Laura Ann Branigan was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking at No. 2. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada. Branigan's "Gloria" was a cover of a song written by Italian singer-songwriters Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto Tozzi. In 1984, she reached number one in Canada and Germany with the U.S. No. 4 hit "Self Control", which was released by Italian singer and songwriter Raf the same year. Both "Gloria" and "Self Control" were successful in the United Kingdom, making the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.
Self Control is the third studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released in April 1984, by Atlantic Records. The album peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, it charted within the top five in several continental European countries.
Branigan 2 is the second studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released in March 1983 by Atlantic Records. The album reached number 29 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 18, 1985, denoting shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Bryan Buss wrote that Branigan's "full, expressive voice shows serious growth" on "a much more cohesive collection" than her debut album, Branigan, adding that "this album doesn't waste a single track".
"Turn the Beat Around" is a disco song written by Gerald Jackson and Peter Jackson, and performed by American actress and singer Vicki Sue Robinson in 1976, originally appearing on her debut album, Never Gonna Let You Go (1976). Released as a single, the song went to #10 on the Billboard pop charts, and #73 on the Billboard soul chart. The song earned Robinson a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The track also went to number one on the Billboard disco chart for four weeks. "Turn the Beat Around" is considered a disco classic and is featured on many compilation albums.
"Drive" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on July 23, 1984, as the album's third single. Written by Ric Ocasek, the track was sung by bassist Benjamin Orr and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Upon its release, "Drive" became the Cars' highest-charting single in most territories. In the United States, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. It reached number five in the United Kingdom, number four in West Germany, number six in Canada and number three in Ireland.
"Gloria" is a 1979 love song written and composed in Italian by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi, and afterwards translated to English by Jonathan King. A 1982 cover version by American singer Laura Branigan peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song written in 1982 by Doug James and Michael Bolton. The ballad has been recorded by many artists around the world, in several languages, most notably by Bolton himself, becoming something of a modern pop standard. Instrumental versions of the song have been recorded featuring variously the piano, guitar, saxophone, pan flute, steel drum, and music box.
"The Power of Love" is a song co-written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Jennifer Rush in 1984. It was released as the fifth single from her debut album, Jennifer Rush (1984), and has since been covered by Air Supply, Laura Branigan, and Celine Dion.
"I Found Someone" is the name of a chart single originally written and composed for Laura Branigan by Michael Bolton and Touch keyboardist Mark Mangold. The song was a bigger hit for Cher in 1987, reaching the Top 10.
"Self Control" is a song by Italian singer Raf, released in 1984. It was written by Giancarlo Bigazzi, Steve Piccolo and Raf, and arranged by Celso Valli. The track topped the charts in Italy and Switzerland, and started the explosion and dominance of Italo disco-style recordings in continental European charts during the 1980s.
"Dim All the Lights" is a song by American recording artist Donna Summer released as the third single from her 1979 album Bad Girls. It debuted at number 70 on August 25, 1979, and peaked that year at number two on November 10 and November 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was blocked from becoming the third number one hit from the album first by "Heartache Tonight" by the Eagles for one week, then by "Still" by Commodores the next week. Produced by her longtime collaborator Giorgio Moroder with Pete Bellotte, the track combines Summer's trademark disco beats with a more soulful pop sound. It was the third Hot 100 top-two single from the album and her sixth consecutive Hot 100 top-five single.
The discography of American singer Laura Branigan consists of seven studio albums, six compilation albums, 32 singles, four promotional singles, three video albums, and 14 music videos.
"Moonlight on Water", also known as "Moonlight on Water ", is a popular song written and composed by Steve Kipner, best known for writing Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", and Andy Goldmark. The song was originally recorded by Kevin Raleigh for his 1989 album Delusions of Grandeur and was released as a single. It reached No. 60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on 24 June 1989.
"Solitaire" is a 1981 song sung and written by Martine Clémenceau. The English version was later released in March 1983 as the lead single of American singer Laura Branigan's second studio album, Branigan 2 (1983). It was lyricized in English by Diane Warren and produced by Jack White and Robbie Buchanan.
"Almost Paradise... Love Theme from Footloose" is the title of a duet by singers Mike Reno of Loverboy and Ann Wilson of Heart. It is one of several major hits by singer Eric Carmen and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, another being Carmen's song "Make Me Lose Control".
"Only Love Can Break a Heart" is a popular song from 1962, performed by the American singer-songwriter Gene Pitney. The song was written by Hal David (words) and Burt Bacharach (music) and appears on Pitney's second album Only Love Can Break a Heart.
"Shattered Glass" is a song written by Bob Mitchell and Steve Coe which was originally recorded in 1980 by Scottish singer Ellie Warren. The song was recorded in 1987 by American singer Laura Branigan with the Stock Aitken Waterman production team to serve as the lead single from Branigan's fifth studio album, Touch (1987).
"Ti amo" (pronounced [ti ˈaːmo]; Italian for "I love you") is a 1977 song recorded by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi from the album È nell'aria...ti amo. It achieved success at the time, becoming a hit in many European countries, including Sweden and Switzerland where it topped the charts. The duet version featured Monica Bellucci for the film Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, and the English versions "I Love You (Ti Amo)" and "You and I (Ti Amo)" were also released. A Spanish version was released as "Te Amo", and had a good success in Spain and Latin America. Within the German-speaking countries a German version by Howard Carpendale also received a great success in 1977, peaking at number two in Germany and number ten in Austria. In 2002, the song was overdubbed as duet with singer Lena Ka under the title "Ti amo (rien que des mots)", with Italian and French lyrics. This version was a success in France and Belgium (Wallonia), reaching the top three. At the time, the original version was re-released and achieved a moderate success in France. As of August 2014, it is the 52nd best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 393,000 units sold. A French version of this song was recorded by Dalida in 1977. An English version was also recorded by Laura Branigan in 1984, which, most notably, was a hit in Australia (reaching #2). In 2011, Sergio Dalma took a Spanish-language version of the song to the Top 10 in Spain. In 2017, to celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the song, Tozzi released an Italian-English version and music video featuring Anastacia.
"Spanish Eddie" is a song by American singer Laura Branigan, released as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Hold Me (1985). The song was produced by Jack White and arranged by Harold Faltermeyer. Released in July 1985, the single became Branigan's sixth top-40 entry in the United States in two and a half years, peaking at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 37 on the Cash Box singles chart. It also peaked at number 29 on the Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, while a 12″ dance version reached number 26 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.
"Hold Me" is a song by the American pop singer Laura Branigan, which was released in 1985 as the second single from her fourth studio album Hold Me. It was written by Bill Bodine and Beth Andersen, and produced by Jack White and Harold Faltermeyer.
