|
|
Thoughts of Remembrance...
From the day the news broke of Laura's passing, many people have chosen
to remember her in various ways. Some chose to regularly play her
music as a celebration of her life and talent, while others chose quiet
reflection.
This page is dedicated to the continued compilation of poems, songs,
essays, music industry remembrance, and the like, that have been written, produced, or submitted in remembrance
of Laura.
|
"The Parting Glass"
The following are the lyrics to an Irish
song, traditionally sung at wakes. At
Laura's final performance which occurred at a festival in East Boston
in July 2004, there was a period of technical difficulty, during which
Laura sang this song acapella.
Though Laura could not have foreseen it, the fact that
she chose to sing this song impromptu, is an sad foretelling of what
was to happen a little over a month later.
|
 |
|
"Can't Stop Thinking
About You"
Recently, I was contacted by Shawn Winstian of Pennsylvania
regarding a song he had written as a tribute to Laura, "Can’t
Stop Thinking About You." Shawn humbly stated that he had
not contacted me for publicity or anything like that, and he asked if
I could pass along the song to the Branigan family. I told him
I would be happy to do that. When the CD arrived, I took a listen
to it while thinking of Laura and was very touched by it. The more
I listened to it, the more I realized what a wonderfully written and
performed tribute to Laura it is, and I thought to myself it would be
great if we could share the song with Laura’s fans. So, I
phoned Shawn, first of all to tell him that I thought the song was magnificent,
and then I asked him if it would be alright if we placed his song on LauraBraniganOnline.com
for all to enjoy. He
very humbly said in reply that it would be a great honor to have his
song available on Laura’s website for her fans to listen to as
they remember her.
- Kathy
Shawn’s comments on "Can’t
Stop Thinking About You"...
Like many I was deeply saddened
when I heard the news of Laura's untimely passing last summer. Even though we never met
I felt like I had lost a dear friend. So many incredible memories
I can attach to various songs of Laura's. They're frozen moments in time.
I wanted to do something that
would forever remind me of that connection. So as a songwriter I decided to put pen
to paper and try to in someway capture in words how I was feeling.
My intention was to try and reach Laura "cosmically" through
a song to thank her and pay tribute to her. I'm very fortunate
to have an amazing singer/songwriter/composer to collaborate with on
my songs, Shane Condo of Condo Music Australia. I gave Shane
my lyric sheet and told him some ideas I had and who I wrote the song
about, and as always he worked his wonders. We both agreed immediately
we captured something special with this one. I hope everyone
will be able to take something from it and make it their own.
Unfortunately these days success
in the music business is based on being notorious or having some sort
of gimmick. Laura Branigan's success however was based on 100% true
talent. What she embodied,
most will never attain. When you're the real deal you're exactly that.
The control, power, and emotion Laura could express through her
vocal abilities was nothing short of breath taking. She didn't just
sing the songs but she lived them and within seconds of hearing her voice
you were immediately swept away.
Thank you Laura for sharing
your gift with us all! Though
you've gone from this world you will forever remain in our hearts.
"Her voice my heart
will keep"
With much love and respect,
Shawn Winstian
Shane’s comments on "Can’t Stop Thinking
About You"...
"It was an honor
to be able to compose a song in memory of Laura Branigan. Her
talent is timeless and will live on forever."
- Shane Condo
We invite everyone to enjoy
listening to this very special song, "Can’t Stop Thinking
About You",
lyrics written by Shawn
Winstian, and music composed by Shane Condo (Condo
Music, Australia), with Shane also on vocals. Produced by Shawn Winstian
and Shane Condo.
Click on the link below to hear the this song (you will
need to have either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player installed on your
system in order to hear these audio streams). Click here to read the
lyrics.
NOTE: ©2005 Shawn Winstian.
