Disco versions of Jazz Standards!
After years of performing up and down the U.S. East Coast, Gloria Gaynor was signed in 1971. Her debut album, Never Can Say Goodbye, arrived four years later in 1975, featuring the title track and Reach Out, I’ll Be There. While it charted, sales were relatively modest.
That same year, she released her follow-up, Experience Gloria Gaynor, which included a disco take on Bacharach‘s Walk On By and the jazz standard How High The Moon.
In 1976, Gloria returned with her third album, I’ve Got You, featuring a version of I’ve Got You Under My Skin that truly has to be heard to be believed (see playlist above!).
Continuing her reinterpretation of jazz standards, her 1977 album Glorious included a unique version of As Time Goes By. In 1978, Gloria Gaynor’s Park Avenue Sound brought us a disco rendition of Marvin Gaye’s You’re All I Need To Get By.
Later that same year came her signature tune, I Will Survive, found on the album Love Tracks. Ironically, it was initially released as a B-side. Gloria had to fight for it to be promoted—her husband reached out to Studio 54’s DJ Richie Kaczor, who helped push the track into rotation with other DJs and radio stations.
Music history is full of B-sides that became hits, with Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers being one of the most famous examples.
Once I Will Survive gained traction and was finally promoted as an A-side, it charted worldwide, selling a combined three million copies in the U.S. and U.K., making Gloria Gaynor a household name.
In 1980, the song won the first—and only—Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording, a short-lived category likely scrapped due to the rise of the “Disco Sucks” movement.
Her following albums suffered from this backlash. Despite covering classics like Stop! In The Name of Love, What A Wonderful World, Every Breath You Take, and The Power of Love, sales remained low across six subsequent releases.
Gloria’s final hit came in 1990 with a cover of Can’t Take My Eyes off You, which was successfully remixed again in 2000.
Gloria Gaynor’s Tunes | Related Pages
Can’t Take My Eyes off You | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Can’t Take My Eyes off You by Frankie Valli using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| E | E | Emaj7 | Emaj7 |
You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Can’t Take My Eyes off You (Frankie Valli) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Every Breath You Take | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Every Breath You Take by The Police using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Aadd9 | Aadd9 | F#madd9 | F#madd9 |
Every breath you take, and every move you make…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Every Breath You Take (The Police) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
I Will Survive | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Am | Dm7 |
At first I was afraid, I was petrified…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Reach Out I’ll Be There | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Reach Out I’ll Be There by the Four Tops using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, 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…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Reach Out I’ll Be There (Four Tops) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Wonderful World | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Wonderful World by Sam Cooke using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| B | G#m |
Don’t know much about history…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Wonderful World (Sam Cooke) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
You’re All I Need To Get By | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play You’re All I Need To Get By by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, 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
