Throwback Video Of The Week: Laura Branigan “Gloria”
She was a singer, songwriter, and actress (she appeared on CHiPs and Knight Rider), but the late Laura Branigan will always be remember for one thing: her signature song, “Gloria.” It was a remake of a 1979 song by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi. While it was a hit for him in Europe, it was even more successful for Laura all over the world.
Branigan’s platinum-certified (1,000,000 copies sold) 1982 single 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. Laura’s version of “Gloria” was also featured in the 1983 movie Flashdance (and later, Flashdance the Musical), although it was not included on the soundtrack album.
The video looks like disco’s swan song. We see Laura Branigan, alone, amongst multiple mirror balls on an otherwise empty sound stage. Laura is very glittery as she sings her heart out but, without any other people in it, the video looks sort of like a karaoke performance.
