Was ‘I will survive—‘ inspired by India’s history?

Who hasn’t heard Gloria Gaynor belt out ‘I will survive’. Who hasn’t relived every failure, rejection when she heartily adds ‘I have so much more to give---’. Who hasn’t silently winced at the thought of the time a toe was stomped on when the best foot was put forward.

‘I will survive’ is an anthem that anyone can identify with.

But, what inspired Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris to write these words, what were the incidents that made Gloria sing with so much emotion what was it that makes these words ring true even today?

Me thinks that the lyricists and Gloria were inspired by India’s history. But I am not stopping there I also think that they saw into India’s future too.

The words of this 1978 song trace the course of Indian history. Consider the first six lines of the song (http://www.lyricsdomain.com/7/gloria_gaynor/i_will_survive.html). It speaks about lack of faith in oneself and then the self realisation that metamorphises into self actualisation. These words have to be about India’s freedom movement.

But these words were prescient because they also present a clear picture of the state of India’s politics. Consider how political parties (and even politicians) hop into bed with each other and then hop out. Each such episode ends with a oath to ‘go it alone’ but somewhere in their downside to oblivion parties and politicians come out to the press and state that they are now ready for a coalition on ‘certain terms and conditions’. And so it continues.

Gloria sings lustily ‘I should have changed my stupid lock I should have made you leave your key If I had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me’. Well if this isn’t about India then I don’t know what is. India was attacked innumerable times over the centuries. Some of the known faces who were uninvited guests (frequent at times) and even bad guests were Alexander, Mohammed of Ghazni and the British. The British made this country their little love nest and overstayed their welcome. Thus was borne India’s desire to change the keys of her door.

But even now India feels the need to make her home secure what with separatists in the North and North East baying for freedom.

The second stanza is more about India’s current desire to be recognised as a global superpower. Gloria belts out “and I spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself I used to cry Now I hold my head up high and you see me somebody new I'm not that chained up little person”. Who can forget India’s tryst with nuclear weapons in 1998 and it proudly crowing that she is now a ‘nuclear have’ or for that matter the recent start up of a military outpost in some break away of the former USSR. All these are indications of a change from a third world country with hungry millions to a wannabe first world country with still hungry millions – all in a span of 60 years.

So Gloria, I think you should come out and thank India for the inspiration it has provided you and your lyricists. It is not too late to do so.