Only the Strong Survive ( song ) - Wikipedia Only the Strong Survive ( song ) This article is about the Jerry Butler song. For other songs with the same title, see Only the Strong Survive ( disambiguation ). `` Only the Strong Survive '' Single by Jerry Butler from the album The Ice Man Cometh Released 1969 Genre Soul, Proto - disco Songwriter ( s ) Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff Jerry Butler singles chronology `` Are You Happy '' ( 1968 ) `` Only the Strong Survive '' ( 1969 ) `` Moody Woman '' ( 1969 ) `` Are You Happy '' ( 1968 ) `` Only the Strong Survive '' ( 1969 ) `` Moody Woman '' ( 1969 ) `` Only the Strong Survive '' is a song written by Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and originally sung in 1968 by Jerry Butler, released on his album The Ice Man Cometh. It was the most successful single of his career, reaching # 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was # 1 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 which were platinum certified by the RIAA, selling over a million copies ( the second was `` Ai n't Understanding Mellow '' in 1972 ). Elvis Presley ( 1969 ) and Billy Paul ( 1977 ) also recorded versions of this song. In the UK, Billy Paul 's version was released on the Philadelphia International label ( PIR 5699 ). It entered the singles charts on November 17, 1977, had a chart life of seven weeks & a peak position of No. 33. Another version of this song was recorded by The Trammps in the Netherlands in 2003. It sounds very 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 's also an extended clubmix of this song on this CD. The clubmix was produced by Maas and Van der Weyde. References Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Top R&B / Hip - Hop Singles : 1942 - 2004. Record Research. p. 95. Preceded by `` Runaway Child, Running Wild '' by The Temptations Billboard Hot R&B Singles number - one single April 5, 1969 -- April 12, 1969 ( two weeks ) Succeeded by `` It 's Your Thing '' by The Isley Brothers This 1960s single - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Only_the_Strong_Survive_(song)&oldid=800567759 '' Categories : 1969 singles Jerry Butler songs Songs written by Kenny Gamble Songs written by Leon Huff Billboard Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Songs number - one singles Songs written by Jerry Butler 1968 songs 1960s single stubs Talk About Wikipedia Español Norsk nynorsk Edit links This page was last edited on 14 September 2017, at 10 : 10. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who sang the song only the strong survive
Answer: Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff