1983 Laura Branigan – Branigan 2

Branigan 2 is the second album by singer Laura Branigan, released in March 1983. Two hit singles emerged from the album, the dramatic Martine Clémenceau “Solitaire” and her introduction of the ballad “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”. The album improved performed better in the charts than her first album in the U.S., Australia and Japan, and Allmusic later wrote that “Laura Branigan’s full, expressive voice shows serious growth” on “a much more cohesive collection” than her debut, commenting that “this album doesn’t waste a single track”.

In addition to establishing Branigan as more than a one-hit wonder after the major success of “Gloria” months before, her second album’s two big hits began the careers for two then-unknowns who themselves became industry legends. While “Solitaire” was originally a French song, its English version provided the first major hit for lyric writer Diane Warren, who co-wrote many of Branigan’s early songs. Allmusic noted that the song, “with its quiet beginnings and pull-out-all-the-stops finale, shows off just what chops this singer has”.

The second single from Branigan 2 was the ballad “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”, which was the first major hit for its co-writer, Michael Bolton, beginning for him a successful sideline as a songwriter. He later wrote three more songs for Branigan. While “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” barely missed the Top Ten on the pop charts, it spent three weeks at Number One on the adult contemporary airplay charts. Allmusic called Branigan’s version “far superior” to Bolton’s own hit cover from 1989, “simpler, prettier, and (showing) shades of emotion at which Bolton could only hint”.

Branigan 2 also included the ballad “Find Me”, uptempo tracks “I’m Not The Only One” and “Don’t Show Your Love”, and a cover of The Who’s “Squeeze Box”. One of the album’s tracks, “Deep In The Dark”, was a newly written song to the music of Falco’s “Der Kommissar”. Allmusic called Branigan’s version “sexy” and “welcome” despite a competing English-language remake of the German version the same year by After the Fire.

One of the tracks from the album, “Find Me”, was used as the love theme of the 1983 Robert Hays film Touched.

The album was certified Gold in the United States.