Survival | 5ive Songs

In the 73rd edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with SURVIVAL in some form or fashion.

Welcome to 5ive Songs, where we keep things short and sweet – no extra calories or needless fluff! There’s a theme/topic, five songs, and a short blurb.  Yes, it’s a playlist, but it’s a miniature playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume. In the 73rd edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with SURVIVAL in some form or fashion. Okay, let’s get into it! 

1.Chris Brown, “Survive The Night” 

💿 BREEZY • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2022 

“Yeah, I’m just tryna survive the night and take my own advice / And never love again,” 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B singer 🎙 Chris Brown asserts on 🎵 “Survive the Night.” “Survive the Night” appears as the 18th track on his 2022 studio album, 💿 BREEZY. Brown paints himself as a victim (interesting), suggesting that this girl isn’t good news.

Despite this, he keeps indulging in her toxicity:  

“Toxic as you are, you’re a vibe
Can’t get you out of my mind
I took the drug again
Yeah, not a good decision inside, it’s only you by my side
I’ve had enough again, yeah, uh
Who told you you get to decide the way I’m feelin’ inside?
I’m fuckin’ over it.”  

Ah, it wouldn’t be a Chris Brown song without dropping a bomb, now, would it? As you might expect from a dark cut of survival, “Survive the Night” is set in a minor key. As far as the form is concerned, however, it is built more on repetitive sections – pre-chorus and choruses – as opposed to multiple verses. There is, in fact, only one verse. The big takeaway, again, is that Brown is the victim, and, according to him, “I’m fuckin’ over it.” Woo! 

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! 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Gloria Gaynor vs. Destiny’s Child: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 14 (2022) 

3. Nine Inch Nails, “Survivalism” 

💿 Year Zero • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2007 

“I got my propaganda, I got revisionism / I got my violence in hi-def ultra-realism,” 🎙 Trent Reznor asserts in the chorus of 🎵 “Survivalism.” The 🎙 Nine Inch Nails front man continues singing in the chorus of the 💿 Year Zero highlight, “All a part of this great nation / I got my fist, I got my plan, I got survivalism.” So, what exactly is survivalism, Trent? Per Merriam-Webster, it is described as “an attitude, policy, or practice based on the primacy of survival as a value.” Interesting! 

With “Survivalism,” the Nine Inch Nails vibe – the aesthetic – is firmly in play. The tempo is quick, the backdrop is dark, set in a minor key (and industrial), and the groove is killer. Reznor matches the dark timbre with his own, unique vocals, performing with more poise during the verses and turning it up a notch during the chorus (excerpted above). The songwriting is one of the most interesting aspects of “Survivalism,” with no shortage of compelling lines. In the first verse, Reznor sings, “She gave us all she had but we went and took some more / Can’t seem to shut her legs, our mother Nature is a whore.” Woo! In the second, he bites, “You see your world on fire, don’t try to act surprised / We did just what you told us, lost our faith along the way and found ourselves believing your lies.” Another legitimate mic drop moment! In the end, Reznor asserts, “You got your pacifism – I got survivalism!” HELL YEAH – ROCK THE F#¢K ON 🤘!!!  

4. 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 troubled 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, including a notable cover by 🎙 CAKE. 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 28 (2022)
• Gloria Gaynor vs. Destiny’s Child: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 14 (2022) 
• Gloria Gaynor vs. CAKE: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 15 (2022) 

5. Jerry Butler, “Only the Strong Survive”  

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

“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. It is the definition of a classic! 

Appears in 🔻:  

• Jerry Butler, “Only the Strong Survive”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 117 (2022) 

Survival: 5ive Songs No. 73 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, cottonbro studio, Interscope, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, RCA, Sony, UMG Recordings, Inc.]