I Will Survive

For other uses, see I Will Survive (disambiguation).

"I Will Survive"
Song

"I Will Survive" is a song first performed by Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. A top-selling song after its initial release, it has remained a popular disco anthem, certified as double platinum by the RIAA. The song's lyrics describe the narrator's discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup, delivered with increasing confidence and backed by a stirring instrumental accompaniment. It is one of the most famous disco songs of all time and remains Gaynor's biggest hit. It received heavy airplay in 1979, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the UK on consecutive days.

Releases

Originally released as the B-side to a cover version of the Righteous Brothers song "Substitute", "I Will Survive" became a worldwide hit for Gaynor when disc jockeys played that side of the record instead. New copies of the record were eventually pressed with "I Will Survive" as the A-side. ("Substitute" itself peaked at number 107 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.) As a disco number, the song was unique for its time by virtue of Gaynor's having no background singers. And, unlike her first disco hits, the track was not pitched up to make it faster and to render Gaynor's recorded voice in a higher register than that in which she actually sang. Most disco hits at the time were heavily produced, with multiple voices, overdubs, and adjustments to pitch and speed. "I Will Survive" had a much more spare and "clean" sound. Had it been originally planned and released as an A-side, it would almost certainly have undergone a substantially more heavy-handed remix.

The song received the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980, the only year the award was given. It is ranked #492 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and ranked at #97 on Billboard magazine's "All-Time Hot 100". [1] In 2000 the song was ranked #1 in VH1's list of the 100 greatest dance songs. Comedian George Carlin, however, listed it without comment as item 9 on his list of "10 Most Embarrassing Songs of All Time".

A promotional video was filmed in 1979 at the New York discothèque called Xenon. Sheila Reid-Pender of Harlem, NY is the featured skater in the video from the skating group, The Village Wizards. Although three videos were filmed that day, the "I Will Survive" video was the only one to survive. The video can be seen on VH-1 and You Tube.

Following the success of fellow 1970s disco stars Sister Sledge with remixed singles in the UK in 1993, "I Will Survive" was also remixed and released that summer. This remix reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.

Robbie Williams sampled the song in his 2000 hit, "Supreme".

Featured in the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), and stage musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical.

Official versions

Recorded by Gloria Gaynor

• "I Will Survive" (1978 single version) - 3.15
• "I Will Survive" (1978 album version) - 8.01
• "I Will Survive" (1993 Phil Kelsey Classic 12" Mix) - 7.52
• "I Will Survive" (1993 Phil Kelsey Classic 7" Mix) - 3.45
• "I Will Survive" (2009 re-recording)

Chart positions

Chart (1996)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	5
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs	35
U.S. Billboard Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales	10
UK Top 75	1

Cover versions

The song has been covered by musicians such as Diana Ross, Shirley Bassey, Billie Jo Spears, Selena, Chantay Savage, Antony and the Johnsons, Hermes House Band, the band Cake and in a recent duet by Jill and Lindsay from KickTease.

Cake

"I Will Survive"
Song
B-side	"Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle"

Cake covered the song rock style in 1996 on the album Fashion Nugget. Lead singer John McCrea altered the line "I should have changed that stupid lock" to "I should have changed my fucking lock." The word "fucking" is faded out in the Radio Edit version of the song.

Track listing

CD Single

1. "I Will Survive" (Radio Edit) – 4:14
2. "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" – 4:12

Promo CD

1. "I Will Survive" (Radio Edit) – 3:52
2. "I Will Survive" (Long Radio Edit) – 5:11

Music video

The music video for Cake's version features John McCrea as a parking control officer who is writing tickets in San Francisco, often at the expense of normally happy people (such as a newly wed couple). This is combined with footage of Todd Roper playing in the streets, Victor Damiani playing on top of a car, and Greg Brown playing in a crowded courtyard.

Chart positions

Year	Chart	Position
1996	Modern Rock Tracks (US)	28

Chantay Savage

"I Will Survive"
Song

R&B singer Chantay Savage scored the only cover version of the song to be certified Gold by the RIAA with her 1996 ballad version.

Track listing

1. "I Will Survive"