Self control raf laura branigan biography
Laura Branigan's hit single "Self Control" was one of the defining songs of the 1980s. The lyrics' theme of giving in to your desires was in step with the decade's excessive lifestyle. If you listen closely, there's a persistent, rhythmic reverb that resembles a heartbeat pulsating throughout the track.
And that music video that seems like it foreshadowed Eyes Wide Shut? Quite memorable. At 12 years old, I remember being just a little bit creeped out by the Phantom of the Opera-esque masked man that seems to stalk and eventually seduce Laura in the storyline. But it wasn't until recently—and by recently, I mean the year 2023—that I learned her 1984 chart climber was a cover of an Italian hit.
What's pretty impressive is both versions were so immensely popular that they shared close quarters on the European music charts at the same time.
Who Originally Wrote the Song "Self Control"?
Italian musician Raffaele Riefoli—otherwise known as Raf—cowrote and recorded "Self Control" in 1984 just months before Branigan introduced her version to American listeners. What's remarkable about it, at least to me, is that when I first heard it I thought it was a cover of Branigan's. Despite its synth-heavy hook, it could have been recorded anytime between the early 2000s and now.
Maybe that's because Raf's version was part of the Italo disco music genre which started in the 1970s and eventually peaked in the early '90s before splitting off into other genres that included house and Eurobeat music. I don't think it's a stretch to say this tune would not be out of place on most radio stations today:
"Self Control" by Raf reached No. 1 in Italy and remained there for nearly two months (seven consecutive weeks, to be exact.) It also reached the top spot in Switzerland, sharing the charts with Branigan's own version—one of the few songs to have versions by two different artists in the top ten spot at the same time. In
Self Control
The Story Behind The Song
A standout hit during the late summer of 1984 was Laura Branigan's Self Control. Anyone who has toiled through an arduous working week thinking of nothing else but a night out at the weekend will be able to lose - and find - themselves in this vibrant pop classic.
The song tells the story of someone who "lives among the creatures of the night" because "In the day nothing matters It's the night time that flatters" and "You got me livin' only for the night". This reinforces the first lines: "Oh, the night is my world City light painted girl". Clearly, the song is about enjoying the distractions and pleasures of the night, with some interpreting it as being about a prostitute. However, this is an uncomfortable example of gender bias: the vocalist is female but the song was co-written and originally released by "Raf" Riefoli, an Italian-born singer-songwriter, and it is his version (also sung in English) we examine first.
The original (also released in the summer of 1984) is an excellent synth-based clubbing track. There is little to choose between the two; Branigan's has the better vocal and production (the arrangement was by Harold Faltermeyer) but Raf's has a richer ambience and bass that suits a dance floor. In his native Italy, Raf's original was No. 1 for seven weeks, but in other European countries, most notably Switzerland, the two versions duelled for the top two positions. In total, Branigan's version spent eight weeks at the summit of the Swiss chart before being supplanted by Talk Talk's Such A Shame (Switzerland had some excellent chart-toppers that summer).
The original also provides greater insight into the song's lyrics. In the extended version, a funky, pulsating bass bridges to a two minute rap: "All the party people come alive at night... The daytime ain't the playtime It's the gotta-make-your-money and away time. I say the night time is the right time to get dancin' to the disco". The song is about immer So I have a song from this year I want to talk about but it’s a damn headache. Even typing out the title is an exercise in supreme frustration. I’m gonna save it for next week and for today I’ll go back to 1984 and discuss a beloved song from then. In all reality there are two versions of this song to talk about. This was originally released by Raf in ’84. Raf co-wrote the song along with Giancarlo Bigazzi and Steve Piccolo. The song was a European hit, scoring number ones in Italy and Switzerland and charting in the top ten elsewhere on the continent. Long story short, the song also needed to be a hit in the US and everyone took a familiar turn to get there – Bigazzi had already been working with US artist Laura Branigan, a partnership that had marked the smash hit Gloria in ’82. So Bigazzi and Branigan turned their attention to Self Control, and yet another hit was made. Branigan had previously offered up some very revised versions of songs – Gloria is not only done in a different language than the original, but the lyrics were also re-written to tell a completely different story. The music was also changed up as a 1980’s “update” of sorts. But on Self Control, Laura’s cover is honestly not far removed at all from Raf’s original. The songs are distinguishable, but not by a huge degree. I’ll post Raf’s original at the bottom of this post so everyone can compare. Laura’s version of Self Control would be a huge hit – it reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album of the same name would go platinum. It also did some huge business in Europe – it charted at number one in several countries, including Switzerland – where it actually bumped Raf’s original version out of the top spot. The two versions flipped places a few times again, making for some really interesting music trivia. Both versions were charting all over the continent as they w Self Control
"Self Control" is a song by Laura Branigan, featured on the album Self Control in 1984 and released as a single that year. It is a cover of the song of the same name by Italian singer Raf, originally released on the 1984 album Raf. A cover version of the song performed by an unidentified house band appeared in the Miami Vice episode "The Great McCarthy". Notes[]