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

"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.

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 (US)
January 1986 (UK)
Recorded1985
Length5:44 (Album Version)
4:08 (Radio Edit)
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)Wayne Anton Brathwaite, Barry James Eastmond, Mutt Lange, Billy Ocean
Producer(s)Barry Eastmond, Wayne Brathwaite
Billy Ocean singles chronology
"Suddenly"
(1986)		 "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going"
(1985)		 "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)"
(1986)
Audio sample
"When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going"
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Written by Wayne Brathwaite, Barry Eastmond, Mutt Lange and Billy Ocean, the song was used as the theme song for the Michael Douglas film, The Jewel of the Nile. The saxophone solo is by Vernon Jeffrey Smith.[1]

Aided by a video featuring Douglas and co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito as lip-synching backup singers, as well as DeVito miming the saxophone solo, the song became a major international hit reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in February 1986,[2] and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, stalling behind "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston.

12" track listing
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[3]
Other Versions
  • 7th Heaven Club Mix - 6:44
  • 7th Heaven Radio Edit - 4:22

Chart performance
Chart (1986) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 1
Austrian Singles Chart 8
Belgian Singles Chart 1
Canadian Singles Chart 1
Dutch Singles Chart 1
French Singles Chart 6
German Singles Chart 2
Irish Singles Chart 1
New Zealand Singles Chart 3
Norwegian Singles Chart 1
Spain (AFYVE)[5] 2
Swedish Singles Chart 2
Swiss Singles Chart 2
UK Singles Chart[6] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 2
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles 6
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary 2
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 31
Year-end chart (1986)Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[7] 31

Certifications

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Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[8] Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] 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
Recorded1999
Length
  • 5:44 (album version)
  • 4:08 (UK radio edit)
  • 2:59 (US radio edit)
LabelUniversal
Songwriter(s)Billy Ocean, Barry Eastmond, Wayne Brathwaite, Mutt Lange
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)

The Irish boyband 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, becoming their fifth chart-topper. It spent two weeks at number one. The song received 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

CD1

  1. "When the Going Gets Tough" - 3:35
  2. "What a Wonderful World" (Featuring Alison Moyet) - 4:00
  3. "Love Can Build a Bridge" - 3:59

CD2 (limited-edition Pop Up Red Nose digipak)[10]

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

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Platinum 600,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "V. JEFFREY SMITH (TORS-Producer/Sound Engineer)... - The Outlet Radio Show". Theoutletradioshow.tumblr.com. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 458–9. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. "Billy Ocean - When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 221. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  5. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  6. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 631. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc (27 December 1986). "1986 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 98 (52): Y-21.
  8. "European Gold & Platinum Awards 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. 27 December 1986. p. 33. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  9. "British single certifications – Billy Ocean – When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  10. "Boyzone When The Going Gets Tough - Pop Up France CD single (CD5 / 5") (142509)". Eil.com. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  11. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 12. 20 March 1999. p. 8. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  12. "Lescharts.com – Boyzone – When the Going Gets Tough" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Boyzone". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  14. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  16. "Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1999" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005.
  17. "Yearly Best Selling Singles" (PDF). British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  18. "British single certifications – Boyzone – When the Going Gets Tough". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
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