Fun Disco Facts: In early 1978, an all girl, South African band called "Clout" had a hit with a remake of The Righteous Brother song "Substitute". Executives at Polydor records decided to cash in on that success by reworking the track into a disco single. Gloria Gaynor recorded the song and the single was released. It performed well. However, it was only when DJs began playing the B-side that things really started moving. As the single began flying off store shelves and even more radio stations opted to play the B-side, the record company RE-released the single with the sides reversed. "I Will Survive" became a worldwide smash hit and an enduring disco anthem. Selling well over 2,000,000 copies and making Gloria a household name. Unfortunately, she would never repeat this success. The song is very unique for a disco track, as it contains no backing vocals at all. Most disco hits at the time were heavily produced, with multiple voices, overdubs, and adjustments to pitch and speed. "I Will Survive" had a much more spare and "clean" sound. Had it been originally planned and released as an A-side, it would almost certainly have undergone a substantially more heavy-handed mix. The band "Clout" eventually went on to have numerous hit singles outside of the disco realm. Just not in the US where sanctions against South African artists were in effect. "Save Me" is considered their best chart entry. Funk Frequency are currently considering "I Will Survive" for inclusion on our set list.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 18:56:45 +0000
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