Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,04 May 2022,26 mins

SeriesSoul Music

I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor

The Documentary

Available for over a year

"At first I was afraid, I was petrified"...From a breakup to a shipwreck, Gloria Gaynor's iconic disco anthem, I Will Survive, continues to have meaning for many people around the world. A woman sets out to become the first female rower to cross the Atlantic solo; a woman listens to the song 35 times in a row after a breakup; a drag queen steps onto the stage of a Berlin nightclub; a mother watches her daughters sing karaoke at a holiday club on the first foreign holiday since leaving her abusive marriage; women gather on the steps of the Courts of Justice to sing the song together as they await a verdict. Featuring Elisabeth Hoff, Latrice Royale, Penny Arcade, Pragna Patel and Nadine Hubbs. (Photo: Gloria Gaynor performing on Parkinson in 2003)

Programme Website
More episodes