Diana Ross' Bizarre Affinity With I WILL SURVIVE:

[Boogiedown]

It seems like Diana Ross won't close out a concert without including I WILL SURVIVE as her grand finale.

Seems odd that it has such status with her, considering it's hardly one of her most accomplished hits.
In the United Stares, you wouldn't have even known she'd recorded a version unless you were hitting the dance floors in 1996, and even then maybe not --- as her dance remake of the disco #1 song only made it to #37 on that chart.

But Diana Ross seems highly attached to it. Does she think her audience is hoping for it when they encourage an encore from her and then leave satisfied with that as her choice?

Why does Diana Ross put such stock in it. Seems like the lyrics must really speak to her. What was going on in her life when the song first came out in 1978? Or perhaps more significantly when she chose to record it almost twenty years later in 1996. Why does it remain so strong to her all these many years later ....

Why does she favor it specifically as her performance encore song??
Seems bizarre that she never [or rarely] changes it out.

Is that how Diana Ross sees herself , thinks of herself .... as a survivor??

[Spreadinglove21]

I've a couple of theories:

1. At the beginning of the recording she says something like "this is for my girls". I take it she's referring to her daughters. Maybe they persuaded her to record it for the Take Me Higher album. Or there were things going on in their lives at the time and she recorded the song to inspire or motivate them. As we know Miss Ross puts family above all else so maybe the song has a family meaning for her and that's why it remains in the show. Also, after her problems in late 90s and early '00s and bouncing back from them the song has further meaning to her personnally?

2. The song may not have been a hit for her, but of her post RCA recordings the song is her best known, at least in the USA. Diana Ross is a crowd pleaser and this is a song the casual fans who attend her shows will know. It's inspiring and upbeat. Her show is geared toward the casual fan, not the die hard who wants to hear album cuts and rarities. If you look back to the Supremes days, what song did they often end their show with? You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You, a song that was not a hit for them or even recorded, but what their supper club/show room audience of that time would know. So Diana Ross may be applying the old "Give the audience something they know" to include in her show.

[sup_fan]

i agree - i think the 1) she loves the message of the song and 2) it's a rousing finale for the shows. everyone knows it and sings along. the fact that it isn't originally hers is something most people probably don't care too much about. and Gloria Gaynor isn't really much of a touring presence so it's not like people would be able to get hear her sing it live or that there are competing shows with it as the grand finale.

frankly i liked her use of Mountain back in the 70s. how it sort of was a bookend for the evening. like the famous HBO special for The Boss tour.

I also think she could have used another song from her catalogue as the finale - such as Carry On. perhaps there are too many painful memories from the Everyday album, given her divorce and all. but she does an amazing job on that song

[Boogiedown]

I've a couple of theories:

1. At the beginning of the recording she says something like "this is for my girls". I take it she's referring to her daughters. Maybe they persuaded her to record it for the Take Me Higher album. Or there were things going on in their lives at the time and she recorded the song to inspire or motivate them. As we know Miss Ross puts family above all else so maybe the song has a family meaning for her and that's why it remains in the show. Also, after her problems in late 90s and early '00s and bouncing back from them the song has further meaning to her personnally?

2. The song may not have been a hit for her, but of her post RCA recordings the song is her best known, at least in the USA. Diana Ross is a crowd pleaser and this is a song the casual fans who attend her shows will know. It's inspiring and upbeat. Her show is geared toward the casual fan, not the die hard who wants to hear album cuts and rarities. If you look back to the Supremes days, what song did they often end their show with? You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You, a song that was not a hit for them or even recorded, but what their supper club/show room audience of that time would know. So Diana Ross may be applying the old "Give the audience something they know" to include in her show.

All good stuff Love Spreader, I highlighted part of it in particular for now as I'm surprised they chose such a chestnut as their grand finale, but as you say it was for a supper club type audience.

At this point, I would guess 8/9 out of ten people at a concert hearing Diana do I WILL SURVIVE would even think it was she who had the original hit. They likely at the very least know she did that disco stuff in the 70's and that this song was probably one of them. I'm not sure the Gloria Gaynor name has survived, forgive me, to the degree Diana's has and that's increasingly so.

I could see some attachment to the song by Diana ....but come on, its been thirty YEARS...you mean to tell me not a single 'nother song has come along that she'd like to bring into the fold?

[vgalindo]

I remember back in her Live at Caesar’s Palace show she said she liked songs with a good message like IWS. And this was in 1979 way before she ever recorded it.

[mowsville]

Do you think had she recorded it in 79 it would have been a hit?

[Ollie9]

The dedication at the beginning of the song is to her gay fans of which she supposedly has a large following. How likely this is i really don’t know.
When I went to see her last year i left before the end as i now find the song incredibly tedious. Her recorded version remains my very favourite.

[Boogiedown]

The dedication at the beginning of the song is to her gay fans of which she supposedly has a large following. How likely this is i really don’t know.
When I went to see her last year i left before the end as i now find the song incredibly tedious. Her recorded version remains my very favourite.

