I Will Survive

For some reason, this song is incredibly popular among gay people. Maybe their own experience fits well within the little scene it describes. Dunno.

For some (probably different) reason, a slightly modified cover of this song has also become the official anthem of the French football team during the World Cup in 1998. Since most French footballers don't understand English, and neither does the average Frenchman, it is little surprise that the most popular part of the song is a strong vocal chorus ("laaa la la la laaaaa", etc. - repeat) which did not appear in the original song (there was a strings part instead).

For yet another reason, against all odds, the French actually won the World Cup that very year. Considering the importance it had on the morale of the nation, it was probably the most important event in French history since the end of WW2.

No proposal so far has been made to replace La Marseillaise with I will survive. My opinion: nobody felt the need for such a proposal, because this replacement has already happened naturally. Stand up, raise your arms over your head, take a looooong deep breath: "Laaaa-la la la laaaaa, lalalalaalalaaaaa.."

Not sure about the original version (never heard it), but the Cake version is quite easy to play on the guitar, with the following chords:

   Am     
At first I was afraid.
      Dm
I was petrified.
       C         
I kept thinking I could never live
            G
Without you by my side.
           F
But then I spent so many nights
              B
Just thinking how you'd done me wrong.
       E
I grew strong.
          E
I learned how to get along. 

The chorus and bridge also follow this chord progression.

The bass line is a lot more intricate, with the bass playing scales of the above chords. Add the trumpets, drums and vocals, and you have a pretty damn good song.

For a little bit of trivia, the beginning of "I Will Survice" (Am, Dm, C and G) is exactly the same as the main riff in Guns N' Roses - Don't Cry. Who would have thought that's this is a popular chord progression? :-)