Gloria (1982) – Laura Branigan

Posted on October 23, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

I have heard the Spanish version of this song more in recent years than I have Laura Branigan’s cover version. It was composed initially in Italian by Umberto Tozzi and then translated into Spanish and then English. I just finished writing an email about a project to two ladies with the first name – ‘Gloria‘ and it reminded me of today’s featured track. It also reminded me of the Goodfellas wedding scene where every second woman in attendance is called ‘Marie‘, but that’s another story. So, I sent off Branigan’s release to the two Glorias in the same email and thought ‘What the heck, I’m going to write about it‘. I should have had Gloria in my Music Library Project anyhow.

Gloria, you’re always on the run now
Running after somebody
You gotta get him somehow
I think you’ve got to slow down
Before you start to blow it
I think you’re headed for a breakdown
So be careful not to show it

You really don’t remember
Was it something that he said?
Are the voices in your head calling, Gloria

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. It reached number one in Australia and Canada. I think the song Gloria was the most played song on Australian radio that I can remember during the 80’s. I never got tired of listening to it…. Just a stellar song and wonderfully sung. After the 80’s-decade closed, Branigan’s chart success began to wane and her last 2 albums garnered little attention, and she retired from public life for the rest of the 1990s.

Laura returned in the 2000’s to perform as Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical Love, Janis. As she was recording new music and preparing a comeback to the music industry, she died at her home in August 2004 from a previously undiagnosed cerebral aneurysm, just 52 years old.

In more recent times, the Branigan legacy has seen renewed popularity and public interest with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues using Gloria as their unofficial victory song while they completed a historic mid-season turnaround to win their first Stanley Cup in 2019. Branigan’s legacy manager and representative Kathy Golik embraced the trend and traveled to St. Louis to publicly represent Branigan among the Blues fanbase during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, later stating her belief that Branigan and Gloria “will forever be intertwined” with the Blues and the city of St. Louis.

Reference:
1. Laura Branigan – Wikipedia
2. Gloria – Wikipedia