# 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.

## 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.
The song became a major international success, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in February 1986, 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, 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.

## 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".

## 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
Other versions
* 7th Heaven Club Mix – 6:44
* 7th Heaven Radio Edit – 4:22

## Certifications

Certifications for "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Belgium (BEA) | Gold | 25,000$^*$ |
| Netherlands (NVPI) | Platinum | 100,000$^^$ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Platinum | 20,000$^*$ |
| Sweden (GLF) | Gold | 25,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 500,000$^^$ |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||

## Boyzone version

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
* "When the Going Gets Tough"
* "What a Wonderful World" (performed by Alison Moyet)
* "Love Can Build a Bridge" (documentary track—performed by Cher, Chrissie Hynde and Neneh Cherry)
UK cassette single
* "When the Going Gets Tough"
* "What a Wonderful World" (performed by Alison Moyet)
French CD single
* "When the Going Gets Tough" – 3:35
* "I'll Never Not Need You" – 4:07

### Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the By Request album booklet.
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

### Certifications

Certifications for "When the Going Gets Tough" :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Platinum | 767,000 |

### Release history

Release dates and formats for "When the Going Gets Tough" :
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
| United Kingdom | 1 March 1999 | CDcassette | Polydor | |
| Japan | 19 May 1999 | CD | Polydor | |