Jerry Butler, “Only the Strong Survive” | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 117th edition of Throwback Vibez (2022), we recollect and reflect on “Only the Strong Survive” by Jerry Butler.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome – we don’t discriminate ‘round here! In the 117th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2022), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Only the Strong Survive”, performed by 🎙 Jerry Butler.

Theme & Lyrics ✍   

“I remember my first love affair / Somehow or another the whole darn thing went wrong…” Oh, snap, 🎙 Jerry Butler! Love can totally be a five-letter word that starts with the letter B and ends in an itch – WOO! The legendary soul musician and retired politician continues to say in the intro of his beloved classic, 🎵 “Only the Strong Survive” “My mama had some great advice / So, I thought I’d put it into words of this song.” Ultimately, Butler’s words – well his mother’s prudent advice – are about surviving that first taste of heartbreak. She encourages her son, “Oh, there’s gonna be, there’s gonna be a whole lot of trouble in your life / Oh, so listen to me get up off your knees.”   

So, what’s mom’s ultimate point? Why the titular line repeated in the centerpiece – the chorus:   

“‘Only the strong survive 
Only the strong survive’ 
Hey, you’ve got to be strong, you’d better hold on.”  

Mom was totally right on this 1968 classic from 💿 The Ice Man Cometh, penned by Butler alongside songwriting/production team 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Kenneth Gamble and 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Leon Huff. In the second verse, mom continues to advise: “Don’t go all around with your head hung down / Well I wouldn’t let that little girl / No, I wouldn’t let her know that she made me feel like a clown.” Spot on, mama! “Only the Strong Survive” performed well on the pop charts peaking at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Notably, the record was nominated for a 🏆 Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, deservedly.  

Final Thoughts 💭 

Honestly, what more is there to say about 🎵 “Only the Strong Survive”? The music speaks for itself when it comes to this timeless, Jerry Butler classic. Notably, 🎙  Bruce Springsteen does a marvelous job of covering it on his 2022 covers album, fittingly titled, 💿 Only the Strong Survive.   

🎙 Jerry Butler • 💿 The Ice Man Cometh • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 1968 

Jerry Butler, “Only the Strong Survive”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 117 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, Gerhard G., JL G via Pixabay,  Karl Hörnfeldt via Unsplash,  The Musical Hype]