I have mentioned Gloria Gaynor and her definitive "I Will Survive" for one of the regular articles somewhere in KKP but I can't remember which one. However, this time, the song is getting the ROY treatment.
Released on October 23rd 1978, and yep, it is a total coincidence that I'm putting up this disco classic on its 47th anniversary today, I used to first hear this as a track being touted on one of those disco LP compilations that I saw on television all the time. And the first time I heard it in its entirety, it wasn't by Gaynor herself but actress Marilu Henner from the "Taxi" comedy series when she performed it on some TV special. In fact, I have to say that last night was the first time I got to see the entire music video with Gaynor and roller-skating dancers.
It was also interesting to find out that "I Will Survive" is the culmination of folks truly getting over some bad stuff in their lives. For example, according to the Wikipedia article for the song, co-songwriter Dino Fekaris came up with the song after having been suddenly fired from Motown Records following steady work there for many years. Gaynor herself recorded "I Will Survive" while wearing a back brace due to an injury on stage and having gone through the loss of a loved one. This is truly the anthem for defiance and overcoming adversity.
"I Will Survive" managed to reach No. 3 on Canada's RPM and No. 1 on America's Billboard chart where it kept popping up over non-consecutive weeks. Also, coincidentally enough, I managed to find the Top 10 Oricon chart for October 23rd 1978. What was up in the Top 3?
1. Pink Lady -- Toumei Ningen （透明人間）
2. Takao Horiuchi -- Kimi no Hitomi wa Ichi-man Boruto （君のひとみは10000ボルト）
3. Southern All Stars -- Katte ni Sinbad （勝手にシンドバッド）
"I Will Survive" is a classic! I do not remember when I first heard it but I do know even in the late 80's and early 90's it was still played on the radio. One of the top 40 radio stations in my city play live from one of the dance clubs in town and they have some awesome remixes of popular songs and "I will Survive" is on the songs that often popped up!
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