She does this dedication at the beginning of the song each time she performs it??
If so, that explains it a lot more as to how and why its been continued this entire time.

IWS has been discussed many times so my point of my inquiry here is more about WHY this song so grips her?? That's a valid answer.

If its also personal for her lyrically , I don't think of Diana Ross that way.... as a survivor. I think she shortchanges herself with that thought.

She's been through a lot and has had one HELL of an amazing career, rather than viewed as a "survivor, I would say a term that better suits her is "conqueror".


And now I'm wondering how this part of the song was true for Diana at many points in her career:

"At first I was afraid , I was petrified ..."

[captainjames]

The dedication at the beginning of the song is to her gay fans of which she supposedly has a large following. How likely this is i really don’t know.
When I went to see her last year i left before the end as i now find the song incredibly tedious. Her recorded version remains my very favourite.

That is the way I always understood it especially after the video with Rupaul. I thought it had nothing to do with her daughters or that it was included with that sentiment.

[jobeterob]

The energy is so contagious - the message universal for everyone - I like it best with All We Do Is Win

[jobeterob]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yR3VoIMZ60g&feature=share

[Albator]

The song is featured in the movie "In & Out".


That's a great song and relevant in her life, also it seems very easy vocal for her.


Too bad she forgot about "ain't been licked" but again, Streisand adopted "Happy Days Are Here Again" as her and no one complain

[Ollie9]

She does this dedication at the beginning of the song each time she performs it??
If so, that explains it a lot more as to how and why its been continued this entire time.

IWS has been discussed many times so my point of my inquiry here is more about WHY this song so grips her?? That's a valid answer.

If its also personal for her lyrically , I don't think of Diana Ross that way.... as a survivor. I think she shortchanges herself with that thought.

She's been through a lot and has had one HELL of an amazing career, rather than viewed as a "survivor, I would say a term that better suits her is "conqueror".


And now I'm wondering how this part of the song was true for Diana at many points in her career:

"At first I was afraid , I was petrified ..."

You look to deep my friend. As previously mentioned, she said she liked positive message songs such as “Survive” and “I Ain’t Been Licked” way back in 79.
The reason for its continued inclusion makes good business sense as her audiences consist less of dedicated Ross fans, and more the casual punter who like to sing along to songs they recognise. Most everyone knows the words to “Survive” so there you have it.

[sup_fan]

You look to deep my friend. As previously mentioned, she said she liked positive message songs such as “Survive” and “I Ain’t Been Licked” way back in 79.
The reason for its continued inclusion makes good business sense as her audiences consist less of dedicated Ross fans, and more the casual punter who like to sing along to songs they recognise. Most everyone knows the words to “Survive” so there you have it.

i agree. i'd heard of the "gay dedication" years ago but that may or may not be accurate. and if it was what she intended when she recorded it, i doubt she makes the statement every time she performs. not because her love for her gay fans has diminished. just seems unnecessary to keep doing again and again.

she's has always loved these types of inspirational and message songs. frankly IMO to her detriment. some of them are rather saccharine and just aren't good songs. i dub them the "oprah swaying" songs because oprah is always happy to have her on her show and Diana would inevitably sing whatever latest feel good junk was on her album. and Oprah would just be sitting there in a stupor, swaying back and forth with one of those vague expressions and eyes rolled back, as you would have seen in a medieval painting of some priest waiting to be pierced by the holy spirit.

[Boogiedown]

So .....there's not that much to it??
When searching for a "why", sounds like the answer comes down to a, "why not?"
And true enough , she's got to sing something. I WILL SURVIVE sends them on their way to the exists just fine... so ya, why not ...

It's easy for her to sing , its easy for the crowd to sing, its familiar, its uplifting. And for thirty years its the only song Ross can up with that checks off those boxes....
Won't use the word "lazy" for it, I'll stick with "easy" ......

[sup_fan]

So .....there's not that much to it??
When searching for a "why", sounds like the answer comes down to a, "why not?"
And true enough , she's got to sing something. I WILL SURVIVE sends them on their way to the exists just fine... so ya, why not ...

It's easy for her to sing , its easy for the crowd to sing, its familiar, its uplifting. And for thirty years its the only song Ross can up with that checks off those boxes....
Won't use the word "lazy" for it, I'll stick with "easy" ......

that's actually a valid and fair point. it is easy to sing and doesn't have notes that she would have to strain on. and it's not about laziness - she's 79 years old lol. voices decline over time and so if this is one that still fits perfectly in her register and it's one she and the crowd loves, then it's a no brainer

[Boogiedown]

Yes I wouldn’t expect Ross to change it now. Not after thirty years. Who could have imagined THAT would be her chosen close out song for all this time.
This from the woman who had to be taken into the studio by Hal Davis clawing and screaming she didn’t want to do disco.
Twenty years later she seizes one of the most iconic disco songs of them all and won’t let go.
Crazy stuff.

