I Will Survive

"I Will Survive" is a song recorded by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 by Polydor Records as the second single from her sixth album, Love Tracks (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. The song's lyrics describe the narrator's discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup. The song is frequently regarded as an anthem of gay empowerment, as well as a disco staple. "I Will Survive" received heavy airplay in 1979. The single spent three non-consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, and also peaked atop the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart. It was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It won Best Disco Recording at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards, and also received nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It is one of the best-selling singles in history to date, having sold over 15 million copies worldwide. In 2016, the Library of Congress deemed Gaynor's original recording to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Recording Registry. In 2023 and 2025, Billboard magazine included "I Will Survive" in their lists of the best pop and dance songs of all time.

Composition and recording According to Dino Fekaris, the principal writer of the song, "I Will Survive" has its genesis in his experience getting fired by Motown Records in the mid-1970s after seven years working there as a staff writer. Jobless, he turned on the TV in his room, and a theme song he had written for the film Generation (performed by Rare Earth) happened to be playing. He took it as a good omen, and jumped up and down on the bed saying, "I'm going to make it. I'm going to be a songwriter. I will survive!". Fekaris teamed up with his collaborator Freddie Perren, another former member of the Motown production team, to write the song; however, the song remained unrecorded for two years as no suitable singer was available.

In 1978, Perren was asked by Polydor to produce "Substitute" for Gloria Gaynor, which he agreed on the understanding that he could also produce the B-side. When Gaynor was asked what kind of songs she liked, she said she liked "songs that are meaningful, have good lyrics, and touch people's hearts". The producers then handed her the song lyrics of "I Will Survive" scribbled on a piece of brown paper. Gaynor recognized the song as a hit immediately. According to Robert "Boogie" Bowles, who played guitar on the song, in the three-hour recording session, the session musicians spent most of their time recording the A side, "Substitute". As a result, they only had 35 minutes to record the B-side "I Will Survive". They also did not even know the song title or the melody of the song, but they were fairly relaxed recording it in the belief that the B-side would likely not be played. Based only on the chord changes and a few notes, they improvised freely much of the backing track, and Bowles filled in the bare bone of the tune with jazzy blues licks. Due to the difference in the intro from the main body of the tune which made a smooth transition difficult, it was recorded in two parts and then spliced together. Gaynor then recorded the vocals wearing a back brace, having just had a surgery due to a fall at a concert. The injury and a recent bereavement made Gaynor identify with the sentiment of "I Will Survive"; she said: "That's why I was able to sing the song with so much conviction".

Releases Although Gaynor was convinced that "I Will Survive" would be a hit and tried to persuade the label to release it as the A side, the label refused to entertain the idea and it was released as the B-side to "Substitute". Gaynor's husband took the song to the Studio 54 DJ Richie Kaczor, who loved it. Gaynor gave Kaczor a stack of the records to give to his friends. Other DJs in discos and radio stations soon followed and played that side of the record instead. The popularity of "I Will Survive" led to the label releasing the song as an A side. To support the single, a video shot at Xenon Discotheque in New York was released. It featured a roller skater – Sheila Reid-Pender from a local group called The Village Wizards – skate dancing on the dance floor. The original A-side "Substitute" appeared on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart for four weeks starting October 14, 1978, peaking at No. 78. It also appeared on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart for four weeks in October–November 1978, peaking at No. 107. "I Will Survive" on the other hand performed significantly better; it entered the Billboard Hot 100 in December that year and reached No. 1 on the chart in March 1979. The song received the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980, the only year the award was given. In 2012, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Remixes 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 and number three on the UK Dance Singles Chart. It also peaked at number six in Ireland and number nine in Portugal. In 1999, a remix of the song charted in France, peaking at number 23. And in 2000, another remix reached number six in Spain. In November 2013, Gaynor released a gospel album entitled We Will Survive, which includes a new, updated remix of "I Will Survive" by DJ Shpank in both extended and radio edit formats. In 2018, a remix again charted in France, peaking at number 12.

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