Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” has been a motivational anthem for nearly five decades – but it didn’t just serve as inspiration for millions of fans. Gaynor told “CBS Mornings” the song gave her hope during one of the most difficult periods of her life.
After a fall on stage in 1978 at New York’s Beacon Theatre, Gaynor suffered a serious spinal injury and spent months in recovery. Many thought her career was over, but during that painful healing, she recorded what would become a smash hit, “I Will Survive.”
“I was living that song”
The song won a Grammy for best disco recording in 1980 – the only time that category existed. In 2016, it was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for its cultural significance. Now, Gaynor is a 2025 Kennedy Center honoree for her lifetime artistic achievements.
The track was supposed to be a B-side, but Gaynor immediately knew it was a winner. When she was recording it, standing in a back brace, she felt a deep connection to the music
“[I was] hoping I’d survive, you know, this trauma that I was going through, hoping that I survived the fact that my mother had just passed away a few years prior. Yeah, I was living that song and I was certain that I wouldn’t be the only one,” she said.
The song became her anthem – and the world’s – with over 200 covers in more than 20 different languages. And, of course, it sparked several trends on social media.
Just a girl from Jersey
Before becoming the “queen of disco,” Gaynor was just a girl from Newark, New Jersey. Her talent went unnoticed until a neighbor heard her sing and she was called up to the stage at a club one night to perform.
She eventually worked the nightclub circuit. Her big break came from a meeting with legendary record executive Clive Davis, who helped propel her to the center of disco. Her 1975 debut album, “Never Can Say Goodbye,” was one of the first disco albums to top the charts, cracking the top 25 on the Billboard 200.
Early in her career, Gaynor said she was singing R&B but decided she really wanted to give people music to dance to.
“I remember that discotheques were very, very new. There were just a couple and what they were was cabaret clubs where they’d just taken away the chairs,” she recalled.
Her profile continued to grow as she toured the world. As disco faded in the 1980s, Gaynor kept performing around the world. Years later, she found a new purpose through faith and gospel music. Her 2019 album, “Testimony,” earned her a Grammy, proving her voice still inspires.
Lessons for new artists
Now, nearly 50 years after her rise to fame, Gaynor is honored with one of the nation’s highest distinctions: the Kennedy Center Honor.
“I got a phone call from my manager and I was ecstatic,” said Gaynor as she learned about the award. “It was incredible to even think about being accepted as one who deserved that.”
Gaynor is now parting her wisdom to new artists. Her top takeaway: Don’t set out to seek rewards.
” I would say to them, be about doing the best you can with what God gave you,” she said. “All of that stuff is extra. I didn’t strive to get a Grammy. I strive to do the best song I could do at that time. I strive to touch people’s hearts. I strive to uplift, encourage, and power people And so, be about that.”