"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song written in 1982 by Doug James and
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...
. The
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
has been recorded by many artists around the world, in several languages, most notably Bolton himself, 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.
"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" was supposed to be recorded by Australian duo
Air Supply
Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hit ...
, but when
Arista President
Clive Davis
Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000.
From 1967 to 1 ...
asked for permission to change the lyrics of the chorus, Bolton refused, and Davis let go of the song.
[Hyatt, Wesley. ''The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits'', Billboard Books, 1999, p. 277, 354.] Subsequently
Laura Branigan
Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single " Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for ...
recorded it as written, and it became the first major hit for the two songwriters. Bolton's own rendition became a worldwide hit in early 1990.
Laura Branigan version
As the second single from Branigan's second album ''
Branigan 2
''Branigan 2'' is the second studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released in March 1983 by Atlantic Records. The album reached number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Ame ...
'', "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" spent three weeks at number one on the ''Billboard''
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
chart and peaked at number twelve on the
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
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
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
. 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
''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' (''NYRE'') is an annual New Year's Eve television special broadcast by ABC. The special broadcasts primarily from New York City's Times Square and prominently features coverage of its annual ball drop ev ...
''. ''Branigan 2'' went out of print in 2004, but Branigan's original version can still be heard on the compilation albums ''
The Best of Branigan
''The Best of Branigan'' is a greatest hits compilation by singer Laura Branigan to be released in the United States. The 1995 anthology collection also marked the end of Branigan's relationship with her record label, Atlantic Records. Of the t ...
'' (1995), ''
The Essentials'' (2002) and ''
The Platinum Collection'' (2006).
The single's
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
was a newly written song over the music to the Italian song "
Mama
Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to:
Roles
*Mother, a female parent
* Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority
*Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels
Places
*Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement ...
", by
Giancarlo Bigazzi
Giancarlo Bigazzi (5 September 1940 – 19 January 2012) was an Italian music producer and composer. He was a former member of comedy music group Squallor.
Life and career
Born in Florence, he was one of the best known Italian songwriters and ly ...
and
Umberto Tozzi
Umberto Antonio Tozzi (; born 4 March 1952) is an Italian pop and rock singer and composer. Over the course of his career, he has sold over 70 million records in different languages internationally, and his biggest international hits are:
"Stel ...
. Branigan's first major hit had been with "
Gloria
Gloria may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music
* Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise
* Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise
** Gloria (Handel)
** Gloria (Jenkins) ...
", another English song written to an Italian hit by the duo.
Track listings
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
1986 lawsuit
Laura Branigan demoed songwriter
Gary William Friedman Gary William Friedman is an American musical theatre, symphonic, film and television composer. His career began in the 1960s in New York City as a saxophonist in an improvisational ensemble and as a composer for experimental theater. Friedman's 19 ...
's "Promise Me I'll Feel This Way Tomorrow", several years before she recorded "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You".
Branigan did not meet the songwriters Michael Bolton and Doug James before the recording.
In 1986, songwriter Friedman filed lawsuit against Branigan, the songwriters, and other parties involved in the recording, alleging that "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" copied his song "Promise Me I'll Feel This Way Tomorrow".
In her testimony of the August 5, 1986, trial, Branigan performed Bolton and James's song and two other songs recorded by various artists, "
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
" (recorded by Branigan for her 1984 album ''
Self Control
Self-control, an aspect of inhibitory control, is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. As an executive function, it is a cognitive process that is necessary for regulating one's b ...
'') and "
MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and later designated ...
". Toward the end of August 1986, juries of a New York federal court cleared the case defendants from the charges.
Michael Bolton version
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...
recorded a version of the song for his sixth studio album, ''
Soul Provider
''Soul Provider'' is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Bolton. The album was released on June 19, 1989 by Columbia Records/CBS. To date, the album has sold 12.5 million copies worldwide.
Containing five US top 40 hits ...
'' (1989). The single reached number one on both the ''Billboard''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
and Adult Contemporary charts and also won Bolton a
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...
. The release marked a turning point in Bolton's career. After years of being primarily known as a songwriter,
the single got him recognition as a performer and made him a certified superstar.
Chart performance
The single debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in October 1989. It slowly climbed the chart and by mid-January became the first new
number one single of the 1990s.
Music video
Philip Rose and Greg Gold directed the song's music video. The beginning of the video shows Bolton performing the selection whilst he is sitting in his living room, and small bits of story about his and his girlfriend's relationship are told through fade-outs. As he is about to leave the apartment, already having packed his suitcases, he thinks of her and the time they spent together and seemingly decides against the decision; he then cuddles with his girlfriend. It is revealed, the next night, that he plans to give her a bracelet, which he quickly hides as he reads a newspaper before she enters the room. She surprises him with breakfast and they cuddle again. Later on, the two have a fight about something and she storms out of the apartment, and Bolton visibly feels guilty.
Track listings
Personnel
* Michael Bolton – lead vocals
*
Michael Omartian
Michael Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. He sp ...
– keyboards
*
Michael Landau
Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitch ...
– guitar
*
Neil Stubenhaus – bass
*
John Keane – drums
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1983 (U.S.)
Adult Contemporary is a chart published by ''Billboard'' ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) market. In 1983, 18 songs topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations.
In t ...
and
1990 (U.S.)
*
List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1990
This is a list of the U.S. '' Billboard'' magazine Hot 100 number-ones of 1990. The three longest running number-one singles of 1990 are "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor, "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey, and "Because I Love You (T ...
References
{{Authority control
1982 songs
1983 singles
1989 singles
1990 singles
Atlantic Records singles
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Columbia Records singles
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Laura Branigan songs
Michael Bolton songs
Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles
Pop ballads
Rock ballads
Songs about loneliness
Songs written by Michael Bolton
Song recordings produced by Michael Omartian
1980s ballads