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.Īccording to Dino Fekaris, the principal writer of the song, 'I Will Survive' has its genesis in his experience getting fired by Motown Records in the mid-1970s after seven years working there as a staff writer. The song is also frequently recalled as a symbol of female empowerment. It received heavy airplay in 1979, spending three non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as topping the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart. The song's lyrics describe the narrator's discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup. A top-selling song, it is a popular disco anthem, as well as being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. Promoted by Polydor as 'More than a hit - it's a way of life,' 'I Will Survive' was also adopted as a gay rights anthem on its way to topping the pop charts for three weeks in 1979, and when given new life on the soundtrack of the 1994 drag-queen comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, it reached number one in Australia 15 years after its original release.' I Will Survive' is a song by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 as the second single from her sixth album, Love Tracks (1978). Upon leaving the hospital, she teamed with the writing and production duo of Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris to create 'I Will Survive.' A declaration of resilience and phoenix-like rebirth in the wake of a lover's betrayal, as a triumph of the spirit the song boasts so much attitude and sass that it veers dangerously close to pure camp - Gaynor wrings every last drop of drama from the lyrics, bolstered by a sweeping string arrangement ripped directly from the show tune tradition.

From there it got worse: While performing in Europe in the spring of 1978, Gaynor slipped off the stage, suffering a severe spinal injury that kept her bedridden for nine months around the same time, she lost her mother as well. Gaynor didn't need to look far for inspiration: After scoring her first hit, 1974's 'Never Can Say Goodbye,' she was crowned the Queen of Disco, but subsequent singles stiffed and soon her throne was usurped by Donna Summer. Equal parts dancefloor juggernaut and Broadway show-stopper, Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' remains the disco era's definitive expression of feminine empowerment, a gloriously over-the-top celebration of strength, independence, and finger-wagging defiance in the face of heartbreak and loss.

We will survive by gloria gaynor