[youtube id=”ZBR2G-iI3-I”] Gloria Gaynor was one of the first artists to bring disco music to the mainstream with her 1975 album Never Can Say Goodbye. She became an international presence after the success of her cover of “Never Can Say Goodbye” and made five more albums before she had her biggest breakthrough. Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris wrote “I Will Survive”, when they were unemployed songwriters, needing some self-encouragement. Gaynor recorded “I Will Survive” in 1978 and became famous and received the only Grammy Award For Best Disco Recording in 1980 before the category was dismissed. People around the world embraced the song as a tool of resilience in their lives and it became an anthem for the LGBTQ community. The success of “I Will Survive” started when a DJ in Boston played the song on the radio going against the plans of the record company that believed in the hit potential of the single “Substitute” which was on the A-side of the vinyl. Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” has managed to be one of the only songs to survive the disco backlash of the ’80s. Listeners hear “I Will Survive” as a powerful song and don’t connect it to a commodified music trend of the past. Diana Ross and Celia Cruz are among the artists to cover “I Will Survive” but it will forever be connected to Gaynor. In 2017, “I Will Survive” was put into the Library Of Congress’ National Recording Registry. Â
