In the early 1970s Branigan was a member of the band Meadow, which released one album in
1973 called The Friend Ship. In 1976 (April - July) she toured Europe as a backing vocalist for Leonard Cohen. Upon Laura’s return to New York, it became clear to her that she wanted to pursue a career as a solo artist. Laura’s powerful talent, as well as her drive and determination, led to her being signed in October 1977. in a meeting at Sid Bernstein office. He became her first manager. In 1979, Laura Branigan signed with Ahmet Ertegun to the label, Atlantic Records. Her first album, known as Silver Dreams, was to be released in 1981 but it was canceled due to a contract lawsuit with her management.
Laura’s first major appearance on the pop scene was with the anthem “Gloria” in 1982, which has become the signature song of her career. "Gloria" was an English-language cover of a 1979 hit by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi. The track came from Laura’s debut album, Branigan. “Gloria” was a multi-platinum hit single, rising to the top of the Billboard charts and staying on the charts for an amazing thirty-six weeks. Laura received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocalist Female for the song.
In 1983, Laura released Branigan 2 and had two more top ten hits with “Solitaire” and “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You”, confirming her status as a major artist, with the latter track reaching the #1 position on the adult Contemporary charts. That same year, Laura could also be heard on the Flashdance soundtrack with “Imagination”. Her musical involvement with the film led her to receive her second Grammy nomination.
In 1984, the album Self Control was released with the title track, "Self Control" reaching the top ten. "Self Control" became Laura's biggest international hit single. Another single from the album, "The Lucky One" went top 40. Laura also won the coveted Grand Prize at the 13th Tokyo Music Festival for her riveting performance of “The Lucky One.”
Laura’s album Hold Me was released in 1985 and included the top 40 hit “Spanish Eddie”. In 1987 Touch was released. With this album, Laura became more personally involved with the recording process. The ballad, "The Power of Love”, returned Laura to the top 40. Throughout the 80’s, Laura’s songs also appeared on the Ghostbusters, Body Rock, Coming To America, and Salsa soundtracks.
Laura released Laura Branigan in 1990. With this album, Laura added producing to her repertoire with her cover of the disco-era "Turn The Beat Around." Laura's seventh album, Over My Heart, was released in 1993. This recording was by far her most personally reflective to date. In 1995, a US greatest hits collection called The Best of Branigan was released. This hits compilation included two new cover tracks, "Show Me Heaven" and "Dim All The Lights." There have been several international greatest hits compilations released also. Laura performed for audiences in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa, touring the world several times.
During her career, Laura appeared frequently on several of the most popular television shows of the day, including "The Merv Griffin Show," American Bandstand," The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," and "Solid Gold."
Laura’s acting credits included television’s "CHiPs" and "AutoMan", among others, and the films "Mugsy’s Girls" and "Backstage".
In the mid 90's Laura took a break from her career and devoted her time to caring for her husband, who was diagnosed with cancer, until his death. During the late 90’s while Laura was dealing with the loss of her husband, she performed only the occasional concert. In early 2001 she made her return to the studio. 2002 saw the release of "The Essentials", a digitally remastered hits compilation. During 2002, Laura also performed the role of the singing Janis Joplin in the hit New York City musical "Love, Janis."
2004 saw the release of "Self Control 2004" and "Gloria 2004", collections of remixes of the original Branigan classics produced by some of Europe's top remixers, which feature stunning, newly-recorded vocals by Laura. Laura was at work performing concerts at various venues, as well as continuing to record her album of new material, and it was with great expectation and anticipation that fans everywhere were awaiting its release. Laura was back touching audiences once again with the unique four-octave range voice, consuming passion, and undeniable power that was pure Branigan!
Sadly, Laura passed away suddenly on August 26, 2004 † from a brain aneurysm. She was 52 years. At the time of her passing, Laura was working on the production of an EP, a manuscript for a cookbook she was in the process of writing, and the opening of her official online store.
The years since her passing have seen the release of the 2006 UK greatest hits compilation, "The Platinum Collection" and the 2007 repackaging of Laura's US hits compilation, "The Best Of Branigan," as part of Warner Music's "Greatest Hits" series. In 2008, Laura's albums "Touch," "Laura Branigan," and "Over My Heart" were reissued.
Did you know Laura Branigan:
- attended St John's and St Mary's Church in Chappaqua, Westchester County. In spring 1959 she had her holy communion, and added Frances to her names. Laura Ann Frances Branigan.
- attended catholic school, Chappaqua. Graduated 1966
- attended Byram Hills High School in Armonk between 1966-1970. Her graduation day was June 21, 1970.
- Byram Hills Memorial Scholarship is given annually to a senior for excellence in the Performing Arts.
The award is presented in memory of Laura Branigan, BHHS class of 1970.
- attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Manhattan New York, between 1970-1972.
- was a background singer on Leonard Cohen's 1st tour in Europe, April to July 1976
Laura Branigan was married to Lawrence "Larry" Ross Kruteck (1936-1996), a lawyer 16 years her senior, in December 8, 1978.
How Am I Supposed To Live Without You
Laura Branigan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had to come and get it straight from you
They said you were leaving
Someone swept your heart away
From the look upon your face I see it's true
So tell me all about it, tell me 'bout the plans you're makin'
Then tell me one thing more before I go
Tell me, how am I supposed to live without you?
