Gaynor was a singer with the Soul Satisfiers, a jazz/pop band, in the 1960s. Her first solo single was "She'll Be Sorry/Let Me Go Baby" in 1965.
Her first real success came in 1975 with the release of her album Never Can Say Goodbye, which established her as a disco artist. The first side of this album consisted of three disco songs ("Honey Bee", "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Reach Out, I'll Be There"), with no breaks in between the songs. This 19-minute dance marathon proved to be enormously popular, especially at dance clubs. All three songs were released as singles via radio edits, and all of them became hits. This album was so instrumental in introducing disco music to the public, that many later believed that Gloria Gaynor had been the first artist to record disco music. "Never Can Say Goodbye" became the first song to top Billboard magazine's dance chart - in that sense, she was the first. Capitalizing on the success of her first album, Gaynor quickly released her second album, Experience Gloria Gaynor, later that same year. While this album was also successful, it was not quite as popular as her previous album in the mainstream.
Some of her lesser-known singles, due to lack of recurrent airplay, include "Honey Bee", "Casanova Brown", and "Let's Make A Deal" which all became hits in the clubs and reached the Top 5 on Billboard's disco charts. After her 1976 album, I've Got You, Gaynor shifted from her hit production team to work with other productions. While it seemed like a good move, her subsequent producers did not seem to match Gaynor's vocal approach and style as well. This caused her the albums that followed, such as 1977's Glorious and 1978's Park Avenue Sound, to be regarded as merely good albums instead of excellent albums.
For the next few years, Gaynor would only enjoy a few moderate hits. However, in late 1978, with the release of her album Love Tracks, she climbed the pop charts again because of her now-signature song "I Will Survive". The lyrics of this song are written from the point of view of a woman, recently dumped, telling her former lover that she can cope without him and does not want anything more to do with him. The song has become something of an anthem of female emancipation, and is still a staple of office parties and karaoke nights. The song was awarded the first and only Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980 (the category was discontinued upon disco's fall from favor shortly afterward). In 1999, Pixar animator Victor Navone used this song to create an alien music video, which for a time, was a minor internet phenomenon.
Interestingly, "I Will Survive" was originally the B-side when Polydor Records released it in late 1978. The A-side, a song called "Substitute", then a recent worldwide hit for South African girl-group Clout, was considered to be more "radio friendly." Radio DJs flipped the record over, and audience response forced the record company to flip the songs, so that subsequent copies of the single listed the more popular song on the A-side. In late 1979, she released the album I Have A Right, which contained her next disco hit, "Let Me Know (I Have The Right)", featuring Doc Severinsen of The Tonight Show fame on trumpet solo.
Even though she exprienced difficulty having hit records in the U.S. after "I Am What I Am", the majority of her subsequent single chart on the UK Singles Chart. During the late 1990s and the 2000s, Gaynor returned to the American charts. She issued two albums, 2002's I Wish You Love and 2006's The Answer, that were well received with her fanbase.
All My Life
Gloria Gaynor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Its just like I dreamed it would be
I feel like we're frozen in time
And you're the only one I can see
Hey, I've looked All my Life for you
And now you're here
Hey, I've spent All my Life with you
And I never really knew how to love
I just hoped somehow I'd see
Asked for a little help from above
Send that angel down to me
Hey, I've looked All my Life for you
And now you're here
Hey, I've spent All my Life with you
All my Life
I never thought that I could feel a love so tender
I never thought I could let those feelings show
But now my heart is on my sleeve
and this love will never leave
I know
I know
Hey, I've looked All my Life for you
And now you're here
Hey, I've spent All my Life with you
All my Life
All my Life
Hey, I've looked All my Life for you
And now you're here
Hey, I've spent All my Life with you
All my Life
The lyrics of Gloria Gaynor's song "All My Life" describe a feeling of overwhelming joy and gratitude towards a significant other. The singer expresses amazement at finally being in the arms of the person they had been searching for their entire life, feeling as though they are frozen in time together. The chorus of the song repeatedly emphasizes how the singer had been looking their entire life for this person, and how they have now spent their whole life with them.
The second verse of the song delves into the singer's past, admitting that they did not know how to truly love before meeting their partner. They admit to having asked for help from a higher power, leading to the arrival of their angelic partner. The pre-chorus emphasizes the tenderness and vulnerability of the singer's newfound love, admitting that they never thought they could feel such emotions, but now wear their heart on their sleeve. The song concludes with the final chorus, repeating the sentiment that the singer had been looking their whole life for this person, and is overjoyed to have spent their entire life with them.
Overall, "All My Life" is a love song that centers around the feeling of finally finding and being with one's soulmate. The lyrics express gratitude, vulnerability, and the idea that the singer's life would not have been complete without their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Am I really here in your arms
I can't believe I'm actually here with you in your arms
Its just like I dreamed it would be
Being with you feels like a dream come true
I feel like we're frozen in time
In this moment, it feels like time has stopped and it's just us
And you're the only one I can see
You are the center of my focus and attention right now
Hey, I've looked All my Life for you
I have searched my entire life for someone like you
And now you're here
And finally, you're here with me
Hey, I've spent All my Life with you
I have devoted my entire life to being with you
All my Life
I have been waiting for you my whole life
And I never really knew how to love
I didn't know how to love until I met you
I just hoped somehow I'd see
I always hoped that one day I would find the love of my life
Asked for a little help from above
I prayed for guidance and help finding you
Send that angel down to me
I was hoping for a sign to show me the way to true love
I never thought that I could feel a love so tender
I didn't believe that such a loving and gentle love was possible
I never thought I could let those feelings show
I didn't think I could be vulnerable and express my love
But now my heart is on my sleeve
But now, I am wearing my heart on my sleeve and expressing my love openly
and this love will never leave
My love for you is eternal and will never fade away
I know
I am certain of my love for you
Hey, I've spent All my Life with you
I have given my entire life to being with you
All my Life
I have waited my entire life for you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Joel M Hailey, Rory A Bennett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-wi3rh7vi6m
Grande Gloria regina della disco musicale anni 70 !!! Sublime
@MrPeclo
Fabulous Gaynor !
@zengagemotivational2
I cannot believe I just rediscovered this song again....and I lived through the whole disco thing as a teen and thought I had every disco record ever made
@pevvaz87
Hey Alan. I love your videos and your tribute do our great Gloria Gaynor. I'm a big fan of hers since I was 11 or 12. Keep posting more.
And by the way, where can I find the whole Stories album in good quality???
@alanjarvis3693
Hi Pedro, Thank you for your kind words! Stories was released on CD a few years ago but I believe in only limited numbers. Keep looking and am sure you will find this great album in your part of the world.
@pevvaz87
thanks Alan. I'll keep looking. hope one day it will be released with bonus tracks as BBR records has been doing with her 70's albums.
@michaelleon1273
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