罗拉·布尼格

Laura Ann Kruteck (née Branigan; July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 cover of Umberto Tozzi's single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking at No. 2. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada. In 1984, she reached number one in Canada and Germany and No. 4 in the U.S. with "Self Control". "Gloria" and "Self Control" were also successful in the United Kingdom, each hitting the top 10 on the UK singles chart.

Her career peaked in the 1980s, with other hits including the top 10 "Solitaire" (1983), the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart number one "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (1983), the Australian No. 2 "Ti amo" (1984) (another Tozzi cover), her return to the top 40 with "The Power of Love" (1987), and "Shattered Glass" (1987), which reached the top 15 of the U.S. dance chart. Her most successful studio album was 1984's platinum Self Control. She also contributed songs to motion picture and television soundtracks, including the Grammy and Academy Award–winning Flashdance soundtrack (1983), the Ghostbusters soundtrack (1984), and Miami Vice (1984). In 1984, she won the Tokyo Music Festival with the song "The Lucky One".

Her chart success waned as the decade closed, and after her last two albums Laura Branigan (1990) and Over My Heart (1993) garnered little attention, she generally retired from public life for the rest of the 1990s. She returned to performing in the early 2000s, notably appearing as Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical Love, Janis. She was recording new music and preparing a comeback to the music industry.

Branigan and her music saw renewed popularity and public interest when "Gloria" was adopted by the NHL's St. Louis Blues as their unofficial victory song as the team won its first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2019.

Biography

1952–1970: Early life

Laura Ann Branigan was born July 3, 1952, in Mount Kisco, New York, the fourth of five children born to Irish American parents Kathleen (née O'Hare) and James Branigan Sr., an account executive and mutual funds broker; they later separated. Her younger brother William "Billy" Branigan, also a musician, played guitar in Branigan's backing band early in her career and contributed to her 1993 album Over My Heart as co-producer, arranger, guitarist, bassist, and backing vocalist, in addition to co-writing the track "Over You" with his sister. He died of a heart attack in 2022, aged 65.

Branigan was raised in Armonk, New York, and attended Catholic school in nearby Chappaqua. She attended Byram Hills High School, graduating in 1970.

1971–1980: Career beginnings

In 1972, Branigan formed the folk-rock band Meadow. A year later, the group released their debut album The Friend Ship. After Meadow disbanded, Branigan was one of Leonard Cohen's backup singers for his European tour in 1976. In 1979, Branigan was signed by Ahmet Ertegun to Atlantic Records.