How Am I Supposed to Live Without You
Encyclopedia
"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song originally recorded by Laura Branigan
in 1983. The song was recorded later the same decade by its co-writer, Michael Bolton
.
spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number twelve on the Hot 100
in early-October 1983. Branigan's single also hit the number-one spot on the Adult Contemporary chart in Canada
. This success came without benefit of a music video
. Branigan performed the song on the syndicated music countdown show Solid Gold
in late 1983 and on the popular holiday special Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
.
Michael Bolton co-wrote the song, and Branigan's record was his first major hit as a songwriter. Bolton, whose own recording career would not take off until 1987, went on to co-write the rock ballad "I Found Someone
" for Branigan's Hold Me album in 1985, and she also recorded his song "It's Been Hard Enough Getting Over You
" in 1993 for Over My Heart
. Though Branigan 2 went out of print in 2004, Branigan's original version appears on the albums The Best of Branigan (1995), The Essentials: Laura Branigan
(2002) and The Platinum Collection
(2006).
The single's B-side was a newly-written song over the music to the Italian song "Mama", by Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto Tozzi
. Branigan's first major hit had been with "Gloria", another English song written to an Italian hit by the duo. She would go on to have hits with "Self Control
", co-written by Bigazzi, and "Ti Amo
", an English song written by Diane Warren
over an Italian song by Bigazzi and Tozzi.
Since Branigan introduced "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You", the ballad
has been recorded by dozens of artists around the world, in English and Spanish, becoming something of a modern pop standard. Instrumental versions of the song have been recorded featuring variously the piano, guitar, saxophone, pan flute, steel drum, and music box.
7" Promo single
and on Michael Bolton: Greatest Hits (1985-1995)
. In the Episode Live and Let Fry from American Dad!
the version was featured.
CD single
has recorded a dance version of the track. In 2004, J Costa did a dance version of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" with Mr Mig and DJ Holland doing successful club remixes. Other dance versions include a 2008 version by In Bliss. A salsa
version appears on Miguel Martin's 1995 Sony International album Salsa with the Oldies.
A Spanish language
translation of the song, "Como he de vivir sin tu cariño", has been recorded by numerous artists. Latin Pop
singer Danny Rivera
recorded the translation for his 1990 album Canto a La Humanidad. This version peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs
chart. Other Spanish
artists to record the song include Paloma San Basilio
, who featured the song on her Sony International album Escorpio in 2001 and Rosa López
, who featured the song on her Gold
2008 Universal Music album Promesas. Italian singer Filippa Giordano
recorded the Spanish version for her album Prima Donna in 2005.
The ballad was one of several hits covered in the Finnish language
, as "Kerro Kuinka Rakkaudesta Toipuu", by Virve Rosti on her Edel Records album Vicky Rock Vol. 1.
Filipina superstar Sharon Cuneta
featured the song on her Platinum
album When I Love in 1999. Asian singer Julie Su
recorded the song on a 1989 album covers released by Warner Music Taiwan. Other female artists to perform the song include American singer Vicki Carr, and German singers Stephanie de Kowa, who recorded the song with the Filmorchester Babelsberg for her album Two Faces, and Joana Zimmer
, on her 2008 Universal Music album Showtime. The song appears on actress/singer Ingrid Saxon's 2004 CD of pop and Broadway standards, A Lot of Livin' to Do. That year, Dutch
jazz
-pop
singer Laura Fygi
included the song on her album Song Book: 20 Jazz Greatest Hits.
Lisa Hartman
performed the song in character as a rising pop singer on the nighttime soap opera
Knots Landing
in an early 1980s episode. Characters played by Elizabeth Berkley
and Mario Lopez
duetted to the song on an early 1990s episode of the teen sitcom
Saved by the Bell
.
Laura Branigan
Laura Ann Branigan was an American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is best known in the United States for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" and in Europe for the number-one single "Self Control"...
in 1983. The song was recorded later the same decade by its co-writer, Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
.
Background
As the second single from Branigan's second solo album Branigan 2Branigan 2
- Personnel :* Laura Branigan - vocals* Dennis Belfield - bass guitar* Michael Boddicker - synthesizer* Robbie Buchanan - synthesizer, keyboards* Lenny Castro - percussion* Joe Esposito - background vocals* Jim Haas - background vocals...
spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number twelve on the Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in early-October 1983. Branigan's single also hit the number-one spot on the Adult Contemporary chart in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. This success came without benefit of a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. Branigan performed the song on the syndicated music countdown show Solid Gold
Solid Gold (TV series)
Solid Gold is an American syndicated music television series that debuted on September 13, 1980. Like many other shows of its genre, such as American Bandstand, Solid Gold featured musical performances and various other elements such as music videos...
in late 1983 and on the popular holiday special Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest is a television program that airs every New Year's Eve on ABC. It has been hosted by Dick Clark since its first airing on Sunday, December 31, 1972. Ryan Seacrest has been the program's co-host since the December 31, 2005 telecast...
.
