"Only the Strong Survive" is a song written by

Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (December 8, 1939 – February 20, 2025) was an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, who were inducted into the Rock and ...

Kenny Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...

, and

Leon Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...

and originally sung in 1968 by

, released on his album '' The Ice Man Cometh''. It was the most successful single of his career, reaching number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was number one for two weeks on the ''Billboard'' Black Singles Chart, in March and April 1969, respectively. "Only the Strong Survive" was the first of two singles by Butler which were gold certified by the RIAA, selling over a million copies (the second was "

Ain't Understanding Mellow "Ain't Understanding Mellow" is a song written by Homer Talbert and Herscholt Polk and performed by Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager. The song was arranged by James Mack and produced by Gerald Sims and Jerry Butler. It was featured on Butler's ...

" in 1972). The song begins with a spoken recitation, that goes: "I remember my first love affair. Somehow or another the whole dam thing went wrong. And my momma had some great advice. So, I thought I'd put it in the words of this song". This is followed, in song, by the narrator, singing about the fact that the woman he loved was gone, and that his mother told him to stand up, be strong, and to look for another girl instead, after feeling depressed about the terrible ordeal.

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

(1969),

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis ...

(1969),

Billy Paul Paul Williams (December 1, 1934 – April 24, 2016), known professionally as Billy Paul, was an American soul music, soul singer, known for his 1972 Record chart, No. 1 single "Me and Mrs. Jones". His 1973 album and single ''War of the Gods (alb ...

(1977),

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

(2009)

Larry Carlton Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts including Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. One of the most sought after guitarists of his era, Carlton has ...

(2010), and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

(on his album of the same name) (2022) also recorded "Only The Strong Survive." Davis's version appeared on her album ''Maryfrances'', released in August 1969, Presley's version on his ''From Elvis in Memphis'' album released in June 1969. In the UK, Billy Paul's version was released on the

Philadelphia International Philadelphia International Records was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Gamble and Huff, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, along with their longtime collaborator ...

label (PIR 5699). It entered the UK singles chart on November 17, 1977, had a chart life of seven weeks and a peak position of number 33. Rod Stewart's version was released as a bonus track on the UK release of his 25th studio album '' Soulbook'', which reached number 9 on the

UK albums chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. A 12” dance version by Precious Wilson was released in 1987. Another version of this song was recorded by

The Trammps The Trammps are an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands. The band's first major success was their 1972 cover version of " Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", while the first disc ...

in the Netherlands in 2003 and sounds similar to Billy Paul's version. The song appears on the compilation album ''Only the Strong Survive'' (Sony), which oddly enough shows the remaining four group members on the cover. There is also an extended club mix of this song on this CD. The club mix was produced by Maas and Van der Weyde.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* 1968 songs 1969 singles Jerry Butler songs Songs written by Kenny Gamble Songs written by Leon Huff Songs written by Jerry Butler Mercury Records singles Philadelphia International Records singles Bruce Springsteen songs {{1960s-single-stub