Laura Branigan’s amazing discography consists of seven studio albums, six compilation albums, thirty-two singles (and four promo singles), three video albums and fourteen music videos. Laura has sold over 15 million albums and has seven Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with three of those ten cracking the Top 10.
On July 15, 1985 Laura released her fourth studio album “Hold Me.” The album would peak at #71 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart here in America and would crack the Top 20 on a few international album charts. The album is chock full of true 80s gems.
The lead single, “Spanish Eddie” earned Laura her sixth Top 40 hit here in America, the song would peak at #40 on the Hot 100 in early September of 1985. The song also went to #29 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart and # 26 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart (12″ Version). It’s a fun dance song that really showcases Laura’s vocal range and versatility. It’s one of those songs you’ll be singing or humming all day long after hearing it!
The title track “Hold Me”, the second single released off the album, would peak at #82 on the Hot 100 a few weeks later in late October of 1985. Like “Spanish Eddie” it’ll get you up and moving, but this one is filled with much more passion and features a pretty kick-ass sax solo! “Hold Me” would land at #39 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart.
“I Found Someone” a song written by Michael Bolton and Mark Mangold, would be Laura’s third charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 off the album. It peaked at #90 in March of 1986. Laura performed the song on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson on New Year’s Eve 1985. Unfortunately, without a music video to support the song, it did not climb higher than that #90 position on the Hot 100, but would go to #25 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. Cher would take her version of the song to #10 on the Hot 100 two years later in March of 1988, but in our honest opinion up here in the Attic, Laura’s version is just in a class by itself.
The “Hold Me” album is also jam packed with true 80s gems that did not crack the Hot 100 like “Maybe Tonight”, Laura’s amazing rendition of “Forever Young”, and “When I’m With You.” From the opening track “Hold Me” to “When the Heat Hits the Streets” the ‘Hold Me’ album will have you wanting more! It’s a really great album to listen to from beginning to end!
We here in the Attic are so honored to regularly play Laura’s bigger hits like “Self Control”, “Gloria” and “Solitaire” as well as Laura’s forgotten gems and deeper hits that definitely deserve more radio play. The songs on the album “Hold Me” definitely validate what we always say here in the attic, that you can’t judge a song simply by where it landed on the Hot 100. The “Hold Me” album is jam packed with amazing songs that have stood the test of time. Check out the “Hold Me” album from Laura Branigan and keep it tuned to Charlie’s 80s Attic for Laura’s big hits as well as her Deeper Hits!
