The song's lyrics describe the narrator's discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup.

Jobless, he turned on the TV in his room, and a theme song he had written for the film Generation (performed by Rare Earth) happened to be playing.

Based only on the chord changes and a few notes, they improvised freely much of the backing track, and Bowles filled in the bare bone of the tune with jazzy blues licks.

Due to the difference in the intro from the main body of the tune which made a smooth transition difficult, it was recorded in two parts and then spliced together.

[14] Gaynor then recorded the vocals wearing a back brace, having just had a surgery due to a fall at a concert.

The injury and a recent bereavement made Gaynor identify with the sentiment of "I Will Survive"; she said: "That's why I was able to sing the song with so much conviction".

[11] The original A side "Substitute" appeared on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart for four weeks starting October 14, 1978, peaking at No.

[17] "I Will Survive" on the other hand performed significantly better; it entered the Billboard Hot 100 in December that year and reached No.

"[20] In 2022, the video was remastered in HD and officially uploaded to Gaynor's YouTube channel, obtaining over 4.5 million views in two months.

It has an undeniable flair for the dramatic: After moving through that filigreed piano intro, you can imagine a lone spotlight shining on Gloria Gaynor as she drags the man dumb enough to break her heart and crawl back for more.

Had the story ended there, it'd represent the last, best gasp of a culture beaten into temporary irrelevance by thinly-veiled racism and homophobia.

This included a song about sexual harassment ("Mr. Walker, It's All Over") and a tune about a woman walking away from a bad relationship ("Standing Tall").

[95] The track was produced in February 1979 by Larry Butler at the Jack Clement Recording Studio (located in Nashville, Tennessee).

Writer Stephen L. Betts stated, "With the familiar piano opening by Hargus "Pig" Robbins and backing vocals from The Jordanaires, the Grammy-nominated country-meets-western-meets-Studio 54 concoction remains deliciously odd and totally irresistible.

[106] It is also used as a goal tune during home games for Oulun Kärpät, Feyenoord, S. C. Freiburg, Galatasaray and Celta de Vigo.

This version peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Chantay delivers a smooth, easy and controlled vocal performance which should make her version a big hit.

[126] Gerald Martinez from New Sunday Times wrote, "Chantay has a fabulous voice, with a great range and rich, chocolatey tone, in the Anita Baker mould.

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "The kicker is a delicious cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", produced by Narada Michael Walden.

"[139] Gil L. Robertson IV from Cash Box named it a "standout track" of the Take Me Higher album.

[140] In a 2010 retrospective review, the Daily Vault's Mark Millan constated that it is "dealt with superbly, as the team managed to breathe new life into an old relic from the distant, dark days when disco ruled.

"[141] The Stud Brothers of Melody Maker deemed it "a cheesy, breathy romp through Gloria Gaynor's feminist anthem".

[142] Alan Jones from Music Week stated that "the combination of two old favourites is bound to win favour with many people, and new dance mixes by Roger Sanchez will ease the track's path to success now it is a single.

"[143] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update noted the "galloping good Hi-NRG 0-134bpm Motiv 8 Club Vocal and Hell Razor Dub".

[151] The music video of Cake's version features McCrea as a city parking enforcement officer driving around in a Cushman three-wheeled scooter as he leaves tickets on various cars.

Daina Darzin from Cash Box felt that the band is "at its bizarre best" on "the thoroughly and charmingly mangled version" of the Gloria Gaynor disco classic.

[153] The magazine's Alan Jones wrote, "'I Will Survive' is one of those songs l've always hated, but hot on the heels of Chantay Savage's sublime R&B-flavoured rendition which won favour last year, there's another highly enjoyable version from rising stars Cake.

The Voice UK contestant Leah McFall performed the song on the first live show in the style of Chantay Savage.

[164] The song's instrumental break has been sampled and interpolated in Erasure's "Love to Hate You" (1991),[165] Robbie Williams' "Supreme" (2000)[166] and K-pop girl group Ive's "After Like" (2022).

[168] On March 7, 2024, Madonna was joined on stage in Los Angeles by Kylie Minogue, with the two performing the song as a duet.