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.
Gone Too Long
Gloria Gaynor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweet words, empty promises
You swore you'd always be my lover
Look close, look into my eyes
You will realize
My heart just ain't for hire
Times change, a new day dawned
Look close, look into my eyes
You will realize
You want my love but there's nothing on
I wanna give but the feeling's gone
We used to be right, baby don't take it wrong
But you've been gone, gone, gone
Gone too long
While you were away
Things got turned around
I found somebody who won't bring me down
No, never again
No, look into my eyes you will realize
You want my love but there's nothing on
I wanna give but the feeling's gone
We used to be right, baby don't take it wrong
But you've been gone, gone, gone
Gone too long, gone too long
Oh, I learned to smile again
Oh, I learned to laugh again
Oh, baby everything's changed
For better, I got it together
You want my love but there's nothing on
I wanna give but the feeling's gone
We used to be right, baby don't take it wrong
But you've been gone, gone, gone
Gone too long
You want my love but there's nothing on
I wanna give but the feeling's gone
We used to be right, baby don't take it wrong
But you've been gone, gone, gone
Gone too long
The lyrics of Gloria Gaynor's song "Gone Too Long" express a woman's realization that her former lover's promises and declarations of love were all empty. The woman alleges that she was once in love with this person, but that he took her affection for granted and subsequently left, leaving her feeling isolated and alone. The song's first stanza suggests that the ex-lover promised to be the woman's sole love interest, yet he lied and broke the woman's heart. Gaynor sings, "You said you'd never love another/Sweet words, empty promises/You swore you'd always be my lover/Look close, look into my eyes/You will realize."
The song's chorus emphasizes the woman's need to move on from her past relationship. She informs her ex-partner that, although she wants to love him, her feelings for him have waned. She tells him, "You want my love but there's nothing on/I wanna give but the feeling's gone/We used to be right, baby don't take it wrong/But you've been gone, gone, gone/Gone too long."
Later in the tune, Gaynor reveals that, despite her sadness, she has found someone new. The woman, unlike her previous companion, brings joy into her life, and Gaynor states that she has learned to smile and laugh again. The final lyric of the song's chorus suggests that the woman's ex-lover will always be important to her, even though their relationship is over.
Line by Line Meaning
You said you'd never love another
You made a promise that you'll never fall in love with someone else
Sweet words, empty promises
Your words were charming but never meant to be fulfilled
You swore you'd always be my lover
You promised to always love and be with me
Look close, look into my eyes
Pay attention to me and try to understand what I'm saying
You will realize
You'll come to understand the truth of the situation
My heart just ain't for hire
I'm not interested in giving my heart to someone who doesn't truly care
Times change, a new day dawned
Things have changed and it's time to move on
I ain't got time for your whim and desire
I'm not interested in catering to your every whim
You want my love but there's nothing on
You say you want my love, but there's no sincerity behind it
I wanna give but the feeling's gone
I want to love you, but the spark between us has faded away
We used to be right, baby don't take it wrong
We used to be good together, but things have changed
But you've been gone, gone, gone
You left and were absent for too long
While you were away
During the time you were gone
Things got turned around
Things changed and were no longer the same
I found somebody who won't bring me down
I found someone who treats me better and makes me happy
No, never again
I'll never go back to how things used to be with you
Oh, I learned to smile again
I finally feel joy and happiness again
Oh, I learned to laugh again
I found reasons to laugh and enjoy life again
Oh, baby everything's changed
Everything is different now, and I've moved on
For better, I got it together
Things are better now, and I've figured things out
But you've been gone, gone, gone
You were absent for too long
Gone too long
You stayed away for too much time, and it's too late now
Lyrics ยฉ O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JORGEN ELOFSSON, LAMONT DOZIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind