“I Will Survive” (6) is a song by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 as the second single from her sixth album, Love Tracks (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. A top-selling song, it is a popular disco anthem, as well as being certified Platinum by the RIAA. The song’s lyrics describe the narrator’s discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup. It received heavy airplay in 1979, spending three non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard as well as topping the UK and Irish Singles Charts. The song is also frequently recalled as a symbol of female empowerment. In 2016, the Library of Congress deemed Gaynor’s original recording to be “culturally, historically, or artistically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Recording Registry. A promotional video was filmed in 1979 at the New York discothèque called Xenon. Sheila Reid-Pender of Harlem is the featured skater in the video from the skating group, The Village Wizards. Although three videos were filmed that day, the “I Will Survive” video was the only one to survive.
Dutch group Hermes House Band covered the song in 1994, retitled “I Will Survive (La La La)“, topping both the Dutch Top 40 and Single Top 100 charts. In 1998 and 2018, their version reached number one on the French hitlist after the win from the French Team at the FIFA World Cup.
American rock band Cake covered “I Will Survive” in a soft rock-style in 1996, on their second album, Fashion Nugget (1996). In addition to many subtle changes, lead singer John McCrea altered the lyrics. In an interview, Gaynor stated she did not like Cake’s version of the song because it used “profanity”. The music video of Cake’s version features McCrea as a city parking enforcement officer driving around in a Cushman three-wheeled scooter as he leaves tickets on various cars. Their version peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard chart in March 1997.
American singer Chantay Savage covered “I Will Survive” in 1996 as a ballad. It was released as the first single from her second album, I Will Survive (Doin’ It My Way (1996). This version peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard, and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Gerald Martinez from New Sunday Times wrote, “Chantay has a fabulous voice, with a great range and rich, chocolatey tone, in the Anita Baker mould. She performs the old hit, I Will Survive, at a slower sexier pace than the original, making it a very different statement than the rousing anthemic style of the original. This is a more personal, more vulnerable version. Nice track indeed.”
American singer Diana Ross released a cover of “I Will Survive” in 1996. It was released in April, as the fourth and final single from her twenty-first album, Take Me Higher (1995). The song is produced by Narada Michael Walden and peaked at number 14 in the United Kingdom. It also reached number three in Iceland and number 16 in Scotland. In the United States, it peaked at number 37 on the Billboard chart.
The Voice UK contestant, Leah McFall, performed the song on the first live show in the style of Chantay Savage. Following the programme, the studio recording of the performance was released and reached number three on UK iTunes. The song debuted at number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart in June 2013, and in the following week it reached number eight.
Finally, Postmodern Jukebox bring us their version. Sara Niemietz just returned from a 4 month of Europe, and she’s back with a ’40s style remake of the disco classic, “I Will Survive” – complete with a Latin ballroom dance break.