Now that I've been lovin' you so long
How am I supposed to live without you?
And how am I supposed to carry on?
When all that I've been livin' for is gone
Didn't come here for cryin'
Didn't come here to break down
It's just a dream of mine is comin' to an end
How can I blame you
When I built my world around?
The hope that one day we'd be so much more than friends
And I don't wanna know the price I'm gonna pay for dreamin'
I need you now, it's more than I can take
Tell me how am I supposed to live without you?
Now that I've been lovin' you so long
How am I supposed to live without you?
And how am I supposed to carry on?
When all that I've been livin' for is gone
And I don't wanna know the price I'm gonna pay for dreamin'
Now that your dream has come true
Tell me how am I supposed to live without you?
Now that I've been loving you so long
How am I supposed to live without you?
And how am I supposed to carry on?
All that I've been livin' for is gone without you
After I've been lovin' you so long
How am I supposed to live without you?
And how am I supposed to carry on?
The lyrics of Laura Branigan's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" describes the lead singer's heartbreak after learning that her lover is leaving her for someone else. The song opens with the singer expressing disbelief at the news and demanding to hear it straight from the person in question. She sees the truth in the look on his face, and she asks him to tell her about his plans and how their relationship can come to an end. The singer then highlights the difficulty of moving on and adjusting to the new situation as she has been loving him for so long. She questions how she can carry on with her life when everything that she has been living for is now gone.
The second verse reveals the singer's internal turmoil as she tries to grapple with the reality of the situation. She has built a life around the hope that she and her lover would one day be more than friends, and she finds it hard to blame him for following his dreams. However, she acknowledges the pain and price she will have to pay for dreaming and loving someone deeply. She concludes the song by reiterating the same question from earlier, 'How am I supposed to live without you?'
Line by Line Meaning
I could hardly believe it when I heard the news today
I was taken aback by what I heard today
I had to come and get it straight from you
I needed to hear the truth directly from you
They said you were leaving
I heard that you were departing
Someone swept your heart away
Somebody captured your heart and attention
From the look upon your face I see it's true
I can tell from your facial expression that what they said is true
So tell me all about it, tell me 'bout the plans you're makin'
Inform me about your strategies and plans
Then tell me one thing more before I go
Before I leave, please tell me one more thing
Tell me, how am I supposed to live without you?
Explain to me how I am supposed to move on without you?
Now that I've been lovin' you so long
Considering that I've been devoted to you for a lengthy period
And how am I supposed to carry on?
Furthermore, in what way can I continue?
When all that I've been livin' for is gone
Given that what I have lived for is no longer present
Didn't come here for cryin'
I didn't arrive here to cry
Didn't come here to break down
I'm not here to collapse or falter
It's just a dream of mine is comin' to an end
A dream of mine is terminating
How can I blame you
I don't know how to hold you responsible
When I built my world around?
When everything I created was because of you?
The hope that one day we'd be so much more than friends
My wish was that one day we would be more than just friends
And I don't wanna know the price I'm gonna pay for dreamin'
I don't want to think about what I'll have to face for dreaming
I need you now, it's more than I can take
I require you so much right now, I can't handle this situation alone
Now that your dream has come true
Now that your aspiration has been accomplished
All that I've been livin' for is gone without you
All that I have been living for is lost without you
After I've been lovin' you so long
Having loved you for such a long time
And how am I supposed to carry on?
So, how am I going to manage now?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Doug James, Michael Bolton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Baddie Mauve
I could hardly believe it
When I heard the news today
I had to come and get it straight from you
They said you were leavin'
Someone's swept your heart away
From the look upon your face
I see it's true
So tell me all about it
Tell me about the plans you're makin'
Then tell me one thing more before I go
Tell me how am supposed to live without you
Now that I've been lovin' you so long
How am I supposed to live without you
How am I supposed to carry on
When all that I've been livin 'for is gone
I didn't come here for cryin'
Didn't come here to breakdown
It's just a dream of mine is coming to an end
And how can I blame you
When I build my world around
The hope that one day we'd be so much
More than friends
And I don't wanna know the price
I'm gonna pay for dreaming
When even now it's more than I can take
Angela Guerra Wilson
Laura was in a league of her own! What a great song and what a great voice!
atrocchia
She was phenomenal. A voice filled with emotion.
laetihonor windy
Her voice doesn’t sound that great
Cesar Umpierre
Nunca olvidemos esta bella y potente voz Tengamosla siempre en nuestro recuerdo!!
jose fernandez
Si amigo
Bruce Baldwin
I believe both Michael's and Laura's versions went to # 1 on the charts and both should have. Both voices are amazing!
robert polnicky
@William Bati lord lord lord do I ever agree with that
robert polnicky
Laura's version of this song is the best song I've ever heard in my long life ofc65 years.
robert polnicky
I like Laura's version is the best. And in my opinion Laura's is the best version and the best song ever recorded and always will be
Maurice W
It stayed 3 weeks stop the charts. Bolton's (whom is the writer along with Doug ...) version thereafter stayed at the top for a longer period. Both writer's are inimitable & I would have wanted both to perform this piece together. Laura died however.
Hey, even 'Queen' the group led by the late Freddie Mercury has done a version.
Btw: Clive Davis (famous record label mogul & producer for the likes of the late great Whitney Houston, et al) had, at one time toyed with the idea of having the lyrics changed to suit other artistes. Great stuff, huh!