Trust Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson to be cute about Corona too. After going into quarantine in Australia following their diagnosis, (Hanks has since been released) the couple have been tweeting to their fans and trying valiantly to keep up their spirits. In one such tweet, Rita asked fans to prepare a ‘quarantine playlist’ for the couple on Spotify — music that would help them stave off boredom and cabin fever. Suggestions began pouring in, and unsurprisingly, there were one too many. Rita then specified that the music ought to be apt for “isolation” and also wanted people to suggest names for the playlist!
Eventually, she zeroed in on some songs and called the playlist ‘Quarantunes’. Among the songs in this playlist is one of our all-time favourites — the 1978 hit song ‘I will survive’ (yeah, she did say apt) by the legendary American singer Gloria Geynor. Geynor, in fact, started a Tik-Tok hand-washing challenge based on this iconic number of hers.
But, coming back to the song itself, when it was free of the Coronavirus association, ‘I will survive’ was all about the journey to discover how tough one can become, no matter how devastating the circumstances. The song was adopted by feminist movements and is now deeply associated with women empowerment and the LGBTQ movement. The Library of Congress even declared the number to be “culturally, historically and artistically significant”.
It was awarded the Grammy that year (but, of course) and routinely features in ‘100 greatest songs of all time’ lists. Keeping all these accolades aside, the song is addictive on its own — it is your original disco number. Sway-worthy, groovy, and even after so many years, hot. Cabin fever, did you say!
Play By Ear showcases a potential earworm every week for you, the discerning listener, who is on the hunt for some musical serendipity.