A song can be an incredibly personal creation. Many capture general feelings of happiness, anger, affection. Some can have very specific stories yet all sorts of listeners can relate to it. Such is the case for “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, which is rooted in her very real story and struggles, but can get people feeling pumped up, heartbroken, and ready to conquer their next battle even today.
“I Will Survive” was first recorded by Gaynor in October 1978, just in time for her album Love Tracks. That gave it all of ’79 to dominate the airwaves, lounge out for three weeks at the very top of the US Billboard Hot 100, win a Grammy plus two nominations, get certified platinum, and, in later years, get selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. But even without all those numbers, the very real stories from listeners and from Gaynor herself, who just launched a major comeback, show this song’s real strength is in its power to inspire.
Gloria Gaynor tapped into real emotions to compose “I Will Survive”
“I Will Survive” is a bittersweet soup of many different challenging yet relatable experiences, both from Gloria Gaynor and all others who had a hand in making this empowering anthem. Principal writer Dino Fekaris says the track has roots in the time he was fired from Motown Records after seven years a a staff writer; a song he wrote for Generation, performed by Good Earth, came on, and he took that as an encouraging sign to keep going, and he even said aloud to himself, “I’m going to make it. I’m going to be a songwriter. I will survive.”
When asked what songs she liked best, Gaynor listed “songs that are meaningful, have good lyrics, and touch people’s hearts.” Producers handed over “I Will Survive” written on a piece of brown paper and she was won over immediately.
While Fekaris had a significant hand in the song’s origins, it did also come to reflect Gaynor’s own troubles. “That song is my story,” she said to The Independent. It “carries the torch of empowerment,” as Gaynor described, creating an environment of hope that she herself desperately needed in the early days of her music career, like when she dreamed of creating gospel music only to be told by a dismissive manager that “no one wants” it. Her march to the top was fraught with every step, but fans know she reached remarkable success—and that’s just what the song reminds listeners all these decades later.
It’s small wonder this was the title inspiration behind Gaynor’s comeback.
To this day, it resonates and empowers both fans and the artist herself, who made a successful comeback
Gaynor has had a few career revivals over the years, never quite able to sttop for too long—literally, as in 2021 she returned to disco by recording “Can’t Stop Writing Songs About You” with Australian singer Kylie Minogue. Later that spring, she recorded “Brand New.” The following year, she competed on The Masked Singer.
But out of all the tracks new and old to her name, it was “I Will Survive” that became the title behind the documentary by Betsy Schechter. Variety notes that it fits perfectly that this song inspired the title, as it keeps with the way other movies about music stars are titled, like What’s Love Got to Do With It about Tina Turner. The documentary I Will Survive was released in June 2023 and chronicles her life and career over the years, right to Gaynor’s comeback.
A significant portion of the film is dedicated to Gaynor’s gospel productions, spurred on by her 2019 album Testimony. At that point, she was comfortable enough to triumphantly pursue whatever music she wanted with abandon. Now at age 80, Gaynor is still doing just that with “I Will Survive.”
“Going through a tough break up , this song makes me feel better,” one listener admitted under the YouTube video that has over 96 million views. Another praised, “She has no idea how many lives she has saved with this one masterpiece , thank you for being the big sis I never had but always needed.” Another said, “This song has saved many women and helped us get back up when we thought we couldn’t.”
Yet another perfectly summed up the relatable yet empowering formula that makes this song so perfect, saying, “I really like how she sings about both her vulnerability at being left alone and then about her personal growth and self respect. That’s something special not communicated in most songs. Fantastic song!”