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.
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.
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, and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, stalling behind "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston.

12" track listing

;Other Versions
Year-end chart Rank
US Top Pop Singles 31

Certifications

certification Table Bottom

Boyzone version

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 #1 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 listing

; CD1
  1. "When the Going Gets Tough" - 3:35
  2. "What a Wonderful World" - 4:00
  3. "Love Can Build a Bridge" - 3:59
; CD2
  1. "When the Going Gets Tough" - 3:35
  2. "I'll Never Not Need You" - 4:07

    Charts

Year-end charts

Certifications