Gloria Gaynor vs. Destiny’s Child | Head 2 Head 🗣️

In the 14^th edition of Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ (2022), Gloria Gaynor and Destiny’s Child contend for the best survival song: “I Will Survive” vs. “Survivor.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 14^th edition of head-to-head (2022), 🎙 Gloria Gaynor and 🎙 Destiny’s Child contend for the best survival song: 🎵 “I Will Survive” versus 🎵 “Survivor”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive”

💿 Love Tracks • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1978

“At first, I was afraid, I was petrified / Kept thinkin’ I could never live without you by my side…” Yaaasss!!! Those timeless lyrics hail from one of the best disco songs of all time, 🎵 “I Will Survive”.  Not only is “I Will Survive” an elite, 🏆 Grammy-winning disco song, but it’s an elite song regardless of genre.  It spent three weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is the record that 🎙 Gloria Gaynor will be forever remembered for. “But then I spent so many nights thinkin’ how you did me wrong / And I grew strong, and I learned how to get along.” #Classic!

“I Will Survive” appears on Gaynor’s 1978 album, 💿 Love Tracks.  It was an accidental hit – a B Side that was better and far more successful than the A Side. As the excerpted lyrics and title suggest, it’s about surviving and overcoming – EMPOWERMENT. Specifically, the lyrics are crafted from a romantic angle – overcoming a bad relationship: “Weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye? Did you think I’d crumble? Did you think I’d lay down and die?” That said, the empowering message of survival, over the years, has been applicable to any number of adverse situations.

“Oh no, not I, I will survive

Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I’m still alive

I’ve got all my life to live, and I’ve got all my love to give

And I’ll survive, I will survive!” 

For one of the songwriters, 🎼✍ Dino Fekaris – a former Motown hit maker – he’s survived and overcame adversity after being fired from Motown.  For the LGBTQ+ community, this is a certified gay anthem. Gaynor performs it brilliantly.  The production is stellar, incorporating both minimalism and the grandiosity of disco. It should come as no surprise that “I Will Survive” is one of the most covered songs of all time. Rather than comparing to one of its many covers, we stack it against another survival song, 🎵 “Survivor” by 🎙 Destiny’s Child.

2. Destiny’s Child, “Survivor”

💿 Survivor • 🏷 Sony • 📅 2001 

Sometimes, survival can be controversial.  You read that correctly. Case in point, 🎵 “Survivor” by 🎙 Destiny’s Child. Starting with the un-controversial bits, “Survivor” (which appears on 🎙 Beyoncé, 🎙 Kelly Rowland, and 🎙 Michelle Williams’ 2001 album, 💿 Survivor) was a huge hit on the pop charts – it peaked at 📉 no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Furthermore, the song won a 🏆 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by A Duo Or Group With Vocals.  The vocals from all three members are impressive with no shortage of authenticity or passion.  In other words, it’s easy to buy what they sell.  Furthermore, lyrically, the songwriting is accessible and memorable, particularly the chorus:

“I’m a survivor (What?)

I’m not gon’ give up (What?)

I’m not gon’ stop (What?)

I’m gon’ work harder (What?)

I’m a survivor (What?)

I’m gonna make it (What?)

I will survive (What?)

Keep on survivin’ (What?)”

Produced by Beyoncé and 🎛 Anthony Dent, the sound is fresh and idiomatic of the early aughts (00s).  Take out the controversy, and this survivor song is L-I-T.

The controversy, however, also makes “Survivor” intriguing.  “You thought I wouldn’t sell without you, sold nine million” is a perceived shot at former members of the collective – Oh snap! Worth noting, 🎙 LeToya Luckett and 🎙 Latavia Robinson sued over this song! Woo! Eventually, there was a settlement made over being slighted in the lyrics.  If you examine “Survivor” sans potential shots at former members, much like 🎙 Gloria Gaynor’s 🎵 “I Will Survive”, the song is about overcoming adversity.  “You thought I couldn’t breathe without you, I’m inhalin’,” Beyoncé asserts in the second verse continuing, “You thought I couldn’t see without you, perfect vision.” 20/20 baby!

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️ 

So, who wins this ‘apples 🍎 and oranges 🍊’ Head 2 Head 🗣️? Is it 🎙 Gloria Gaynor performing 🎵 “I Will Survive” or 🎙 Destiny’s Child performing 🎵 “Survivor”? “Well, Anderson,” as Candy Crowley once reported on CNN, this one’s simple in my eyes. Yes, both songs are filled with the spirit of survival. Yes, both songs performed exceptionally well on the pop charts and won 🏆 Grammys. Still, one is simply MORE iconic.  You know the correct answer, don’t you? It’s Gloria all the way, DUH!

Gloria Gaynor vs. Destiny’s Child: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 14 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, Kool Shooters, Layers, Mario Aranda, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay, RODNAE Productions, Sony, UMG Recordings, Inc., Valentin Tikhonov]