TOUCH of Laura Branigan, Part 1

The third of July is the birthday of a woman whose work I dearly love. Laura Branigan died nearly 4 years ago, and I still grieve. I never got to see her live in concert. I never got to approach her in person and talk with her. To this day, it devastates me.

However, thanks to technology, we still have that wonderful legacy she left us: her voice. In 1979, Branigan signed with Atlantic Records and three years later, her song “Gloria” was a bona fide hit in the U.S. and overseas. Long after her other singles and releases will be forgotten, the gleeful and infectious energy of “Gloria”, a song that Branigan herself said was dark, will be remembered.

For me, I prefer her other singles. After all, “Self Control”, released in 1984, was a bigger hit, and the songs “Solitaire” and “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You?” (for better or worse) started the songwriting careers of Diane Warren and Michael Bolton respectively. It is “Solitaire”, a song originally written in French, but a young Diane Warren penned the English version (it was the songwriter’s first Top 10 hit), which begins with almost a whisper goes to a crescendo of operatic epic proportions, that better demonstrated Branigan’s four octave range (true, there are singers with a five octave range, but many of them have used their range for effect with little consideration for the actual meaning of the songs, or the nearby dogs that were tortured: in contrast, Branigan let the lyrics open the emotions, which served as a floodgate for her talent).

When people think of Laura Branigan, they think of the early 1980’s: from “Gloria” in December 1982 to “Self Control” in June 1984, and possible reference to 1985’s “Spanish Eddie” and her 1987 cover of Jennifer Rush’s “The Power of Love”. This last single was on Branigan’s fifth studio album with Atlantic, Touch. According to a poll taken among Branigan fans at Laura Branigan Online (which can be found at http://www.laurabraniganonline.com/main/poll/poll_0011_r.php),

Touch is considered the singer’s best album (I confirmed the results the evening July 2, 2008, but of course, there might be some Self Control fans who may change the results later). I am firmly in the pro-Touch camp. In fact, I am presently listening to the album as I blog. Play it on your iTunes and join me, won’t you?

Of course, before you do, let me advise you of the order of how I play the songs of Touch. When the album was initially released on vinyl and cassette, this was the order of the songs:

1) Over Love
2) Shadow Of Love
3) Angels Calling
4) Meaning Of The Word
5) Power Of Love
6) Shattered Glass
7) Whatever I Do
8) Spirit Of Love
9) Name Game
10) Touch
11) Cry Wolf

However, the compact disc edition of the album ended with the song “Statue In The Rain,” which was the B-side song to the album’s first single “Shattered Glass”, as a bonus track: when Touch was reissued earlier this year by Wounded Bird, “Statue In The Rain” was kept as the final track.

There is some contention among Branigan fans regarding “Statue In The Rain” and Branigan’s cover of “Name Game”: they argue over which track should have been left off the album. They argue that “Statue In The Rain” should have been on the album in its initial release and that “Name Game” (which I admit is an earworm) should never have been on the album and that it ruins the emotional balance of the total album.

My solution: I went into iTunes and adjusted the track sequence thus:

1) Over Love
2) Shadow Of Love
3) Angels Calling
4) Meaning Of The Word
5) Power Of Love
6) Statue In The Rain
7) Shattered Glass
8) Whatever I Do
9) Spirit Of Love
10) Name Game
11) Touch
12) Cry Wolf

Why this sequence? “Statue In The Rain”, like much of Branigan’s repertoire, is an anthem of longing and loneliness, the sadness of a broken heart, but its music is oddly upbeat. As such, I find it bridges well the passionate conviction Branigan displays in “The Power Of Love” (Atlantic oddly drops “The” from this song’s title in the liner notes for Touch) and the energetic storm that is “Shattered Glass.” Most importantly, it lets the album close with “Cry Wolf”, which will make more sense as you join me listening to Laura Branigan’s album Touch.

What? You don’t have a copy of Touch?

Hey, this is 2008: the album is available at the iTunes Store (at least the U.S. iTunes store): download it now!

(And for you “old school folks”, the reissued compact disc is available at LB's Boutique, which can be found at http://www.laurabraniganonline.com/store/index.php).

Get it now, or take a different leap of faith and trust my take on Branigan’s songs. Either way…read the next blog post and enjoy Touch.