I Will Survive

“I Will Survive” is one of the most loved and sung to tracks of the century. Sung by American disco/ soul singer Gloria Gaynor, the song follows the narrative of a woman who realises her strength after a horrific breakup. The song is frequently viewed as a symbol of female strength and is also very well known and loved in the gay community, becoming a gay anthem.

In 2016, the Library of Congress deemed the original recording of the song to be “culturally, historically or artistically significant”, and was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry. For a disco track, the song was unique at the time as it had no background vocalists – something that was common for disco numbers at that time. The track stood out for its clean and minimalistic approach to disco, rather than its non pitched up vocals, and lack of overdubs or adjustments to pitch and speed, it was praised for its musical sound.

Release Date: 23rd October 1978

Songwriter/s: Freddie Perren, Dino Fekaris

Producer/s: Dino Fekaris

Label/s: Polydor Records

Chart Rankings, Certifications & Awards: It reached #1 in the US, the UK, Ireland and Canada the year it was released. It also made it to the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland. It is certified Platinum in the US, UK and Canada. VH1 placed the track at #1 in their list of “100 Greatest Dance Songs” in 2000, #2 in the 2012 Rolling Stones magazine’s poll of “The Best Disco Songs of All Time”, and has sold over 14 million copies worldwide. The track also won the Grammy Award for “Best Disco Recording” in 1980, which is the only year the award was given.