artists like Millie Jackson had been banging at it for years). Gwen’s lyrics were as insightful as they were funny (“you have to have a J-O-B if you wanna be with me”, “no romance without finance”), and the echo-ey, dubby production (courtesy of reggae legends Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare) turned “Rent” into one of the ‘80s most memorable dance singles.
Up next, Motown continues creating great songs utilizing the word “ain’t”, Kurt’s farewell, and an Elvis sighting!
Running tally-type shit because I like stats:
Total songs: 20
2 songs from the 1960s
5 songs from the 1970s
9 songs from the 1980s
3 songs from the 2010s
8 songs by male solo artists, 7 songs by duos/groups/bands, 4 songs by a female solo artist, 1 collaborative performance by two (or more) solo artists
Michael Jackson is the first artist to appear twice (and as such, leads all artists in appearances on this list)*
*Chaka Khan’s vocals got removed from “Addicted to Love”, otherwise she’d be joining MJ here.