Michael Bolton co-wrote the song, and Branigan's record was his first major hit as a songwriter. Bolton, whose own recording career would not take off until 1987, went on to co-write the rock ballad "I Found Someone
I Found Someone
"I Found Someone" is the name of a chart single originally written and composed for Laura Branigan by Michael Bolton and Touch keyboardist Mark Mangold...
" for Branigan's Hold Me album in 1985, and she also recorded his song "It's Been Hard Enough Getting Over You
Hard Enough Getting Over You
"Hard Enough Getting Over You" is the final song on the 1987 album Cher. It was written by Michael Bolton and Doug James for Cher's comeback album after spending time on her acting career...
" in 1993 for Over My Heart
Over My Heart
Over My Heart, released in 1993, is the seventh and final studio album by singer Laura Branigan.Over My Heart was Branigan's most personal album and saw her again try her hand at producing, alongside successful producer Phil Ramone...
. Though Branigan 2 went out of print in 2004, Branigan's original version appears on the albums The Best of Branigan (1995), The Essentials: Laura Branigan
The Essentials: Laura Branigan
The Essentials: Laura Branigan was released in 2002 and was the second greatest-hits collection of singer Laura Branigan that was issued in the United States...
(2002) and The Platinum Collection
The Platinum Collection (Laura Branigan album)
The Platinum Collection is the first greatest hits collection of American singer Laura Branigan that was released posthumously. It was released only in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2006, however is available as an import in other regions. The album is part of the Warner Platinum series released...
(2006).
The single's B-side was a newly-written song over the music to the Italian song "Mama", by Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto Tozzi
Umberto Tozzi
Umberto Antonio Tozzi is an Italian pop/rock singer and composer, born in Turin. His most internationally famous song is "Gloria" -Biography:...
. Branigan's first major hit had been with "Gloria", another English song written to an Italian hit by the duo. She would go on to have hits with "Self Control
Self Control (song)
"Self Control" is the name of an international hit song recorded in 1984 by Laura Branigan, as well as the album on which it appears. The song was recorded that same year with the same English lyrics by Italian singer Raf, who co-wrote the song with Giancarlo Bigazzi and Steve Piccolo. Branigan's...
", co-written by Bigazzi, and "Ti Amo
Ti amo
"Ti amo" is a 1977 song recorded by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi from the album È nell'aria...ti amo. It achieved success at the time, becoming a hit in many European countries, including Sweden and Switzerland where it topped the charts. A Spanish version was released as "Te Amo", and had a good...
", an English song written by Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
over an Italian song by Bigazzi and Tozzi.
Since Branigan introduced "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You", the ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
has been recorded by dozens of artists around the world, in English and Spanish, becoming something of a modern pop standard. Instrumental versions of the song have been recorded featuring variously the piano, guitar, saxophone, pan flute, steel drum, and music box.
Track listings
7" single- "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" – 4:29
- "Mama" – 3:56
7" Promo single
- "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (Short version) – 3:57
- "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" – 4:29
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
46 |
| Canadian Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary | 1 |
Michael Bolton version
In 1989, Michael Bolton recorded his own version of the song and it became his biggest hit, reaching number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts in 1990. On the Hot 100, the song became the first #1 single of the 1990s. This marked the second time the song had topped the U.S. AC chart. The song appears on his album Soul ProviderSoul Provider
-Personnel:*Kyf Brewer, Jocelyn Brown, Joe Cerisano, Desmond Child, Robin Clark, Patricia Darcy, John Fiore, Milt Grayson, Jeanette Hawes, Richard Marx, Kate McGunnigle, Lou Merlino, Jeff Pescetto, Sharon Robinson, Vicki Sue Robinson, Leslie Smith, Fonzi Thornton, Joe Turano, Myriam Naomi Valle,...
and on Michael Bolton: Greatest Hits (1985-1995)
Greatest Hits (1985-1995)
Greatest Hits is an album by Michael Bolton.The album has been very successful going 3x Platinum in the US and selling over 9 million copies worldwide.-Track listing:# "That's What Love Is All About"# " The Dock of the Bay"...
. In the Episode Live and Let Fry from American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
the version was featured.
Music video
At the beginning of the video by Michael Bolton performs the song sitting in a living room. In addition to the action broadcast in fade outs he is about to leave the apartment, including suitcases, but later he thinks of this opinion, and cuddles with his girlfriend. On nights tomorrow he will give her a ring, which he later concealed and camouflaged, he reads a newspaper before his girlfriend comes. Then she surprised him with a breakfast and both cuddle again later there is a dispute. Bolton at the end gets to feel guilty.Track listings
7" single- "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" – 4:14
- "Forever Eyes" – 4:23
CD single
- "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (LP version) – 4:48
- "Forever Eyes" – 4:23
- "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was first recorded by Otis Redding in 1967, just days before his death. It was released posthumously on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous number-one single in U.S...
