Showing posts with label Air Supply. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Air Supply. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

"Shattered Glass" by Laura Branigan

New York powerhouse vocalist Laura Branigan is best known for her smash hit "Gloria", which peaked at #2 in 1982. Branigan had an admirable collection of additional top 40 hits after that, but needed a career boost by 1987. Her fifth album, "Touch", should have done just that, but it fizzled out at #87.

Branigan's version of the over-the-top ballad, "Power Of Love", was the second single from "Touch". It proved to be the biggest single from the album, reaching #26 in 1987. The song was written by Jennifer Rush, who took it to #57 in 1986. Air Supply had the first go at this song in 1985, but only had the power to take it to #68. The song finally delivered in a big way, staying at #1 for a whole month, when Celine Dion sang the hell out of it in 1993. I think the United Nations mercifully called for a moratorium on covering this song again.

The lead off single was designed to remind people that Laura performed some terrific upbeat dance numbers. "Shattered Glass" was a great return to form, but it stalled at #48. The modest performance of "Touch" signaled the beginning of the end for Branigan's charting career. Sadly, she died of a brain aneurysm in 2004 at the age of 52.

Being the innovative wizards they are, the writers of the music video included a lot of exploding glass. Although, I always wondered whatever happened to the poor goldfish (go to 2 minute mark).