Michael Bolton and Doug James co-wrote the song and Branigan's record was their first major hit as songwriters. Bolton, whose own recording career would not take off until 1987, went on to co-write the rock ballad "I Found Someone" for Branigan's Hold Me album in 1985. Another song co-written by Bolton and James, "It's Been Hard Enough Getting Over You", was recorded by Branigan in 1993 for Over My Heart. Though Branigan 2 went out of print in 2004, Branigan's original version appears on the albums The Best of Branigan (1995), The Essentials: Laura Branigan (2002) and The Platinum Collection (2006).
The single's B-side was a newly written song over the music to the Italian song "Mama", by Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto Tozzi. Branigan's first major hit had been with "Gloria", another English song written to an Italian hit by the duo. She would go on to have hits with "Self Control", co-written by Bigazzi, and "Ti Amo", an English song written by Diane Warren over an Italian song by Bigazzi and Tozzi.
Since Branigan introduced "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You", the ballad has been recorded by dozens of artists around the world, in English and Spanish, 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.
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!