Survivor (Destiny's Child song)

"Survivor"
Single by Destiny's Child
from the album Survivor
Released	February 13, 2001
Format	CD maxi single, 12" single, DVD Single
Recorded	2000
Genre	R&B, dance-pop, hip hop
Length	4:14
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Beyoncé Knowles, Anthony Dent, Mathew Knowles
Producer	Beyoncé Knowles, Anthony Dent
Certification	Gold (BPI)
Destiny's Child singles chronology
"Independent Women" (2000) "Survivor" (2001) "Bootylicious" (2001)

"Survivor" is a song by American R&B group Destiny's Child. It was written and composed by band member Beyoncé Knowles, Anthony Dent, and Mathew Knowles for the band's third studio album Survivor (2001). The song was won for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

The video won the 2001 MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video, and a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for "Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo". The opening track of singer-songwriter Jill Sobule's 2004 album The Folk Years 2003-2003 is a cover of the song, and a pseudo-cover of the song also opens rapper Vanilla Ice's 2005 album Platinum Underground.

Background

In 1999, Destiny's Child members LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett split from Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland, and were replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. However, soon afterwards Franklin was also dropped from the group. According to Knowles, the group was compared to Survivor, which inspired her to "write us out of all that negativity."

Additionally, the song was Black Entertainment Television's tenth best song of the 2000s decade.

Music video

The video premiered on "MTV - Making the Video" and is styled in the sense of three survivors living on an uninhabited island. It also shows a brief prelude to how the girls got shipwrecked.

The musicclip is featured on the DualDisc edition of the album #1's, as an enhanced video on the international edition of the album Survivor and on the 2004 Wal-Mart exclusive DVD titled Fan Pack.

The remix video featuring Da Brat is not featured on any video compilation.

Chart performance

"Survivor" debuted at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the group's second highest debuting single to date, just behind "Lose My Breath" at #30, and quickly raced up the charts reaching its peak position of #2 within a month. It was unable to claim the summit spot due to the massive success of Janet Jackson's "All For You". The song topped the Billboard Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales chart for eight weeks. The song only reached number five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The single reached number one on the Hot 100 Airplay chart for five consecutive weeks and peaked at number three on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart.

In the United Kingdom, "Survivor" debuted at number one on the singles chart and went on to sell around 290,000 copies. It also topped the singles chart in Ireland, Netherlands, and Japan. Moreover, it held the top position in the United World Tracks Chart for five weeks. It was ranked one in Canada, peaked second in New Zealand, placed in the top 5 in Australia and Germany, and reached number 12 in France.

Controversy

Former group members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson filed a lawsuit against Knowles, Rowland, and former manager Mathew Knowles; 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.

Credits and personnel

• Lead vocals: Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams
• Vocal production: Kelly Rowland^{[citation needed]} and Mathew Knowles

Charts

Chart (2001)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	7
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)	10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	5
Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)	6
Denmark (Tracklisten)	4
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	4
France (SNEP)	12
Germany (Media Control AG)	8
Ireland (IRMA)	1
Italy (FIMI)	6
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)	2
New Zealand (RIANZ)	2
Norway (VG-lista)	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	5
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)	1
US Billboard Hot 100	2
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	6
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	1
US Pop Songs (Billboard)	2

Formats and track listings

• Australian Maxi-Single 670780 2

1. "Survivor" (Album Version)
2. "So Good" (Maurice's Soul Remix)¹
3. "So Good" (Digital Black-N-Groove Club Mix)¹
4. "Independent Women Part I" (Joe Smooth 200 Proof 2 Step Mix)

• Dance Mixes (US) 44K 79566

1. "Survivor" (Remix Extended Version featuring Da Brat)
2. "Survivor" (Calderone Club Mix) [aka "Victor Calderone Club Mix"]
3. "Survivor" (Calderone Drum Dub Mix)
4. "Survivor" (CB200 Club Anthem Mix)
5. "Survivor" (Azza'z Soul Remix)

• European Maxi-Single COL 670749 2

1. "Survivor" (Album Version)
2. "Survivor" (Azza'z Soul Remix Radio Edit)
3. "Survivor" (Digital Black-N-Groove Radio Mix)
4. "Survivor" (CB200 Club Anthem Mix)

• UK Part 1 COL 671173 2

1. "Survivor" (Album Version) - 4:14
2. "Survivor" (Azza'z Soul Remix Radio Edit) - 3:56
3. "Survivor" (Victor Calderone Club Mix) - 9:26

• UK Part 2 COL 671173 5

1. "Survivor" (Jameson Full Vocal Remix) - 6:19
2. "Independent Women Part 1" (Live At The Brits 2001) - 3:52
3. "So Good" (Maurice's Soul Remix)¹ - 7:35
4. Footage of Independent Women Part 1 Live at The Brits 2001

Notes

• ¹ The remixes of "So Good" contain newly recorded vocals, different from the album version.

Official versions

• "Survivor" (A cappella)
• "Survivor" (Instrumental)
• "Survivor" (Azza'z Soul Remix)
• "Survivor" (Azza'z Soul Remix Radio Edit)
• "Survivor" (CB2000 Club Anthem Mix) * aka (Josh Charlie Main Remix)
• "Survivor" (Digital Black-N-Groove Remix) * aka (Josh Hard Main Remix)
• "Survivor" (Josh Hard Radio Remix) *
• "Survivor" (Jameson Full Vocal Remix)

• "Survivor" (Maurice's Soul Mix) * aka (Josh Soul Main Remix)
• "Survivor" (Josh Soul Radio Remix)
• "Survivor" (Remix Extended Version) (feat Da Brat)
• "Survivor" (Richard Vission's V-Quest Remix)
• "Survivor" (Victor Calderone Mix)
• "Survivor" (Victor Calderone Drum Dub Mix)

-* These remixes contain new lead vocals by Michelle and Kelly and re-recorded vocals by Kelly on her verse and by Michelle on bridge, arranged by Maurice Joshua.

Cover versions

A speedy cover remix was made for Dancemania Speed 7 by Nancy And The Boys, being released in Japan in late 2001. German alternative rockers Die Happy recorded their version of the song for the 2010 album Red Box. Parisian Christian deathcore band Betraying The Martyrs also covered Survivor as a one-off single in 2010. Zebrahead covered this song for their 2009 album Panty Raid. This Song was used in the video game "Elite Beat Agents". The Chipettes covered this song for the Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked: Music from the Motion Picture album and for the upcoming "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" film. The Glee Cast used the song in a mashup with Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive" for their season three episode, Hold on to Sixteen.

External links

• DestinysChild.com — official site

Preceded by "What Took You So Long?" by Emma Bunton

UK number-one single April 22, 2001 - April 28, 2001

Succeeded by "Don't Stop Movin'" by S Club 7