Disco versions of Jazz Standards!
After spending many years travelling up and down the U.S. East Coast performing in clubs, Gloria Gaynor was signed in 1971.
Her debut, Never Can Say Goodbye, was released four years later in 1975 and featured the title track as well as Reach Out, I’ll Be There. The album charted, but sales were relatively modest.
In the same year, she released her follow-up, Experience Gloria Gaynor. Here we find Bacharach‘s Walk On By as well as jazz standard How High The Moon.
In 1976, Gloria released her third album, I’ve Got You. The tune I’ve Got You Under My Skin is a single from it, which has to be heard to be believed (playlist above!).
In 1977, Gloria continued her crusade of recording jazz standards to disco beats. On her album Glorious, we hear a unique version of As Time Goes By.
On the 1978 album Gloria Gaynor’s Park Avenue Sound, we get the old Marvin Gaye duet You’re All I Need To Get By, disco style, of course!
In the same year, we find her signature song on the album Love Tracks as she finally nails it with I Will Survive. Funnily enough, she had to fight for it to be released as a single.
Initially, the label only released it as a B-side. Gloria’s husband had to reach out to Studio 54’s DJ Richie Kaczor, who in turn convinced other DJs and radio stations to follow suit.
Music history is filled with these “B-side becoming a hit” examples, with Bill Withers Ain’t No Sunshine being perhaps the most famous.
Anyway, once I Will Survive gained momentum, and the label released it as an A-side, it charted worldwide, selling a combined 3 million copies in the U.S. and U.K., making Gloria Gaynor a household name.
In 1980, I Will Survive received a Grammy for Best Disco Recording, a category the organisation only had that year, perhaps due to the Disco Sucks movement that soon followed.
Her next batch of albums did not perform well, probably due to the anti-disco movement, which she, Donna Summer, Bee Gees, and Chic all had fallen victim to.
Over her next six albums, she had poor sales despite recording many famous covers such as Stop in the Name of Love, What A Wonderful World, Every Breath You Take, and The Power Of Love.
Her final successful tune came in 1990 and was remixed again in 2000. It was a cover of Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” the old Frankie Valli hit.
Gloria Gaynor’s Tunes | Related Pages
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
You can learn how to play Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli using chords, lyrics, and the original recording.
| E | E | Emaj7 | Emaj7 |
You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you…
Every Breath You Take
You can learn how to play Every Breath You Take by The Police using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| Aadd9 | Aadd9 | F#madd9 | F#madd9 |
Every breath you take, and every move you make…
I Will Survive
You can learn how to play I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| Am | Dm7 |
At first I was afraid, I was petrified…
Reach Out I’ll Be There
You can learn how to play Reach Out I’ll Be There by the Four Tops using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, TAB, and the original recording.
| Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db | Abm7 Gb/Bb | Db |
Now if you feel that you can’t go on, because all of your hope is gone…
Wonderful World
You can learn how to play Wonderful World by Sam Cooke using chords, lyrics, and the original recording.
| B | G#m |
Don’t know much about history…
You’re All I Need To Get By
You can learn how to play You’re All I Need To Get By by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell using chords, lyrics, and the original recording.
| A | B/A |
(You’re all I need to get by) Like sweet morning dew, I took one look at you…
Gloria Gaynor on the web
Artists & Bands
Behind every single tune you learn, there’s an artist or band with an entire catalogue of music, waiting to be discovered.
Find out more about these great Artists & Bands, and let their tunes guide you to success.
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was an article about Gloria Gaynor tunes, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
