"Survivor" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for their third studio album of the same title (2001). It was written and composed by group member Beyoncé, Anthony Dent, and

Mathew Knowles Mathew Knowles (born January 9, 1952)Knowles in is an American record executive, businessman and university lecturer. He is best known for being the manager of Destiny's Child. He also once managed the solo careers of his daughters Beyonc� ...

. "Survivor" was inspired by a joke that a radio station had made about the fact that three members had already left the group, comparing the band to the reality game show ''Survivor''. Beyoncé was inspired to take the negative comment and turn it into a positive by writing a song out of it. The song was released as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from ''Survivor'' on March 6, 2001, by Columbia Records. "Survivor" was a commercial success, peaking at number two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and topping the charts in Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Critically acclaimed, the song won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards (2002). Its accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

won the 2001 MTV Video Music Award for

Best R&B Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B was first awarded in 1993 under the name of Best R&B Video, and it was given every year until 2006, as the following year MTV revamped the VMAs and eliminated all the genre categories. The following year, thou ...

, while the song also won a

Soul Train Lady of Soul Award The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the ...

for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo. In 2017, '' Billboard'' ranked the song at number 40 on their list "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time". Additionally,

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

named it the tenth best song of the 2000s.

Background and development

"Survivor" was written by Anthony Dent, Destiny's Child band member

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

and her father Mathew, while production was helmed by Dent and Beyoncé. The song addresses the drama the band endured in 2000, when original members

LaTavia Roberson LaTavia Marie Roberson (born November 1, 1981) is an American R&B singer. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as an original member of the R&B group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During her time as ...

and

LeToya Luckett LeToya Nicole Luckett (born March 11, 1981) is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a founding member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a me ...

split from Knowles and

Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the gr ...

, and were replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. Soon afterwards Franklin was also dismissed from the group, leading to more well-publicized personnel changes. According to Knowles, the group was publicly compared to the reality series '' Survivor'', which inspired her to "write us out of all that negativity." Dent initially envisioned his instrumental track to be recorded by rapper Lil' Kim, before Beyoncé used it to pen the lyrics, melody and vocal arrangement for "Survivor." Much of the song was written during a flight to the next city while Destiny's Child was opening for singer

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

during her

Christina Aguilera in Concert Christina Aguilera in Concert was the debut concert tour by American singer Christina Aguilera. It supported her two studio albums, ''Christina Aguilera'' (1999) and ''Mi Reflejo'' (2000). Beginning in May 2000 with appearances at radio festival ...

tour. Knowles later elaborated on the process: "I wrote it quickly because I was frustrated. For me, it was all about what survival means for women, and how hard it is to be one when there are people out there who are trying to bring you down." She further commented on its concept in an interview with MTV in which she stated that "Survivor" was "basically about surviving different situations. Everyone in this world that I know, they've survived something, and I know the song is definitely inspirational. It really makes you feel strong and it really makes you feel like you can survive anything." Recording of the song took place at the SugarHill Studios in Houston, Texas in late 2000. "Survivor" was the first song from its parent album to be recorded. In a promotional 2001 interview with '' Billboard'', Williams commented on the recording process: "Words can't describe how we felt when we recorded that song. Some of us were crying, others were jumping up and down ..We prayed before that session, and the energy in that session was so high –— the room was heated." The chanting of the word "what!" in the chorus was Mathew Knowles' contribution to the song and added late into the recording of the "Survivor" after he had walked into the session while the band was recording and felt that a chanting part would suggest audience participation.

Composition

The song is performed in the key of

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. According to Paolo Pietropaolo, it is the con ...

, with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 81 beats per minute in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

. In the

harmonic minor In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which also ...

scale, it follows a chord progression of Gm–Cm–D, and the group's vocals span an octave and a half, from G₃ to C₅.

Critical reception

'' Billboard'' critic Chuck Taylor noted that "Survivor" was "careful not to stray from the well-established formula that has made Destiny's Child the pop act ''du jour'' – a skittish stop- and-start beat, the puissant vocals of co-songwriter/producer Beyoncé Knowles, and a lyric about life in the victory lane when mankind does you wrong."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that "Survivor" was "painfully labored, stuttering over a halting melody that Beyoncé Knowles breathlessly pushes to absolutely nowhere, working it so hard that it's difficult to listen."

