Gloria Gaynor Repurposes 'I Will Survive' To Help Ward Off Coronavirus

Gloria Gaynor has taught fans a thing or two about survival since the 1970s, and she’s applying her famously steadfast approach to the coronavirus, too.
On Wednesday, the disco diva posted a short TikTok video that showed her washing her hands to a snippet of her 1979 hit, “I Will Survive.”
In an accompanying caption, Gaynor wrote, “It only takes 20 seconds to ‘SURVIVE’!”
The two-time Grammy winner’s advice is in keeping with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that recommend soaping up for at least 20 seconds to fight COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
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That’s roughly the same time as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice, though media outlets and Twitter users have been quick to suggest alternative songs with 20-second choruses that can be used. A new app, Wash Your Lyrics, allows users to create a hand-washing infographic for the song of their choice.
Few ditties, however, seem quite as applicable to our current climate as “I Will Survive” with its forward-thinking message of self-empowerment.
Gaynor, 70, has been enjoying a career resurgence. In January, her 2019 album “Testimony” won a Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album.
Speaking with NPR last year, she said she initially felt “I Will Survive” was “a double-edged sword” in that the era-defining song’s success as a disco standard obscured that her music incorporates a variety of genres, including jazz, R&B and gospel.
These days, however, Gaynor has come to view “I Will Survive” as “the core of my purpose.”
“The song has done so much for so many people, and I am pleased and proud to have been the one to record it,” she said.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
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