Gloria Gaynor Interview

INTERVIEW WITH GLORIA GAYNOR FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

Who is Gloria Gaynor, and how did she 'survive'? Well for the past 20 years, she's been following Christ and performing around the world. In this interview she tells the story of her survival and the story behind the song.

DM) You mentioned staying power, and the "What have you done for me lately" affect on the music industry. Do you think that's the public or the industry's doing?

GG) Very often, record companies are hiring young people, and the people who are making decisions are very young, and they're interested in what they're interested in. And then again, in other record companies, the decisions are being made by totally uncreative people, and all they know is what's going to be the bottom line, and all they think is what worked yesterday will work today, and they keep doing that thing. You go in, and they want you to sound like the latest record that was on the radio instead of having your own sound.

Some of them are reluctant to venture out and try something new. The ones who are trying something new are, as I said, the young people who are trying things that they're interested in, and certainly not the things people who are 10 to 15 years older are interested in. You have those people, and you have people who are afraid of losing their jobs, and they're afraid to not go with the flow. You have all of those reasons.

DM) I wonder how that affects your career, where you have to play the song, "I will survive" whether you want to or not.

GG) Well, thank God I want to. I feel blessed by the song because I happened to love the song. I happen to love the empowering effect. I happen to love the encouraging effect, it's "hope building" effect. That was my purpose for choosing and quitting the song in the first place, and I accomplished that. So every time that I sing it, it's a reminder that I've accomplished what I set out to accomplish. And I continue to accomplish that.

This is an ongoing, never ending thing with this song, because it's a timeless lyric that addresses a timeless concern. So every time that I do it, it's almost like a mother cooking a meal for that her family loves. You're never going to get tired of that. You're never going to get tired of the sense of accomplishment that I feel every time I perform that song. Plus, I become 100% Grade-A ham every time I do it. (laughs)

DM) What do you mean by that?

GG) I mean, because I know that I set out to accomplish what I set out to. I'm just very pleased with myself when I do that song. You want to be pleased with yourself every day, so if I can sing that song for somebody that's going to be encouraged and find hope and empowerment every day, then I'm going to be pleased with myself every day. That's why I say, "I am so blessed with that song." Anybody could have gotten that song. I just believe that God said, "I want this one for her." Well, thank you very much, I can't say thank you enough.

DM) I know it's probably a long story you've told a thousand times, but if I can ask, how did it come about that you got that song?

GG) (Laughs) No, no, it's no problem. What happened was, the record company wanted me to do a song that had been a hit in England and my husband/manager [Linwood Simon] had suggested Freddie Perrin, and he said, "I'd be glad to do it if I can write the B-side." At first they talked to me, asking me what kinds of songs I'd like to do, and they chose, "I will survive" out of their catalog to be the b-side. When I first read the lyrics, I thought, "This is a hit! Are they going to put this on the b-side? Are they crazy?" That's what they chose it for, to be the b-side of a song called, "Substitute". That's how it came about.

My husband and I knew it would be a hit, and we decided to promote that. Consequently, when I got a gold record, he got a gold record; when I went platinum he did because he is so responsible for promoting it. Every country that we went to that had a Polydor affiliate, he went around promoting it just as I was promoting it in the shows.

DM) Does it ever become difficult working so closely with your husband?

GG) Sure it does, we strangle each other once a week!

DM) How do you keep a relationship, for lack of a pun, "surviving," when you see each other so often?

GG) (Laughs) In the first half of our marriage, it was because I was very submissive and he was very domineering. In the second half of our marriage, it was because I have submitted my entire life and all of my decisions to Christ because He knows best. So he keeps me temperate when I need to be and strong and assertive when I need to be. That's how that works.

DM) How much of an influence is religion in your day-to-day life?

GG) Oh everything! Actually it's not religion, because to me religion is a bunch of man-made rules and regulations, and what I have is a personal relationship with Christ where he is my Lord and Savior, guard, guide and governor. And what I do, I do because I love, honor and respect him. So that makes a big, big difference.

DM) Do you find it hard to keep with your faith and have the career your have?

GG) Not at all, I find it a lot easier because I don't have to make decisions alone. I make decisions with his wisdom. When your being guarded, guided and governed by someone who is omnipotent, it gets kind of difficult to go wrong by your own stupidness ... which does happen from time to time.

DM) I remember reading an article recently where somebody took, "I will survive," as a religious and spiritual song. Do you see it that way too?

GG) I very much see it that way too. Especially since I changed a couple of the lyrics. What originally said, "It took all of the strength I had not to fall apart," but after really looking at my life and how I survived, I changed the lyrics to say, "Only the lord could give me strength not to fall apart."

DM) What was the reaction when you changed the lyrics?

GG) People wondering, "Why did she did that?" Others were thinking, "Oh OK, that's where she's coming from now," and of course, you get those people who are like, "Oh, give me a break." I know what's real and what's true, so all of those reactions are OK. They are who they are and I am where I am, spiritually and emotionally. I'm on my level, and they're on their level, and that's OK.

DM) I would think that being a Christian in the music industry can be tough too?

GG) It can be tough if you let it be tough, if you yield to the pressure. I'm not out to please anybody, but God. I want his stamp of approval. Once I have his stamp of approval, I'm really not concerned with other people because I've learned that no one can stop me from going where I need to go, or doing what I need to do, or having what I need to have, except for me.