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.
The Best Was Yet to Come
Laura Branigan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The best was yet to come
Then lonely days turned to endless nights
The best was yet to come
How were you to know
That you would be the lucky one
Ain't it funny how time flies
When the best is yet to come
You can't change the things you've done
You had it there then it slipped away
Yeah you left the song unsung
Even through your tears
I never saw you come undone
What's so good about goodbye
When the best was yet to come
I find myself thinkin' about yesterday
When you were and livin' in a dream
In the moment that it takes
You find you made your first mistake
Like the setting sun...
You turn around it's gone
Just a small town girl who had it made
Or so the story goes
She had it there then it slipped
Oh - how was she to know
Even through her tears
I never saw her come undone
Ain't it funny how time flies
When the best is yet to come
What's so good about goodbye
When the best was yet to come
In Laura Branigan's song "The Best Was Yet to Come" the artist narrates the story of a small-town girl who moved to the city to chase her dreams. At first, everything seemed bright and promising, and she was convinced that the best was yet to come. However, as time passed by, her days became lonely, and her nights were endless, leaving her in a state of desperation. The lyrics suggest that time moves quickly when we believe that the best is yet to come, and we are blinded by our ambitions.
The girl seems to blame herself for the mistakes she made, but she cannot change the past. She left the song unsung, implying that she had given up on chasing her dreams or was unable to achieve them. As the artist reflects on the situation, she questions why goodbyes should be considered good when the best was yet to come. The lyrics suggest that the girl may have given up too soon and should have continued to fight for her dreams since she was the lucky one to have the opportunity to pursue them.
The song reflects the theme of missed opportunities, the fear of failure, and the consequences of not taking chances in life. It reminds us that sometimes, it's better to take risks and fail than to never try at all. The melody, the rhythm, and the vocals in the song support the theme, creating a melancholic yet powerful atmosphere that resonates with the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a small town girl in the city lights
The song talks about a girl from a small town who has now come to the city to start a new life.
The best was yet to come
Despite her tough journey so far, the girl knows that her future holds something even better.
Then lonely days turned to endless nights
Initially, the girl faced loneliness in the city which lasted for a long time.
How were you to know that you would be the lucky one
Despite facing difficulties, the girl had no idea that she would be lucky enough to have a bright future.
Ain't it funny how time flies when the best is yet to come
The girl is looking forward to her future, and when you're waiting for the good things to happen, time seems to fly by quickly.
You can cry yourself to sleep at night
Sometimes, the girl feels overwhelmed and cries herself to sleep at night.
You can't change the things you've done
The girl has made some mistakes in the past that she can't go back and change.
You had it there then it slipped away
At one point in time, the girl had everything she wanted but lost it later on.
Yeah, you left the song unsung
The girl never fully enjoyed her success because she always felt like something was missing.
Even through your tears, I never saw you come undone
Despite all the hard times, the girl managed to stay strong and never broke down.
What's so good about goodbye when the best was yet to come
The girl doesn't see any value in saying goodbye to her past when she knows that her future holds better things.
I find myself thinkin' about yesterday when you were and livin' in a dream
The girl sometimes thinks about her past, when everything was going great and she was living in a dream world.
In the moment that it takes you find you made your first mistake
One small mistake can have a big impact on one's future.
Like the setting sun... you turn around it's gone
Just like the sun sets and disappears quickly, the good things in life can be gone in a flash.
Just a small town girl who had it made, or so the story goes
There is a perception that the girl had everything in her life sorted simply because she came from a small town.
She had it there then it slipped, oh - how was she to know
The girl had everything she wanted, but then she lost it all, and now she wonders how it all slipped away.
Even through her tears, I never saw her come undone
Despite all the hardships the girl faced, she never broke down and stayed strong throughout.
Ain't it funny how time flies when the best is yet to come
Looking forward to a brighter future can make time seem to fly by quickly.
What's so good about goodbye when the best was yet to come
There is no point in saying goodbye to the past when you know that your future holds even better things.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRYAN ADAMS, JAMES DOUGLAS VALLANCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind