One of the biggest tracks of the disco era was Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” today’s classic song of the day. Released in December of 1978, “I Will Survive” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. It also topped the charts in Canada, Ireland, and the UK, and was a staple on dance floors for years. (It may still be today, but I wouldn’t know as I haven’t been in a dance club for I don’t know how many decades.)
“I Will Survive” was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, both formerly with Motown. Freddie Perren was part of the songwriting and production combine known as the Corporation that was responsible for a number of hits for the Jackson 5, including “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “Mama’s Pearl.” Mr. Perren also co-wrote and co-produced “Boogie Fever” for the Sylvers, “Shake Your Groove Thing” and “Reunited” for Peaches & Herb, and “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” for Tavares. Dino Fekaris was also co-writer of “Shake Your Groove Thing,” as well as David Naughton’s “Makin’ It” and Rare Earth’s “I Just Want to Celebrate.” They knew what they were doing.
Dino Fekaris said “I Will Survive” was inspired by his firing from Motown Records, after working there as a staff writer for seven years. One evening he was lying in bed, feeling sorry for himself, when the movie Generation appeared onscreen and he heard the movie’s theme song, which he had written. He took that as an omen:
“I’m going to make it. I’m going to be a songwriter. I will survive!”
“I Will Survive” was recorded in the final minutes of a three-hour Gloria Gaynor recording session devoted to the song “Substitute,” which Freddie Perren was producing for Polydor Records. “Substitute” was intended as the A-side of the single, with “I Will Survive” relegated to the B-side. After the single was released, Gaynor’s husband took the record to Richie Kaczor, the DJ at New York City’s Studio 54, who loved it and started playing it in his club. Other DJs in the city and across the country soon followed and before you know it, “I Will Survive” was a huge dance floor hit—and quickly migrated to mainstream radio and record stores. It finally reached the top of the charts in March of 1979.
“I Will Survive” was nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Disco Recording, Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Performance, winning for Best Disco Recording. In 2016, the Library of Congress selected Gloria Gaynor’s single for preservation in the National Recording Registry. It was one of the best-selling singles in history, having sold more than 15 million copies—and became an anthem for the gay community during the early years of the AIDS crisis.
For your daily bonus video of the day, here’s the music video Gloria Gaynor made for “I Will Survive.” It was filmed in the NYC nightclub Xenon and includes some bravura roller skating by Sheila Reid-Pender of the skating group the Village Wizards.
