Gloria (Umberto Tozzi Song) - Laura Branigan Version

Laura Branigan Version

The song "Gloria" would attain its highest profile via a re-working featured on Branigan, the first released album by Laura Branigan.

The 1982 release was on Atlantic Records, produced by Jack White and Greg Mathieson. It was White – a native of Germany – who suggested Branigan cut Tozzi's song; Branigan would recall her reaction: "I went hmmm, because it was so soft and so European sounding. But we gave it the American kick and rewrote the lyrics and off she went."

It has been noted that the riff on which White and Mathieson based the arrangement for Branigan's version of "Gloria" resembles the chorus of the Olivia Newton-John hit "Physical". Branigan would tell People Weekly Magazine that she and her producers at first attempted an English version of Tozzi's "Gloria" in the romantic mode of the original, changing the title to "Mario," but this seemed ineffective. Ultimately Branigan would record "Gloria" with English lyrics written by Trevor Veitch, lyrics which completely re-invented the song as a character study addressing a woman living in the fast lane and effectively urging her to slow down the pace of her life.

Although another selection, "All Night With Me," was chosen as Branigan's lead-off single, Branigan also performed "Gloria" during her promotional TV appearances at the time of the album's release in early 1982 and that track was released as a single in the summer, first becoming a disco favorite and gradually accruing radio support to debut on the pop charts. The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 84 on July 10, 1982. After a 4 1/2 month climb, the single peaked at number two on 27 November - 11 December 1982, kept out of the top spot by Lionel Richie's "Truly" for two weeks, then Toni Basil's "Mickey" for one week. "Gloria" remained in the Top 40 for 22 weeks: its total Hot 100 residency of 36 weeks established a new record for a single by a solo female act. Cash Box would rank the track as #1. Certified platinum for sales of two million in the US alone, Branigan's "Gloria" was also an international success, most notably in Australia where it held the #1 position for seven weeks from 7 February to 21 March 1983. "Gloria" also took Branigan to the Top Ten charts in the UK (#6), Ireland (#4), New Zealand (#6) and South Africa (#9). In Italy Branigan's "Gloria" reached #36.

"Gloria" earned Branigan a nomination for the Best Pop Vocal Performance Female Grammy Award for the year 1982. The song appeared the following year in the musical drama Flashdance, although it was not included on the movie's soundtrack album.