# Laura Branigan's "Gloria" **URL:** \ **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:** 2
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/21 "2018-04-05T21:00:17Z")
I actually just played Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” on a podcast recently when I was a guest contributor. The theme for discussion for this particular episode of the podcast was “All Time Top Ten Same Title, Different Song”. I played Branigan’s “Gloria” along with the same titled song by Them. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/22 "2018-04-05T21:17:00Z")
As a kid I, too, had a crush on Laura Brannigan. I remember she was on SNL years ago, and I stayed up to watch it. I would normally just ignore the musical numbers on the show, but since it was her, I kept watching to hear her perform Gloria. Her voice wasn’t up to it that night, though, but she tried. Her voice cracked a bit on it, and she couldn’t finish the song- but damn did she try. I think that watching her try so hard to finish it made me like her even more. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Peebles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/23 "2018-04-06T14:17:55Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > 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? Good observation: if only the powerfully-voiced altos didn’t follow the unfortunate and baffling 80’s trend of women wearing shoulder pads in their music videos. What were they thinking? ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/24 "2018-04-07T00:48:13Z")
> [@Jim\_Peebles](#): > > Good observation: if only the powerfully-voiced altos didn’t follow the unfortunate and baffling 80’s trend of women wearing shoulder pads in their music videos. What were they thinking? “This looks good on me.” Or, “This looks good on me??” Now you know. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/25 "2018-04-07T01:27:42Z")
I have a very emotional connection to Branigan’s music-- it was the soundtrack for my first love and first broken heart. I wore that cassette to the nubs. I’m happy to hear that others like her music. She’s sometimes dismissed as an '80s lightweight, but I think she was truly talented. She and Kirsty MacColl died way too soon. I think they would have eventually been among the grande dames of music. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/26 "2018-04-07T04:15:17Z")
> [@Jim\_Peebles](#): > > Good observation: if only the powerfully-voiced altos didn’t follow the unfortunate and baffling 80’s trend of women wearing shoulder pads in their music videos. What were they thinking? I didn’t notice any shoulder pads in the _Self Control_ video, but then I wasn’t looking, either. It would take more than an unfortunate fashion trend to dim Ms. Branigan’s beauty. The video I found for _Gloria_ looked like a performance from _Solid Gold_ (speaking of '80s trends). Her dancing and stage presence seemed almost nervous; a far cry from the overly-choreographed, and almost waifish presentation that seems all the rage these days. > [@Jennshark](#): > > She and Kirsty MacColl died way too soon. I think they would have eventually been among the grande dames of music. Who are the grand dames these days? I supposed there are Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, and others of that era, but they don’t seem to get as much respect as the died-too-young types like Janis Joplin. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/27 "2018-04-07T04:55:36Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Who are the grand dames these days? I supposed there are Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, and others of that era, but they don’t seem to get as much respect as the died-too-young types like Janis Joplin. Aretha Franklin goes back even further than Madonna, Nicks, and McVie. So does Bonnie Raitt. If you want to include country, there’s Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Emmylou Harris. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/28 "2018-04-07T05:09:29Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Aretha Franklin goes back even further than Madonna, Nicks, and McVie. So does Bonnie Raitt. If you want to include country, there’s Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Emmylou Harris. Shirley Bassey, too, but I was trying to think of singers more comparable to Laura Branigan. If she’d survived and kept performing, who from that era and genre would we now be comparing her to? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/29 "2018-04-07T06:29:22Z")
> [@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”. Was it something that she said? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/30 "2018-04-07T10:30:23Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Was it something that she said? Nah - it was the voices in her head. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/31 "2018-04-07T10:48:25Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I didn’t know that she also did “Gloria”, which I used to rollerskate to. Sad to hear that she passed so young. Calssic roller-skating song. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/32 "2018-04-07T15:58:57Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Shirley Bassey, too, but I was trying to think of singers more comparable to Laura Branigan. If she’d survived and kept performing, who from that era and genre would we now be comparing her to? Maybe Linda Ronstadt? ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/33 "2018-04-07T16:05:24Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I didn’t notice any shoulder pads in the _Self Control_ video, but then I wasn’t looking, either. It would take more than an unfortunate fashion trend to dim Ms. Branigan’s beauty. > > The video I found for _Gloria_ looked like a performance from _Solid Gold_ (speaking of '80s trends). Her dancing and stage presence seemed almost nervous; a far cry from the overly-choreographed, and almost waifish presentation that seems all the rage these days. > > Who are the grand dames these days? I supposed there are Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, and others of that era, but they don’t seem to get as much respect as the died-too-young types like Janis Joplin. I would add Annie Lennox and Alison Moyer to the Brit section of the list. I’m meh on Joplin, due mostly to me being born in 1967 and so not having an intense teen relationship with her music. Adele and Amy Winehouse are reincarnations of Dusty Springfield, so I add them to the list. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/34 "2018-04-07T16:50:41Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Maybe Linda Ronstadt? > [@Jennshark](#): > > I would add Annie Lennox and Alison Moyer to the Brit section of the list. I don’t know Moyer, but Ronstadt and Lennox are good choices. And add Tina Turner. Haven’t heard from any of them recently, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/35 "2018-04-07T17:08:26Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I don’t know Moyer, but Ronstadt and Lennox are good choices. And add Tina Turner. > > Haven’t heard from any of them recently, though. Hi Robot: if you want your socks blown off check out Alison Moyet (correct sp., I had a typo). She was the lead in the '80 s Brit group Yaz and has had a great UK solo career since. If you were an '80s teen you’ll instantly recognize “Situations,” their one song that charted in America. I’m talking a seriously blow-off-the-roof-goosebump-inducing voice, check out her solo work. I don’t know why she hasn’t enjoyed more success in the U.S… ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/36 "2018-04-07T17:11:00Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Hi Robot: if you want your socks blown off check out Alison Moyet (correct sp., I had a typo). She was the lead in the '80 s Brit group Yaz and has had a great UK solo career since. If you were an '80s teen you’ll instantly recognize “Situations,” their one song that charted in America. > > I’m talking a seriously blow-off-the-roof-goosebump-inducing voice, check out her solo work. I don’t know why she hasn’t enjoyed more success in the U.S… Totally agree. Love Upstairs at Eric’s ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/37 "2018-04-08T06:24:59Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > She was the lead in the '80 s Brit group Yaz… Yaz in the US: everywhere else in the world, Yazoo. Fantastic voice. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/38 "2018-04-08T14:09:05Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Hi Robot: if you want your socks blown off check out Alison Moyet (correct sp., I had a typo). She was the lead in the '80 s Brit group Yaz and has had a great UK solo career since. If you were an '80s teen you’ll instantly recognize “Situations,” their one song that charted in America. > > I’m talking a seriously blow-off-the-roof-goosebump-inducing voice, check out her solo work. I don’t know why she hasn’t enjoyed more success in the U.S… Socks not blown off yet, but it’s still early. Reminds me a bit of Thea Gilmore, but it’s at least partially the accent. And historically speaking, Gilmore should remind me of Moyet. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/39 "2018-04-09T20:25:01Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > 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. No, I heard about her untimely death pretty much the day it happened, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2018, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840/40 "2018-04-09T21:13:01Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Socks not blown off yet, but it’s still early. Reminds me a bit of Thea Gilmore, but it’s at least partially the accent. And historically speaking, Gilmore should remind me of Moyet. I don’t know Gilmore, I’ll take a listen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laura-branigans-gloria/811840.md?page=3)