Vanity: 2020s Suck So Back to the 80s - May 2021 - Laura Branigan "Self Control"

YouTube ^ | November 27, 2019 | RHINO

[C19fan]

You're watching the official music video for Laura Branigan - "Self Control" from the album 'Self Control' (1984). This cover of Raf's "Self Control" reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lyrics:

[Verse] Oh, the night is my world City light painted girl In the day nothing matters It's the night time that flatters In the night, no control Through the wall something's breaking Wearing white as you're walkin' Down the street of my soul

[Pre-Chorus] You take my self, you take my self control You got me livin' only for the night Before the morning comes, the story's told You take my self, you take my self control Another night, another day goes by I never stop myself to wonder why You help me to forget to play my role You take my self, you take my self control

[Chorus] I, I live among the creatures of the night I haven't got the will to try and fight Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I'll just believe it That tomorrow never comes A safe night, I'm living in the forest of a dream I know the night is not as it would seem I must believe in something, so I'll make myself believe it That this night will never go

[Break] Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

[Verse] Oh, the night is my world City light painted girl In the day nothing matters It's the night time that flatters

[Chorus] I, I live among the creatures of the night I haven't got the will to try and fight Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I'll just believe it That tomorrow never knows A safe night, I'm living in the forest of a dream I know the night is not as it would seem I must believe in something, so I'll make myself believe it That this night will never go

[Break] Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh

You take my self, you take my self control You take my self, you take my self control You take my self, you take my self control You take my self, you take my self control You take my self, you take my self control You take my self, you take my self control You take my self, you take my self control You take my self, you take my self control

I, I live among the creatures of the night I haven't got the will to try and fight It's my world City light painted girl

[C19fan]

A former model, Laura Branigan hit it big in 1982 with "Gloria". That song seems to be her most popular and pops up again from time to time. The NHL St. Louis Blues rode that song to a Stanley Cup in 2019. But I think this is her best song. The video was directed by William Friedkin. Mr. Friedkin is perhaps most famous for directing "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist". Record studios knowing a music video could make or break an album would hire top talent to make music videos. The video caused quite a stir due to the simulated orgy scene. Compared to today it seems quaint. Unfortunately Branigan died from a brain aneurysm in 2004.

[C19fan]

The song was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto - Vice City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8oQllwqw_I

[rightwingintelligentsia]

I caught her singing “Gloria” on a rerun of CHiPs not too long ago. Very talented.

On another note, isn’t it sad that the times we live in suck so badly that the 80s—and even the 70s—look good by comparison?

[C19fan]

Hard to imagine Alex P. Keaton being a cultural icon in today’s Woke world.

[TimSkalaBim]

What d’ya mean? the 80s were great.

[SamAdams76]

Yes, the 1980s were a phenomenal time in my life. I would love to live those days again. It was the last decade before cell phones and the internet took over our lives.

You could take a real vacation back then. Nobody had a way of contacting you. I remember on one trip, one of my relatives died. My family had no way of reaching me so I missed wake and funeral. Younger people today cannot comprehend.

[BBQToadRibs2]

1984 I was 18 and head banging to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. I don’t think Ms Branigan was on my radar. I also had one hella mullet going on.

[SecondAmendment]

> Hard to imagine Alex P. Keaton being a cultural icon in today’s Woke world.

As played on TV by an ultra-lib, while an incubating lesbian portrayed his mother.

But Michale J. Fox was awesome in "Back to the Future" .... by the way where is my Mr. Fusion™ powered flying DeLorean ??? They were supposed to come out in 2015 !

[Crolis]

She also made an appearance in episode 9 of Automan titled “Murder MTV”.

[wally_bert]

Automan was a decent show.

Same with Streethawk.

[TimSkalaBim]

Me too. RR was elected my freshman year of high school, and I graduated college a few months before he went back to California. Formative years. 80s music provided a great soundtrack the whole time. I went from Van Halen and Aerosmith to the Chameleons and Siouxsie and the Banshees over that span. Wouldn’t change a thing, not even the bizarre interlude when radio stations (WAAF in Worcester, for example) temporarily switched format to all Euro-synth crap for a spell around 1983 or so. Eventually came to their senses.

[bwest]

My favorite Branigan song is “How am I Supposed to Live Without You”.

[Viking2002]

I was 21 in ‘84 and eventually grew out The Mullet That Ate Tokyo.

[Enterprise]

One of my favorite songs still!

[Kommodor]

Great tune, she had a lovely voice.