This audio stream is used here with permission from the copyright holder
for entertainment purposes only. Any unauthorized duplication or
recording of this audio stream is strictly prohibited by US and international
laws.
|
|
|
|
Infernal's "Self Control"
Video With Laura Branigan Tribute
In 2006, the Danish dance music duo Infernal recorded a cover version of Laura's mega-hit "Self Control," which has had great success in Europe. The
music video for Infernal's version has been recently enhanced with the
addition of text in tribute of Laura. International dance
music video promoter Import Sound & Vision, based in California, sought and obtained the
permission of Infernal's record company to enhance the video. ISV
president Kevin Sheehan stated that this enhanced version will begin
replacing the original version in retail, hospitality, and TV network outlets where the video is exhibited. "This
video tribute will be seen literally by millions, and hopefully it will
help to further keep the memory alive of a wonderful, beautiful, and
amazingly talented woman," Sheehan
said. Sheehan also had the following description of his company's intentions,
along with a preview of the enhanced Infernal
video, available at the Import
Sound & Vision
website:
As our special way of entering 2007, Import
Sound & Vision pays
tribute to the beautiful, and multi-talented Diva of pop/dance Laura
Branigan. Her amazing and uplifting music has filled our hearts and
souls for years, and will no doubt live on forever. Laura enjoyed incredible
success with the chart topping platinum hit "Gloria". The album "Self Control" also
went platinum, and the title track "Self Control" went Gold. She has sung
for audiences on every continent, and her Best Of... albums have sold
millions in every world market, including Europe, Asia, Africa and
the Pacific Rim.
When we first heard that the latest single "Self Control", by the super pop-dance,
Danish duo, Infernal, (best known for their mega hit "From Paris to Berlin")
was burning up the charts all over Europe, we knew we had to do something special
in Laura Branigan's honor.
On 8/26/04 the world lost a true music legend, Laura Branigan.
Our Hearts go out to Laura's family and friends who have asked that rather then
sending flowers you donate on behalf of Laura to the following charities:
The
American Cancer Society
The Children Affected By AIDS Foundation
Shortly after the creation of the "tribute" version
of Infernal's video, Import Sound & Vision worked with Canadian
pop-dance cable channel bpm:tv to play
Laura's video alongside the tribute version of Infernal's "Self Control" video,
and received communication on January 19, 2007, directly from Lina Rafn & Paw
Lagermann (Infernal), which was forwarded to Other Half Entertainment:
Oh my God! I can't believe we're reaching out this far. We get so much response
from Canada and the US in our guestbook, but it always seemed completely
impossible to do anything with this kind of market. I'm really proud that
people so close to Laura Branigan herself has approved of what we have
done with the song. To say the least, I was petrified when it dawned on
me that I was going to sing one of my personal all-time favourite tracks
- Self Control.
I'm completely thrown by all the praise, we're receiving and it would be
a great honour for us to participate in any way we can in paying tribute
to Laura Branigan.
Please send all our love to these amazing people.
Paw & Lina // Infernal
It is a wonderful and honorable reflection upon Laura Branigan to read the
beautiful words of Paw and Lina of Infernal. It's clear that their version
of Laura's Self Control is not just another cover of the song, but one
that was created with a great respect and honor for Laura and her original
track.
We sincerely thank both of them for their love and support, and a
job well done, as shown through their recording of the track, their acceptance
of the Laura Branigan tribute placed within their video, and their personal
wilingness to participate in any way they can in paying tribute to Laura.
We also sincerely thank Trine Galst, Project Manager with Border Breakers
(Infernal's record label), for it was with the record label's approval
that the Laura Branigan tribute version of the video became reality.
We once again thank Import Sound & Vision for creating and overseeing the
promotion of the tribute video.
It continues to be a pleasure to work on this project in cooperation
with them. We also thank them
for their very thoughtful gesture of including on their website the designated
charities for donations in Laura's memory.
This tribute provides a
great means of exposure for Laura and her music, particularly to the younger
generation, as well as ensuring that Laura's contributions to the music world
are never forgotten.
NOTE: Quote from Import Sound & Vision website ©2007
Import Sound & Vision, Inc. Used with permission. Quote
from Infernal, used with permission. Weblinks in this article
point to websites external to LauraBraniganOnline.com.
Neither LauraBraniganOnline.com nor
Other Half Entertainment are responsible for the content of external websites,
and users assume all risks associated with content of websites external
to LauraBraniganOnline.com.
|
 |
Left: Laura gazes thoughtfully into
a mirror as a ghostly figure looks on in the original 1984 "Self Control" video.
Right: Sensual moves from Infernal's Lina Rafn and Paw Lagermann
punctuate their 2006 interpretation of the 1984 timeless mega-hit, "Self
Control". |
|
|
