Laura Branigan’s Self Control

Yes.

Best, bitch.

B E S T

The five eternally jizzing smokestack penises cement this as a classic.

Considering this was on German TV, I’m surprised they didn’t do it as a live shot from a Berlin bathhouse.

She was very pretty even thought her clothes and hair always looked terrible

This song is gay catnip to me. Every time I hear it I think about how perfect it is. Pop perfection.

I’m down for retro gay catnip anytime/anyplace

Gold lame was a very period fabric

I could listen to Self Control and Gloria every day forever.

Prefer the Raf version

This song makes me think no of Coast to Coast AM. I loved Art Bells bumper music

Who said she was very pretty? I don’t see it at all.

A great cover by Danish duo Infernal.

This was the same summer as Billy Squier’s career ending video “Rock Me Tonite” and Scandal’s video of “The Warrior”. Laura’s video was banned by MTV, at least before 10 PM, so it has to stand in line. Never mind nightmare videos like Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” and the unveiling of Twisted Sister with “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. It was 1984. Anything went.

As I understand the term "camp" it's something self-consciously bad or of poor taste.

Not a thing wrong with this video.

"Self Control" is an underrated classic. Seductive, sexy....and just cheesy enough.

Obviously this song is an 80’s classic. And I love the production of this performance. However, to anyone who’s still wondering why Laura Branigan’s career wasn’t bigger, despite some mega hits, this video says it all. She has zero charisma, she just stands there with some slight hip movements, looking stoned out of her face. One can only imagine what a Madonna would have done on such a set. Licking the candles while fingering herself? Flashed her tits? Or a Cindy Lauper. She would have jumped up and down and destroyed the set.

R17 wasn't the music video directed by Academy Award winner William Friedkin?

[quote]One can only imagine what a Madonna would have done on such a set. Licking the candles while fingering herself? Flashed her tits? Or a Cindy Lauper. She would have jumped up and down and destroyed the set.

Agreed. I like Laura Branigan, but Madonna or Cindy Lauper would have brought a lot more to the song.

And it would have been interesting to hear what Donna Summer could have done with "Self Control" and "Gloria".

She REALLY liked that belt. There are several videos of performing wearing it. And I don’t know how, but I totally remember that she was wearing it when I saw her in 1984 on the Self Control tour. My first concert. I was 14 and my little gay heart just about burst.

[quote] She has zero charisma, she just stands there with some slight hip movements, looking stoned out of her face

“You hear THAT Dia Lipa?!?! I’m the OG!”

Love this song, and her powerful voice

special friends

I agree with R12. She looked like Jay Leno.

Love this song but I’ve never seen this “performance” before

Laughed my ass off

Laura is immortal

Thanks OP

r24 Not in the least

I love Raf's version.

She looks like a man

God that video screams West German TV set in the 80s. Reminds me of all the Modern Talking videos.

I knew Raf way back a million years ago in Florence.

A really pretty song by Raf from 1991.

The only woman who ever made me question my homosexuality a bit. I actually had fantasies about her. Maybe I was responding to her inner butchness.

I was sitting outside having drinks at a little video bar in Puerto Vallarta earlier this week. The video of this song came on and people stopped and danced in the sidewalk and street to it. Such a proud gay moment. We really are just the best.

I love how loud her voice is despite not having a microphone

She’s got very masculine features, and actually looks like she has a mustache in some of the shots. I assume it’s the lighting or make up.

Anybody remember the after hours gay dance club off 13th and Locust in center city Philly? The 247?

I remember being on the dance floor when this song came on and some old queen in hot pants and roller skates was weaving in and out of the dancers on the floor tossing glitter in the air. Good times.

Sorry OP this one with the breakdancers and the host swaying holding her parasol is much better.

I like the Raf version as well not necessarily better, I think the branigan one is more polished and pop and the Raf one is grittier and has a dark undertone to it that makes it such a great song.

Sorry here’s the link.

[quote]this one with the breakdancers and the host swaying holding her parasol is much better.

Wow, the producers really had her selling that record. Seems she had to lip-sync the song just about anywhere they could set up.

And she really had no clue how to dance. The same hip movements again and again!

r39 the same was true with Sheena Easton. She was not really into choreographed dance moves on stage while singing. When Sheen lipsynched to her own recordings during appearances on Soul Train in the late 80s and 90s she did have dancers and did bust some choreographed moves like in songs for her singles "The Lover In Me"and "What Comes Naturally".

In 1990, Laura Branigan appeared on the Lifetime TV talk show - ATTITUDES starring Linda Dano and Dee Kelly. She talked and sang live in studio. I loved the SNL parodies of Attitudes. Linda Dano was ripe for the parody pickins.

Why can’t Laura keep her hands out of her hair? Did someone tell her it was a sexy move?

r17, Cyndi would have turned it into She Bop.

R19, I think the song is perfection but Madonna would have given the video more personality. Whether that is a good or bad thing is personal preference. I love the video as is because it's portraying an anonymous, aimless woman. Madonna is many things but "anonymous", she is not.

R44.

Great...now I have this song stuck in my head along with Sheila E.'s The Glamorous Life.

I binged this song for a week a few months ago and couldn't stop watching Youtube first-time reactions to it. It's a great song, better than Raf's original. And Mr. Mister's Richard Page doing the "Oh oh oh"s just makes it that much better.

I loved "Attitudes," Linda Dano's look was peak 80s. She was so brassy and obnoxious and would always talk over the guests.

Heard this today on Sirius as I was running errands. Still a great song.

The most iconic songs to come out of the '80s. But whoever brought up the hair is right I love Laura Branigan but sometimes she's hard to watch because she's always playing with her f****** hair and it's annoying as hell

That clip at OP is stunning. I really like when Laura remembers to move her mouth. And the part where she remembers she's on stage anf should move a little is really, really good. But my favorite is when she shows off the hard work of all those dance lessons.

Very early Laura. Love it.

“Branigan, we have a hit”

Like Jackie Suzann, she looked like a truck driver in drag.

And "Self Control" was a clear Eurodisco import written in ESL—it has great keyboard lines but zero lyrical momentum.

R54 Pop songs don't need great lyrics but I agree, the lyrics to "Self Control" seem a little clumsy, like they don't quite fit the melody. Great disco all the same.

Love this song (and Laura). That opening guitar riff still gets me amped.

This is my favorite LB moment. She wasn't trying to be anything. Just singing. It's beautiful. But. SHE'S STILL FUCKING WITH HER HAIR.

The music is great. So is the first verse. The second and third verses make no sense at all. With better lyrics, this would have been a bigger hit. It's weird the record company didn't insist on a cursory rewrite.

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/ Tomorrow never knows

A safe night/I'm living in the forest of my dream/I know the night is not as it would seem/I must believe in something/So I'll make myself believe it /This night will never go

Gurl, what?

Curiously there is no Italian version of the song. Raf's hit in Italy was in English too.

R58 it's perfectly obvious that the song is written from the point of view of a Persephone like character, a pure soul who has fallen into the underworld and can't get out, and without hope of escape has to surrender herself to the dark pleasures of shimmery eye shadow, aquanet and other sensual illusions

Her best stuff came near the end of her career. When she went more AC. Plus she seemed to have finally found a stylist who got her look and told her that if you're not graceful don't point your toes. Stevie Nicks wrote this for her and it's a great song. Everything about her look and image is spot on here. Too bad it came a little too late. She was one of the lucky ones that aging agreed with her.

I think Cry Wolf is probably her best song. Shame it wasn’t a hit.

Revive this