Laura Branigan
Laura Branigan launched her career in a big way in 1982 with the #1 U.S. chart hit "Gloria", a cover of the 1979 Italian hit by Umberto Tozzi. The debut CD did well but could perhaps have fared better had it contained a big follow up single.
Atlantic records realized the potential, however, and wasted no time getting Branigan back into the studio to record her sophmore CD "Branigan 2". She scored a huge hit with "Solitaire" (the first hit for songwriting hall of famer Diane Warren) and cemented her status as one of the era's top selling Dance/Pop divas.In the following year, Laura Branigan's star kept rising. The radio and dancefloor anthem "Self Control" became her biggest hit ever, topping the charts worldwide. She scored two further club hits that year with "The Lucky One" (by "Enough is Enough" songwriter Bruce Roberts) and "Satisfaction".
In 1985, her hot streak continued on "Hold Me". That CD which is currently out of print, spawned the dance hits "Spanish Eddie" and "Hold Me". It also contained a recording of "Forever Young" which became a big hit for Alphaville.
Branigan changed management and producers in 1987. For "Touch", she worked with famed British songwriters/producers Stock, Aitken, and Waterman. The first Hi-NRG single release "Shattered Glass" marked her return to dancefloors though her chart career had by now cooled.
Three years passed before Laura released another CD. "Moonlight on Water" (written by "Physical" songwriter Stephen Kipner) was a dance hit, particularly in the gay clubs. The heavily dance oriented CD also featured a cover of Vicki Sue Robinson's "Turn the Beat Around" and "Unison" (which was later covered by Celine Dion for her debut English language CD).
Branigan's last studio CD was "Over My Heart" in 1993. Two years later, she released "The Best of Branigan" which contained a cover of the Donna Summer hit "Dim All the Lights". The accompanying Video played to the gay fans by featuring Drag Queens lip syncing the song.Before her untimely death in 2004, Laura had recorded 5 tracks which were to be included on her planned eighth original full length CD. Dance remixes of her cover of ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" received limited promo release to dance club DJs. Finally, both "Gloria" and "Self Control" were remixed for today's audiences and re-released as Maxi-Singles.
LIVE ARTIST NEWSFEED: Thank you for visting our Laura Branigan page. Return to 80s Dance Music. Return to Dance Music
|
