"I Will Survive" - Gloria Gaynor

Does anyone know if the LP version of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" has ever been issued anywhere on an import CD? According to the database, it's never appeared on a domestic CD release.

The 12" single version is readily available on CD. I wonder if it can be edited to match the LP version?

I'm not sure, Aaron. I don't have a copy of the LP version in any form.

My copy of "Love Tracks" has a 4:53 (listed) version.

I've mentioned the story about Gloria's "I Will Survive" elsewhere, but seeing how the song was recently brought up again on the board, and it's an interesting story, I thought I'd share it here:

For those of you who don't know, the original A-side of Gloria's 45 was "Substitute", and at the time its B-side was a little known song called "I Will Survive". "Subst" peaked at #107. Gloria, and the writer/producers Dino Fekaris & Freddie Perren all thought "I Will Survive" was a smash and loved it and truly believed in it from the get-go, when it was just a demo sung by someone else. But her record company didn't like it at all. They were sure "Substitute" was the smash and didn't even really want her to record "I Will Survive". So the producers said to the label, "Well, why don't you let us record 'I Will Survive' with her as the B-side? You need to put something there." Finally, after they all continued to push for that, the label reluctantly agreed to that.

So that's why "I Will Survive" seems like such a wrong choice for a B-side. I believe that Dino & Freddie thought, in negotiating for that, that somehow stations would pick up on "I Will Survive" anyhow.

My understanding is that its popularity was due to the sole responsibility of DJ Richie Kaczor of Studio 54.   He discovered it and played it and played until it became an anthem at 54. And then it just spread like wildfire.

It's also kind of similar to how "Music Box Dancer", "I've Never Been to Me" and other songs became hits. It all boiled down to one station or dj that started playing a song that wasn't being promoted to them - and it turned into a huge, national (and international) hit.

Knowing the story behind "I Will Survive" in particular, I find particularly fascinating because the song lived up to its title. Despite the song's odds, it did survive.


Edited by EdisonLite