GLORIA GAYNOR - I WILL SURVIVE

Publicació: 23 d'octubre de 1978

Llistes: Regne Unit: #1 (3 setmanes)  EUA: #1 (4 setmanes)

"I Will Survive" és un himne disco de Gloria Gaynor, llançat l’octubre de 1978 com el segon single del seu àlbum "Love Tracks". Escrita per Freddie Perren i Dino Fekaris, la lletra explica el viatge del narrador per superar una difícil ruptura i trobar fortalesa interior. Des de llavors, s'ha convertit en un símbol de poder femení i continua sent un clàssic disco valorat.

"I Will Survive" no és només un èxit disco sinó també un símbol de resiliència per a molts. Escrita per Dino Fekaris, va ser la seva resposta en ser acomiadat de Motown Records. Malgrat aquest contratemps, veure la seva cançó "Generation" sonant a la televisió li va donar esperança i determinació per seguir la seva carrera com a compositor. Per Fekaris, la cançó es va convertir en un himne personal de superar l'adversitat i creure en un mateix. Després de deixar Motown, els antics productors Freddie Perren i Dino Fekaris es van unir i van trobar l’èxit amb "Reunited" de Peaches & Herb, que va encapçalar les llistes. Quan van escriure "I Will Survive", inicialment no tenien cap artista per interpretar-la. Gloria Gaynor, buscant treball de producció en una cançó anomenada "Substitute", va acabar gravant "I Will Survive" com a cara B.

"I Will Survive" va guanyar popularitat quan els DJs de les discoteques i les emissores de ràdio van començar a posar-la en lloc de la cara A prevista, "Substitute". Finalment, Polydor Records va canviar les cares del disc, cosa que va portar al seu ascens al capdamunt de les llistes, on va arribar al número 1 als Estats Units el març de 1979.

El vídeo promocional es va rodar el 1979 en una discoteca de Nova York anomenada Xenon. Hi apareix Gloria Gaynor cantant, intercalat amb seqüències de ball sobre patins realitzades per Sheila Reid-Pender de Harlem, membre del grup de patinadors The Village Wizards. Tot i que aquell dia es van rodar tres vídeos, el de "I Will Survive" va ser l'únic que es va aprofitar. Gaynor no va estar present durant la gravació del segment de patinatge. Gaynor i Pender es van conèixer per primer cop el 7 de juliol de 2014, a Nova York, al 92nd St. YMCA, després d'una conferència de Gaynor i una sessió de signatura promocional del seu llibre "We Will Survive". Al llibre, Gaynor va escriure: "Volia que tothom, inclòs jo mateixa, cregués que podríem sobreviure".

GLORIA GAYNOR - I WILL SURVIVE

Released : October 23, 1978

Charted:  UK: #1 (3 weeks)  US: #1 (4 weeks) 

"I Will Survive" is a disco anthem by Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 as the second single from her album "Love Tracks." Written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, the song's lyrics depict the narrator's journey of overcoming a difficult breakup and finding inner strength. It has since become a symbol of female empowerment and remains a beloved disco classic.

"I Will Survive" is not just a disco hit but also a symbol of resilience for many. Written by Dino Fekaris, it was his response to being let go by Motown Records. Despite this setback, seeing his song "Generation" playing on TV gave him hope and determination to pursue his songwriting career. For Fekaris, the song became a personal anthem of overcoming adversity and believing in oneself. After leaving Motown, former producers Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris teamed up and found success with Peaches & Herb's "Reunited," which topped the charts. When they wrote "I Will Survive," they initially had no artist to perform it. Gloria Gaynor, seeking production work on a song called "Substitute," ultimately recorded "I Will Survive" as the B-side. 

"I Will Survive" gained traction when club DJs and radio stations started playing it instead of the intended A-side, "Substitute." Polydor Records eventually flipped the sides, leading to the song's rise to the top of the charts, where it peaked at #1 in the US in March 1979.

The promotional video for "I Will Survive" was filmed in 1979 at a New York discothèque called Xenon. It features Gloria Gaynor singing while interspersed with roller skating dance sequences performed by Sheila Reid-Pender of Harlem, a member of the skating group The Village Wizards. Although three videos were filmed that day, the "I Will Survive" video was the only one to survive. Gaynor was not present during the taping of the roller skating segment of the video. Gaynor and Pender met for the first time on July 7, 2014, in New York at the 92nd St. YMCA after Gaynor's lecture and promotional signing of her book We Will Survive. In the book, Gaynor wrote, "I wanted everybody—including myself—to believe that we could survive."