July 1983: Laura Branigan Releases "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You"

Laura Branigan on 21.04.1983 in Bremen. (Photo by Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Photo Credit
(Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance via Getty Images)

It's a song that many listeners would most identify with blue-eyed soul singer, Michael Bolton: "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You." It was a song that Bolton and songwriting partner, Doug James, had picked up to be recorded by soft-rock mega-stars, Air Supply. But when Arista Records head Clive Davis tried to get the songwriters to change some of the lyrics, Bolton and James refused, and held onto the tune.

RELATED: April 1984: Laura Branigan Releases "Self Control"

They eventually connected with singer Laura Branigan, who recorded the song for her second album, Branigan 2. Released as a single on July 1, 1983, her version of the song went on to hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts for the week of September 3, 1983, holding the spot for three straight weeks. On the Hot 100, Branigan's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" peaked at #12 for the week of October 8, 1983. The #1 song in the country that week: Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Branigan performed the tune on that year's edition of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

Artist Name

Read More

video screenshot/MJJ/Epic Records
The iconic short film took MJ's album to a whole new level.
(Brian Rasic/Getty Images)
The sparkling pop single peaked at #4 on the Hot 100.
Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The Purple One's funkiest collaborations, discussed.

Facebook Comments