A typical disco tune, a typical karaoke. But who composed Gloria Gaynor’s iconic rebel triumph, and how did she sing it? Here are all the facts behind ‘I Will Survive.’
Who wrote, “I Will Survive”?
‘I Will Survive’ was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekalis, who provided most of the lyrics. Fekaris has written other songs for Gloria Gaynor, but this is his only major triumph as a creator.
Perren also wrote favorite tracks for The Silvers’ disco song “Boogie Fever” and Peaches and Herb’s “Shake Your Groove Thing.” He was also part of Motown’s The Corporation, where he composed classic songs such as “I Want You Back” and “ABC” for The Jackson 5. He died at the age of 61. He died in 2004 at the age of 61.
What song is it “I Will Survive”?
The music is a tribute to women’s liberation and is about overcoming harmful interactions. What has since taken on a different meaning for people who have overcome difficult circumstances, Dino Fecaris refers to being fired from Motown Records, where he worked as a writer, he clarified.
He told Songfacts, “I was laid off after almost seven years. I was an unemployed songwriter contemplating my fate. I was performing right at the time” (The music stars rare earth).
“I thought it was a good omen that things would work out. I jumped on my bed and said, ‘I’m going to make it. I’m going to be a songwriter. I’m going to survive.’ “
How did Gloria Gaynor come up with this song?
After Peren and Fecalis left Motown, they formed their producer duo and scored an immediate hit with Peaches & Herb’s “Reunited.”
Once they wrote “I Will Survive,” no one could sing it. It ended when Gloria Gaynor and her record company, Perren, tried to produce a song, originally by the Righteous Brothers, called “Substitute.” Gaynor admitted to filming “I Will Survive” as a B-side.
Everyone who worked on the song knew it was older than the A-side, but Gaynor’s record company manager specifically wanted a “Substitute” and released it as the A-side as planned.
Substitute ‘only reached number 107 in the U.S. in October 1978, but club D.J.s began playing the B-side, and soon radio stations joined in.
Polydor released the single backward, and “I Will Survive” became a worldwide triumph, reaching number one in both the U.K. and the U.S.
It became an LGBT anthem. The music had a massive preponderance in the LGBT community.
It is primarily attributed to the lack of consent from LGBT people, especially after the song’s release in 1979. For this reason, the music is always called the “gay national anthem.”
Musicologist Nadine Hubbs writes that people in the LGBT community equate “I Will Survive.” At the dawn of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, it took on an even deeper meaning. “
Gloria Gaynor was not a one-hit-wonder.
Gloria Gaynor would be famous for the rest of her life with this music, but she had already achieved some success before its release. By then, she was 30 years old.
In 1975 she reached number two with her version of “Never Dog Say Goodbye” and released several albums. That said, she’s not worried about being labeled a one-hit-wonder.
“That way, I never get tired of singing it. I continually update it, changing the rhythm and the lyrics and modernizing the arrangement… I put a hip-hop part in the middle. There’s even that if I did this melody because 295% of the amateur radio population still loves it”.
| I Will Survive lyrics speak of female empowerment and the strength of those who have gone through a bad breakup in a relationship. Made popular by Gloria Gaynor as a disco song in 1979, the I Will Survive lyrics were written by Dino Fekaris and Freddie Perren.In 1980, I Will Survive won the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording, the only year that this kind of award was given. Though a disco song with a disco beat and highly conducive to dance, the I Will Survive lyrics provide a depth of meaning and story not present in most disco songs. |
I Will Survive Lyrics
First I was afraid
I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live
without you by my side
But I spent so many nights
thinking how you did me wrong
I grew strong
I learned how to carry on
and so you’re back
from outer space
I just walked in to find you here
with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed my stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second
you’d be back to bother me
Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
’cause you’re not welcome anymore
weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
you think I’d crumble
you think I’d lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I’ve got all my life to live
I’ve got all my love to give
and I’ll survive
I will survive
It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart
kept trying hard to mend
the pieces of my broken heart
and I spent oh so many nights
just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry
Now I hold my head up high
and you see me
somebody new
I’m not that chained up little person
still in love with you
and so you felt like dropping in
and just expect me to be free
now I’m saving all my loving
for someone who’s loving me
Note: Lyrics are copyrighted by the original artists, writers and publishers