Commercial performance

"Survivor" debuted at number 43 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it the group's second highest-debuting single to date, behind "

Lose My Breath "Lose My Breath" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for their fourth and last studio album '' Destiny Fulfilled'' (2004). It was written by Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jer ...

" at number 30. It quickly ascended through the chart, reaching its peak position of number two within a month. However, it was blocked out of the summit spot by Janet Jackson's " All for You", remaining at number two for seven consecutive weeks. The song was not released on physical formats until after its airplay had peaked; it topped the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart for eight weeks. It also peaked at number five on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. The single stayed atop the

Hot 100 Airplay The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...

chart for five consecutive weeks and peaked at number three on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. Its DVD edition peaked at number nine on the US Top Music Videos chart. In the United Kingdom, "Survivor" debuted at number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, selling 104,000 copies in its first week. It had sold 260,000 copies by the end of 2001, and has sold over 832,000 copies as of April 2021. It also topped the charts in Ireland and the Netherlands, while peaking at number two in Canada and number three in New Zealand.

Music video

An accompanying

for "Survivor" was directed by

Darren Grant Darren Grant is an American television, film and music video director. He has directed over eighty music videos for mostly R&B and hip hop artists. In 2005, Grant directed his debut film Tyler Perry's '' Diary of a Mad Black Woman''. In 2008, ...

and filmed in various locations throughout Los Angeles County, California on January 27–29, 2001. The clip is styled in the sense of three survivors living on an uninhabited island. It also shows a brief prelude to how the trio got shipwrecked. Following their shipwreck, they uncover an island where they change clothes and walk into a waterfall leading to a deserted temple where it transforms into a dance break. It storms on through the dance bridge and the prelude of the shipwreck. After this, a helicopter starts buzzing leading to where the members are racing out of the island for their escape. External shots in the video were filmed at Point Dume State Beach on the on the coast of Malibu as well as the

Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 127 acres (51.4 ha), is an arboretum, botanical garden, and historical site nestled into hills near the San Gabriel Mountains in Arcadia, California, United States. Open daily, it only close ...

in Arcadia, with the rest of the sequences being filmed at the

Los Angeles Center Studios Los Angeles Center Studios, located in the Westlake District of Los Angeles, California, is a multipurpose facility in the former Unocal Center building (opened as Union Oil Center in April 1958) next to the 110 Freeway. Architect William Perei ...

. The final video premiered on MTV's making of docu series ''

Making the Video ''Making the Video'' is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video (or treatment) and the show often includes light-hearted ...

'' on March 6, 2001. One of Destiny's Child's "most difficult videos" to film due to the unseasonal weather conditions in California in late January 2001, the band was reportedly "sick for days" after shooting beach scenes in their skimpy outfits. The "Surivor" music video was later released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

with a live performance of "

Independent Women Part I "Independent Women Part I" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for the soundtrack to the 2000 film adaptation of the television program '' Charlie's Angels''. It was written and produced by production duo Poke & Tone, consisti ...

" at the

2001 Brit Awards Brit Awards 2001 was the 21st edition of the annual pop music Brit Awards awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 26 February 2001 at Earls Court in London. Performances Winne ...

on May 15, 2001. The release was a standard full-frame transfer that preserved the original aspect ratio of the video, with an English soundtrack rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. It was featured on the

DualDisc The DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including Michael Jackson, MJJ Productions Inc., EMI, EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, ...

edition of their greatest hits album '' #1's'' (2005), on the international edition of '' Survivor'' (2001) as an enhanced video, on the

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

-exclusive DVD titled '' Fan Pack'' (2004), and on '' Destiny's Child Video Anthology'' (2013). Director

Cary Joji Fukunaga Cary Joji Fukunaga (born July 10, 1977) is an American filmmaker. He first gained recognition for writing and directing the 2009 film '' Sin nombre'' and the 2011 adaptation of ''Jane Eyre''. He was the first director of partial East Asian des ...

got his start in the film industry as a camera production assistant on the video.

