# Laura Branigan's "Gloria"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 5, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840 "2018-04-05T01:01:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/1 "2018-04-05T01:01:59Z")
It would have been a May-December romance, but every time I hear Laura Branigan’s “Gloria”, who sadly died in 2004, I think “I missed the chance to be with my soulmate”.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/2 "2018-04-05T01:07:29Z")
> [@Jim\_Peebles](#):
>
> It would have been a May-December romance, but every time I hear Laura Branigan’s “Gloria”, who sadly died in 2004, I think “I missed the chance to be with my soulmate”.
Does that mean you like the song?
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### Author:  [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/3 "2018-04-05T01:22:06Z")
That is a damn good song, actually.
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### Author:  [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/4 "2018-04-05T01:58:27Z")
Gloria died in 2004?
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### Author:  [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/5 "2018-04-05T02:05:56Z")
My favorite song of hers was “Self Control,” but “Gloria” is top notch.
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/6 "2018-04-05T02:45:38Z")
> [@Jim\_Peebles](#):
>
> It would have been a May-December romance, but every time I hear Laura Branigan’s “Gloria”, who sadly died in 2004, I think “I missed the chance to be with my soulmate”.
I think I need to hear more about this story.
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### Author:  [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/7 "2018-04-05T05:28:48Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#):
>
> Gloria died in 2004?
The OP does accidentally make it sound like the song died in 2004 🙂
But Laura Branigan did die at only 52, apparently from an aneurysm that had gone undetected.
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### Author:  [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/8 "2018-04-05T06:40:34Z")
Here is the [original version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvXxKDP9KoQ) released in 1979 by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi, who is very much alive. 😃
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### Author:  [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/9 "2018-04-05T13:05:31Z")
Oh, I liked Laura Branigan, as well. Awesome voice! So sad that she died young…
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### Author:  [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/10 "2018-04-05T13:10:01Z")
I’m glad the OP brought up this awesome blast from the past. However I have no idea where the interpretation comes from (not saying it’s “wrong” by any means.). **Jim Peeples** , can you expound?
I always picture a modern day Blanche DuBois type . A fading beauty who is a bit delusional about her prospects. She see’s herself as the belle of the (disco) ball and doesn’t realize that people are starting to tire of her schtick. She always strikes me as quite tragic.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/11 "2018-04-05T13:19:09Z")
Yes, agreed. The song works. I remember it burning into my teenaged brain - her vocal uses the words so well to punctuate and sell a feeling - GLOR-ia. I think I got your NUMber. I think I got the ALIas, that you’ve been living UNder! Just works together so well. I don’t have to know exactly what it means, dammit.
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### Author:  [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/12 "2018-04-05T13:24:30Z")
Wait, now I think I get it. \*\*Jim Peeple’s \*\*had a crush on LB, thus, she could have been his soul mate, despite her being older. Or a crush on Gloria herself? Reading for comprehension is clearly not my super power today :smack:
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### Author:  [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/13 "2018-04-05T14:04:19Z")
Yeah, I think the OP is just saying that hearing “Gloria” reminds him of Laura Branigan, who he thought was hot (as did I), though she was quite a bit older than him. The “May-December romance” thing is just a somewhat classier way of saying that.
I’m sad reading this thread, as I didn’t realize that Laura Branigan had died.
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### Author:  [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/14 "2018-04-05T14:05:34Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#):
>
> I’m glad the OP brought up this awesome blast from the past. However I have no idea where the interpretation comes from (not saying it’s “wrong” by any means.). **Jim Peeples** , can you expound?
>
> I always picture a modern day Blanche DuBois type . A fading beauty who is a bit delusional about her prospects. She see’s herself as the belle of the (disco) ball and doesn’t realize that people are starting to tire of her schtick. She always strikes me as quite tragic.
LB’s singing. I have no idea what the song is about. (It takes great effort for me to process the lyrics of some songs.)
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### Author:  [@Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hook)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/15 "2018-04-05T14:43:40Z")
Just as an aside, I saw Laura in \*\*Love, Janis \*\*\*\*\*\*on Broadway and she was amazing.
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/16 "2018-04-05T16:21:17Z")
> [@Sefton](#):
>
> My favorite song of hers was “Self Control,” but “Gloria” is top notch.
I just watched the video for that. Seems like it would be ripe for the “literal video” treatment.
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### Author:  [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/17 "2018-04-05T19:41:07Z")
I was like 10 when “Self Control” came out and the video totally disturbed me. (Why would she have sexytime with some random masked man? The hell is wrong with her?)
I didn’t know that she also did “Gloria”, which I used to rollerskate to. Sad to hear that she passed so young.
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### Author:  [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/18 "2018-04-05T19:57:35Z")
I remember hearing about Laura Branigan’s passing the day it happened. I must’ve been the only one, though, because in all the years since then, _everyone_ that I’ve mentioned her in passing to has been surprised to learn she had died years ago.
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/19 "2018-04-05T20:09:17Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> I just watched the video for that. Seems like it would be ripe for the “literal video” treatment.
Of course, the classic literal video is Bonnie Tyler’s _Total Eclipse of the Heart_. Was there something about '80s music that favored powerfully-voiced altos, or was it just those two?
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/20 "2018-04-05T20:44:56Z")
Pat Benatar?? I suppose she’s more of a mezzo-soprano.
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