Burning The Ground Exclusive 1979
NEW 2023 Transfer
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration
Originally posted August 13, 2012
The song that really fought to find its audience, I Will Survive first surfaced as the B-side to a long-forgotten single before eventually becoming a Studio 54 anthem. Its status as one of the best LGBTQ+ Pride songs is tinged with sadness – arguably a last stand against the backlash of homophobia that would secure disco’s first demise and add so much extra suffering to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, then just around the corner. This transatlantic chart-topper would overwhelm Gaynor’s career but, as defining moments go, it’s in a class of its own.
“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). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. A top-selling song, it is a popular disco anthem, as well as being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Originally released as the B-side to a cover version of the Righteous Brothers song “Substitute”, “I Will Survive” became a worldwide hit for Gaynor when disc jockeys played that side of the record instead. New copies of the record were eventually pressed with “I Will Survive” as the A-side (“Substitute” itself peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, equaling to number 107 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart).
As a disco number, the song was unique for its time by virtue of Gaynor’s having no background singers. And, unlike her first disco hits, the track was not pitched up to make it faster and to render Gaynor’s recorded voice in a higher register than that in which she actually sang. Most disco hits at the time were heavily produced, with multiple voices, overdubs, and adjustments to pitch and speed. “I Will Survive” had a much more spare and “clean” sound. Had it been originally planned and released as an A-side, it would almost certainly have undergone a substantially more heavy-handed remix.
The song received the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980, the only year the award was given. It is ranked #492 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, and ranked at #97 on Billboard magazine’s “All-Time Hot 100”. In 2000, the song was ranked #1 in VH1’s list of the 100 greatest dance songs.
SIDE A:
I Will Survive 8:02
SIDE B:
Yo Vivire (Spanish Version) 7:52
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | I Will Survive | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #1 |
| 1979 | I Will Survive | U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks | #9 |
| 1979 | I Will Survive | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #1 |
| 1979 | I Will Survive | U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | #4 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Polydor – PD D 512
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo, 56
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Disco
CREDITS:
- Arranged By [Strings, Horns] – Dave Blumberg*
- Co-producer, Arranged By [Rhythm] – Freddie Perren
- Producer – Dino Fekaris
- Written-By – Dino Fekaris, Freddie Perren
NOTES:
Produced for Grand Slam Productions
Promotion Copy – Not For Sale
Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!
Password: burningtheground
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I have a remix pack of this song with dozens of remixes over the last 4 decades, and none of them measure up to the original. I’m excited to hear your rip, as I’m sure it will be better than the ones I have!
The instrumental of this song was also used to create “It’s A Sin” by Pet Shop Boys, when Neil Tennant played the song using arpeggios on his synth … to date my favorite PSB song!
I grew up with this song as an anthem, and not really I song I would chose to listen to or have on a playlist, but covid lockdowns sent me in search of the uplifting, string laden disco of my 70’s childhood and I discovered how great Gloria Gaynor’s albums were! Park Avenue Sound and Love Tracks (the album with I Will Survive) are fantastic records. So much more to any artist than their most known track of course, and Gloria Gaynor’s albums are really rewarding.
Thank you for this, what a wonderful place on the web!
The record company’s generic ‘disco’ genre cover is beautiful! Never heard a Spanish language version! What a treat, thank you Paul!
Hope to see MORE Disco gems!
The improvement compared to the old rip is impresive! Sounds great! Thanks for this one!! 🙂
Amazingly this hit #9 on the AC charts, which was very unusual for a dance song to chart so high. As we appealed primarily to women 25-49, it’s no wonder so many related to this song. I even did a “Spanglish” version rotating with the single to keep the song from burning out and to give the song a longer airplay life in D/FW since the original was in power rotation for so long. Funny how remixes have suddenly become so common these days to lengthen a song’s chart life.
One thing about most of today’s remixes is they are pretty short and the creativity is no longer there which is sad.
Sadly true… I used to LOVE 12″ remixes in the 80s because they were so creative and different. In fact, it’s what primarily drew me to bands like Depeche, Erasure, Camouflage, etc…. and later remixers like Armand Van Helden, Junior Vazquez, Hex Hector, etc. … and I’m generally not someone who’s on board with “Today’s music ….”, but great remixes are definitely a thing of the past!
Thanks Paul!! This song should be at the top of every Disco list… Such a great time for nightlife, which gave us some truly classic dance hits for all time. Can’t wait to see what else you have up your sleeve this week! I don’t normally do this, but any Elton John you feel like posting this month would be fantastic!!
Thank you. Retro Hound. Pretty sure I have some Elton up my sleeve for this month 🙂
You had me at Elton 🙂 Can hardly wait!
Sounds fantastic. I really appreciate the “liner notes” for this, putting this in the context of history – and in particular, the production. That hadn’t occurred to me before – the pitching and the over-production of most disco tracks. I’m hearing this in a whole new way now. Excellent work!
Thank you, Jon 🙂
A classic CLASSIC in every way!! Thank you, Paul, for this masterful re-rip!! This song is so beloved and is the very definition of “Anthem” for so many. I loved it as a kid, but the song’s lyrics have made me realize that, getting older and gaining some knowledge, made me really appreciate the record on so many levels!! Praise you, DjPaulT for a fantastic track to start your Pride Month posts!! I’m very excited for the Spanish version as well!!
Jeff
You’re welcome, Jeff 🙂