("Solitaire" was Warren's first hit single.) Self Control gave the budding composer-lyricist an even bigger spotlight.
Branigan had long championed Warren, finding room for her songs on both Branigan and Branigan 2. "Ti Amo," the second track on Self Control with Bigazzi's participation, was also the first of the album's four songs from Diane Warren. While Bigazzi didn't write it, the chorus of Warren Hartman and Marie Cain's upbeat "Heart" evoked the style and feel of "Gloria."
When released as the lead single off the LP, "Self Control" even eclipsed the success of "Gloria" in many international territories. There's even a touch of Barry Gibb in the title refrain, adding up to a highly dramatic album centerpiece. Faltermeyer's arrangement was cutting-edge and electronic but alluring, bolstering Branigan's vocals - again capable of a hush and a boom - with an anthemic rallying cry. "Oh the night is my world," Branigan sings on the crest of an unusually tough guitar lick, continuing, "City light, painted girls/In the day, nothing matters/It's the nighttime that flatters." When she sang, "I live among the creatures of the night," Branigan was believable as a mature woman looking for excitement in the seamy side of town. Piccolo's lyrics immediately set the stage for a story given further illumination via William Friedkin's evocative music video. (It was one of two songs on Self Control from Bigazzi.) Unlike the exultant "Gloria," though, "Self Control" was much darker in hue. The title track was crafted by Steve Piccolo and Raffaele Riefoli with "Gloria" composer Giancarlo Bigazzi. "The Lucky One" played to her strengths, from a sensual whisper to a theatrical belt. For this drama, Roberts (who had already written songs for Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer and collaborated with Bette Midler and Burt Bacharach) crafted an uncommon story of a girl whose "soul was strong, her heart was tough." The lyrics could have been describing Branigan, for whom he tailored it. Songwriter Bruce Roberts penned its opening track "The Lucky One" for the television film An Uncommon Love, in which a college professor begins a relationship with a student earning tuition money by working as a prostitute.
Self Control, arranged by Robbie Buchanan and Harold Faltermeyer and co-produced by Buchanan and Jack White, remains one of the most potent examples of the late vocalist's art. It's now been remastered and expanded as a 2-CD set from Cherry Pop in association with Other Half Entertainment, due on July 10. It set the stage for Branigan 2, another Gold record which spun off the enduring singles "Solitaire" and "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You." But it was Laura's third LP, 1984's Self Control, which became her most successful and earned her a Platinum certification. A dance party anthem for a post-disco age, "Gloria" helped propel the singer's debut album, Branigan, to top 40 status and a Gold sales certification. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (held from the top spot by Lionel Richie's "Truly") but spent 36 weeks on the chart, establishing a new record for a solo female artist. Laura Branigan became an overnight sensation with the release of 1982's "Gloria." Her throbbing adaptation of Umberto Tozzi's Italian hit not only reached No.