You Can't Stop the Beat

"You Can't Stop the Beat"
Song by the Hairspray cast
from the album Hairspray
Released2002
Genre
Length5:24
Songwriter(s)

"You Can't Stop The Beat" is the finale number in the 2002 musical Hairspray. It is sung by Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, Edna, Motor Mouth, Velma, and Amber with Corny and Wilbur as backing singers. Although the lyrics touch on sizeism and racism, the song also references broader themes of change and progression. The song pays tribute to the Phil Spector-produced 1966 Ike & Tina Turner hit "River Deep – Mountain High".[1][2] Members of the Hairspray Live! cast have lovingly mocked the song as "You Can't Stop to Breathe", in reference to the song and accompanying choreography being considerably high energy and difficult.[3]

  1. ^ Heller, Dana (2011). Hairspray. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781444395624.
  2. ^ Shewey, Don (2002) [2002-10-01]. "Broadway's biggest do". The Advocate: 62–63.
  3. ^ "You Can't Stop…to Breathe! Find Out What Song the Cast Is Scared to Perform on "Hairspray Live!"". www.yahoo.com. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 2022-03-31.