[JohnnyB]

As much as I’d love to see Diana close her shows with Reach Out And Touch or Remember Me, I Will Survive is a powerful show closer. The song is a celebratory classic that has the audience on their feet, singing and dancing along. The interplay with the band and background singers and All We Do Is Win only add to the energy, creating a perfect finale.

I don’t think the casual fan remembers the origin of the song.

[Ollie9]

As much as I’d love to see Diana close her shows with Reach Out And Touch or Remember Me, I Will Survive is a powerful show closer. The song is a celebratory classic that has the audience on their feet, singing and dancing along. The interplay with the band and background singers and All We Do Is Win only add to the energy, creating a perfect finale.

I think it a fair assumption that most long time fans would prefer to hear something else. Certainly the ones i know would.

[reese]

I don’t think the casual fan remembers the origin of the song.

A few years back, I took a friend along to a Diana concert. When it was over I asked her opinion. She replied that she enjoyed it very much, especially when she sang I WILL SURVIVE. She then went on to ask when Diana recorded it. I answered "1995."

She replied "1995? Didn't she record it back in the 70s?"

We had a big laugh when I told her that Gloria Gaynor was the originator.

[Ollie9]

she's has always loved these types of inspirational and message songs. frankly IMO to her detriment. some of them are rather saccharine and just aren't good songs. i dub them the "oprah swaying" songs because oprah is always happy to have her on her show and Diana would inevitably sing whatever latest feel good junk was on her album. and Oprah would just be sitting there in a stupor, swaying back and forth with one of those vague expressions and eyes rolled back, as you would have seen in a medieval painting of some priest waiting to be pierced by the holy spirit.

Thanks for providing a chuckle sup.

[jobeterob]

As much as I’d love to see Diana close her shows with Reach Out And Touch or Remember Me, I Will Survive is a powerful show closer. The song is a celebratory classic that has the audience on their feet, singing and dancing along. The interplay with the band and background singers and All We Do Is Win only add to the energy, creating a perfect finale.

I don’t think the casual fan remembers the origin of the song.

You have nailed this totally

There’s a couple million fans and 400 hardcore fans - the couple million win out

[Bluebrock]

i agree. i'd heard of the "gay dedication" years ago but that may or may not be accurate. and if it was what she intended when she recorded it, i doubt she makes the statement every time she performs. not because her love for her gay fans has diminished. just seems unnecessary to keep doing again and again.

she's has always loved these types of inspirational and message songs. frankly IMO to her detriment. some of them are rather saccharine and just aren't good songs. i dub them the "oprah swaying" songs because oprah is always happy to have her on her show and Diana would inevitably sing whatever latest feel good junk was on her album. and Oprah would just be sitting there in a stupor, swaying back and forth with one of those vague expressions and eyes rolled back, as you would have seen in a medieval painting of some priest waiting to be pierced by the holy spirit.

Ha ha. You are on form today!
I was always under the impression she dedicated the song to her daughters. I have some vague recollection of her telling me something to that effect. She always claimed to love the song despite not being a fan of disco music in general. I guess she just loved the lyrics to the song which evidently struck a chord with her.

[mowsville]

Ok i'll ask again...does anybody think Diana would have had a hit if she had recorded the original back in 79?

[sup_fan]

Ok i'll ask again...does anybody think Diana would have had a hit if she had recorded the original back in 79?

oh i do. I love Gloria's rendition of it because it's a great song. I like Gloria but not a devotee and i don't know that there's anything truly magical about her voice. I can hear Diana doing just as passionate and engaging of a vocal on this. imagine if it had been on The Boss album! thematically it would have fit perfectly

[jobeterob]

oh i do. I love Gloria's rendition of it because it's a great song. I like Gloria but not a devotee and i don't know that there's anything truly magical about her voice. I can hear Diana doing just as passionate and engaging of a vocal on this. imagine if it had been on The Boss album! thematically it would have fit perfectly

I think Diana could have had a massive hit with IWS or All We Do Is Win or the two songs done together

[PeaceNHarmony]

As much as I’d love to see Diana close her shows with Reach Out And Touch or Remember Me, I Will Survive is a powerful show closer. The song is a celebratory classic that has the audience on their feet, singing and dancing along. The interplay with the band and background singers and All We Do Is Win only add to the energy, creating a perfect finale.

I don’t think the casual fan remembers the origin of the song.

Yup. Only 'da Trolls think there's anything bizarre about it.

[Spreadinglove21]

I think Diana could have had a massive hit with IWS or All We Do Is Win or the two songs done together

All We Do is Win by DJ Khaled, featuring T Pain, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross and Ludacris didn't come out until 2010.

[Boogiedown]

Yup. Only 'da Trolls think there's anything bizarre about it.

Oh come on , you don’t think it’s bizarre .

[jobeterob]

All We Do is Win by DJ Khaled, featuring T Pain, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross and Ludacris didn't come out until 2010.

She should have put them together then and released - I thought it was a hit

[Ollie9]

Yup. Only 'da Trolls think there's anything bizarre about it.

Erm.....yea. :confused: