I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1) and R&B (#1); 1979
Story Behind The Song By Harris Sterling
By 1978, Gloria Gaynor had already achieved success on the disco charts, but I Will Survive would become her defining recording. Written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, the song was originally released as the B-side to Substitute.
Disc jockeys quickly favored I Will Survive, and the record gained momentum in clubs before crossing over to pop radio. Released as an A-side single, it climbed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979 and also topped the R&B chart.
Built around a steady disco rhythm and dramatic string arrangement, the recording showcases Gaynor’s controlled yet powerful vocal delivery.
The lyric centers on personal resilience after the end of a relationship. Rather than pleading for reconciliation, the narrator expresses independence and renewed confidence. The message of strength and self-reliance resonated widely and helped elevate the song beyond the dance floor.
I Will Survive earned the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980 and remains one of the most recognizable anthems of the disco era.
This content was created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Harris Sterling. © 2026 Harris Sterling. All rights reserved.
Produced by:
Freddie Perren
Dino Fekaris
Lyrics Written by:
Freddie Perren
Dino Fekaris
Awards:
Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording (1980)
Harris Sterling
Independent music label executive Harris Sterling has worked in the music industry for most of his career.
As Executive Vice President for independent music label Madacy Entertainment, he led the strategic marketing and business development for the label, negotiating agreements with the major record labels to release custom music compilations under license with major brands, such as Ford Motor Company, Crayola, Care Bears and Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Harris also led Madacy’s strategy for the licensing of its entire music catalogue to Apple for their launch of the IPOD.
In 2011, Harris co-founded Starting Five Media, a company that specializes in recording and licensing custom renditions of popular songs as well as clearing the rights to the music composition for use by their clients in media projects.
Harris has negotiated publishing and master recording rights for many Top 40 songs for use in various media projects, TV Commercials and more.