In 1980, Gloria Gaynor won the first, and only, Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording. In 2020, 40 years and a dozen albums later, she returned to the Grammy’s stage to accept an award for Best Roots Gospel Album. Those are the two bookends that hold the story in the documentary, Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive. Directed by Betsy Schechter, the film ping pongs back and forth at the beginning of Gloria’s career to the most recent. Half tells of the triumphs and trials she faced years ago while the other half deals with the making of her first gospel album, Testimony.
Not everyone is familiar with the name Gloria Gaynor but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who is not familiar with her 1978 hit song, “I Will Survive”. It is THE quintessential disco song of that era. Since its debut, it has become an anthem for basically anyone who struggles with fear and then learns how to overcome it by taking charge of their life. So many years later, the song still resonates as was seen when Gaynor appeared on The Masked Singer 2022 as the “Mermaid”. The crazy thing is, “I Will Survive” was actually on the “B” side of the record, so when it began to catch on, the record company was shocked.
Shortly after Gaynor won her first Grammy, fans of disco began to scatter. Disco was no longer cool, at least in the U.S. Gaynor released two more disco albums in 1980 and 1981 but they received little fanfare in the U.S. Fortunately, she was still a big hit in Europe. She and her husband/manager, Linwood Simon, embarked on a European tour that stretched for many, many years. In 1982, she became a Christian and wanted to produce a gospel album, but nobody was interested.
In 2015, Schechter began what became a five-year journey with Gaynor chronicling her steps to produce her first gospel album with nothing but a wing and a prayer. With Stephanie Gold, her feisty manager at her side, audiences are given a close up view of this journey from recording sessions to deep conversations about abuse in her childhood, a failing marriage and terrible back pain due to an accident that happened way back in the 1970s.
At times the documentary gets bogged down with too much chatter and not enough footage of her other early successes. If you didn’t know any better, you would think that the only song Gloria ever sang was her one big disco tune. However, highlights of the film include short interviews and footage of the recording sessions with other artists including Jason Crab, Yolanda Adams and Bart Milard.
Although Gaynor doubts herself, her faith remained strong through this eight-year journey to write and record her own gospel album and to sing her truth. Never does she come off as a diva. She’s just another senior citizen who’s not ready to quit just yet. It’s an inspiring tale and one that should be seen for anyone facing their own challenges and those in their twilight years who need inspiration to keep pursuing their dreams because God just might not be done with them yet.
Main Image: Storyville Entertainment
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