Controversy

Former group members

and

filed a lawsuit against Knowles, Rowland, and former manager

; they claimed some of the lyrics in "Survivor", such as "You thought I wouldn't sell without you/sold nine million", violated a previous agreement that prevented either party from insulting the other.

Track listings

* US and Canadian CD single # "Survivor" (remix extended version featuring

Da Brat Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album '' Fun ...

) – 4:24 # "Survivor" ( Calderone club mix) – 9:26 # "Survivor" (Calderone Drum Dub mix) – 6:45 # "Survivor" (CB200 Club Anthem mix) – 6:20 # "Survivor" (Azza'z soul remix) – 4:30 * US 7-inch single :A. "Survivor – 4:14 :B. "Survivor" (featuring Da Brat) – 4:24 * US 12-inch single :A1. "Survivor" (Calderone club mix) – 9:26 :A2. "Survivor" (Calderone Drum Dub mix) – 6:45 :B1. "Survivor" (CB200 Club Anthem mix) – 6:20 :B2. "Survivor" (remix extended version featuring Da Brat) – 4:24 :B3. "Survivor" (Azza'z soul remix) – 4:30 * US DVD single # "Survivor" # "Independent Women Part I" (live at The Brits 2001) * European CD single # "Survivor" (album version) # "Survivor" (Azza'z soul remix radio edit) * UK CD1 # "Survivor" (album version) – 4:14 # "Survivor" (Azza'z soul remix radio edit) – 3:56 # "Survivor" (Victor Calderone club mix) – 9:26 * UK CD2 # "Survivor" (

Jaimeson Jaimeson (né Jamie WilliamsJaimeson biography
, Sing3 ...

full vocal remix) – 6:19 # "Independent Women Part 1" (live at The Brits 2001) – 3:52 # "So Good" (

Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...

's soul remix) – 7:35 # "Independent Women Part 1" (live at The Brits 2001 video version) * UK cassette single # "Survivor" (album version) – 4:14 # "Survivor" (Maurice's Soul Survivor mix) – 7:51 * Australian CD single # "Survivor" (album version) # "So Good" (Maurice's soul remix) # "So Good" (Digital Black-N-Groove club mix) # "Independent Women Part I" (Joe Smooth 200 Proof 2 Step Mix)

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of '' Survivor''. *Rich Balmer – assistant engineer *Kerren Berz – strings *Orlando Calzada – engineer *Anthony Dent – engineer, producer, writer *

– producer, vocals, writer *

– executive producer, writer *Redd – keyboards *

– vocals *Brian Springer – engineer * Michelle Williams – vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

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Maxi CD A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

, rowspan="3",

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...

, , - ! scope="row", France , , - ! scope="row", Germany , , - ! scope="row", Japan , April 11, 2001 , {{hlist, CD , SME , {{center, , - ! scope="row", United Kingdom , April 16, 2001 , {{hlist, Cassette, two maxi CDs , Columbia , {{center, , - ! scope="row", France , May 2, 2001 , CD , Sony Music , {{center, , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2", United States , May 8, 2001 , {{hlist, 12-inch vinyl, maxi CD , rowspan="2", Columbia , {{center, , - , May 15, 2001 ,

, {{center, {{cite web, url=https://www.amazon.com/Destinys-Child-Survivor-Independent-Single/dp/B00005J74S, title=Destiny's Child – Survivor / Independent Women Part I (Live at the Brits 2001) (DVD Single), location=United States, publisher=

Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights ...

, date=May 15, 2001, access-date=April 1, 2022

References

{{Reflist

External links

* {{YouTube, Wmc8bQoL-J0, Official music video {{Destiny's Child singles {{MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video {{Authority control 2000 songs 2001 singles Columbia Records singles Destiny's Child songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Darren Grant Number-one singles in Norway Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Anthony Dent Songs written by Beyoncé UK Singles Chart number-one singles