" (7" version) – 4:56 - "That's What Love Is All About" (Live) – 4:23
Charts
| Chart (1989/1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 17 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 3 |
| German Singles Chart | 15 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 10 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 9 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| Year-end chart (1990) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
Other cover versions
Other singers to record ballad versions of the song include Charlie Roots, Wayne Denton, and Korean star Se7en. British singer NewtonNewton (Billy Myers)
Newton is the stage name for the UK firefighter turned pop singer, Billy Myers .-Career:Newton scored a number of club and chart hits in the 1990s. His first hit "Sky High" was a cover of the 1975 hit by Jigsaw, that was produced by Mike Stock and Matt Aitken. His other club hits were remakes and...
has recorded a dance version of the track. In 2004, J Costa did a dance version of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" with Mr Mig and DJ Holland doing successful club remixes. Other dance versions include a 2008 version by In Bliss. A salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
version appears on Miguel Martin's 1995 Sony International album Salsa with the Oldies.
A Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
translation of the song, "Como he de vivir sin tu cariño", has been recorded by numerous artists. Latin Pop
Latin pop
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
singer Danny Rivera
Danny Rivera
Danny Rivera is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who was born in San Juan whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is well-known in Puerto Rico for his political activism.-Musical career:...
recorded the translation for his 1990 album Canto a La Humanidad. This version peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs
Hot Latin Songs
Hot Latin Songs is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. It is often recognized as the most important music chart for Spanish language Latin music in the American music market. It was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986 with La Guirnalda by Rocío Dúrcal being the first song...
chart. Other Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
artists to record the song include Paloma San Basilio
Paloma San Basilio
Paloma San Basilio is a Spanish singer. Although she was born in Madrid, at the age of 6 months the family moved to Sevilla , where she was raised till the age of 8...
, who featured the song on her Sony International album Escorpio in 2001 and Rosa López
Rosa López
Rosa López, , is a Spanish singer. She came to fame in 2001 as part of the reality show "Operación Triunfo", she represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002. She has subsequently released five studio albums, an album on DVD and ten singles.She has been awarded several times throughout her...
, who featured the song on her Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
2008 Universal Music album Promesas. Italian singer Filippa Giordano
Filippa Giordano
Filippa Giordano is an Italian crossover singer.-Biography:Filippa was born in Palermo and she is the youngest of a whole generation of musicians. At the age of nine, she started ballet at the National Academy of Rome...
recorded the Spanish version for her album Prima Donna in 2005.
The ballad was one of several hits covered in the Finnish language
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, as "Kerro Kuinka Rakkaudesta Toipuu", by Virve Rosti on her Edel Records album Vicky Rock Vol. 1.
Filipina superstar Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, better known as Sharon Cuneta, is a popular and multi-awarded Filipino singer, actress and TV host dubbed as Megastar of Philippine Entertainment, fondly called Mega by fans and people from the entertainment industry....
featured the song on her Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
album When I Love in 1999. Asian singer Julie Su
Su Rui
Su Rui, sometimes referred as Julie Su, is a formerly highly popular Chinese pop singer from Taiwan, especially in the 1980s. The song "The Same Moonlight" first propelled her from an unknown to a singing sensation in Taiwan overnight when it was released in 1983...
recorded the song on a 1989 album covers released by Warner Music Taiwan. Other female artists to perform the song include American singer Vicki Carr, and German singers Stephanie de Kowa, who recorded the song with the Filmorchester Babelsberg for her album Two Faces, and Joana Zimmer
Joana Zimmer
Joana Zimmer is a German pop music singer, often compared to Celine Dion or Barry Manilow. Zimmer is also blind.-Albums:-Singles:-External links:* , official site...
, on her 2008 Universal Music album Showtime. The song appears on actress/singer Ingrid Saxon's 2004 CD of pop and Broadway standards, A Lot of Livin' to Do. That year, Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer Laura Fygi
Laura Fygi
Laura Fygi is a Dutch singer.- Background and career :For the first eight years of her life, she lived with her parents in South America...
included the song on her album Song Book: 20 Jazz Greatest Hits.
Lisa Hartman
Lisa Hartman
Lisa Hartman is an American actress and singer.After some minor television appearances, Lisa Hartman starred in the short-lived Bewitched spin-off, Tabitha during 1977-78...
performed the song in character as a rising pop singer on the nighttime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Knots Landing
Knots Landing
Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
in an early 1980s episode. Characters played by Elizabeth Berkley
Elizabeth Berkley
Elizabeth Berkley is an American television, film, and theatre actress. Berkley's most notable roles were in the television series Saved by the Bell, as brainy feminist Jessie Spano, and the 1995 Paul Verhoeven film Showgirls, as exotic dancer Nomi Malone.-Early life:Berkley was born and raised...
and Mario Lopez
Mario López
Mario Michael Lopez, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is best known for his portrayal of the character A.C. Slater on Saved By The Bell, which he also portrayed as a regular on Saved by the Bell: The College Years...
duetted to the song on an early 1990s episode of the teen sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
.
See also
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1983 (U.S.)
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1990 (U.S.)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1990 (U.S.)