In Gloria Gaynor's “I Will Survive,” the lyric is “At first I was afraid, I was petrified.” The line begins a first-person story of recovering confidence after a painful breakup.
Written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, the song was released in 1978 as the second single from Gaynor's album Love Tracks. It was initially placed on the B-side of “Substitute,” but radio DJs preferred Gaynor's dramatic disco anthem, helping it become an international hit.
The song's narrator moves from fear and dependence to self-respect and independence. That emotional progression helped “I Will Survive” become more than a dance-floor favorite: it became an anthem of female empowerment and was later strongly associated with LGBTQ+ pride and resilience.
A frequent mix-up is substituting “terrified” for “petrified.” “Terrified” fits the meaning, but “petrified” is the actual canonical lyric and the answer expected in a lyric-completion quiz. The song also earned Gaynor the Grammy for Best Disco Recording at the 1980 ceremony.