Description
Hold Me is the fourth studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released on July 15, 1985, the closest thing to a hit was “Spanish Eddie” (this album’s remake of her first smash, “Gloria”), a song with an odd street-life lyric that made reference to Bob Dylan‘s “Desolation Row.” Indeed, the ghost of Bob seemed to be haunting this album, which featured yet another song called “Forever Young.” Elsewhere, Branigan again turned to songwriter Michael Bolton for “I Found Someone,” and as she had with “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You,” did it much better than its author, for what it’s worth. But on the whole, Hold Me found The Branigan formula growing stale.
The track “When the Heat Hits the Streets” was used in a television advertising campaign for the Chrysler Laser, with Chrysler serving as a sponsor for Branigan’s 1985–1986 Hold Me tour (a Chrysler Laser was prominently displayed in the “Spanish Eddie” music video).
According to Branigan, she said “the album is such a growth from my other albums. I really feel it’s the direction I want to go. My voice is definitely stronger and the material is just incredible. I honestly don’t feel there are any fillers.”
Video: Laura Branigan – Spanish Eddie (1985)
Tracklist:
| 1 | Hold Me | 4:43 | |
| 2 | Maybe Tonight | 3:37 | |
| 3 | Foolish Lullaby | 4:18 | |
| 4 | Spanish Eddie | 4:08 | |
| 5 | Forever Young | 3:52 | |
| 6 | When I’m With You | 4:12 | |
| 7 | I Found Someone | 4:00 | |
| 8 | Sanctuary | 3:32 | |
| 9 | Tenderness | 3:42 | |
| 10 | When The Heat Hits The Streets | 3:43 |
Musicians:
- Laura Branigan – vocals
- Harold Faltermeyer – arrangements (tracks 1, 4, 6, 7); all keyboards and synthesizers (including programming, electronic drums and bass)
- Mark Spiro – arrangements (tracks 2, 3, 6, 9, 10); all keyboards and synthesizers (including programming, electronic drums and bass), background vocals
- Eddie Arkin – arrangements (tracks 2, 3, 6, 9); all keyboards and synthesizers (including programming, electronic drums and bass)
- Tom Keane – arrangements (track 5)
- Gary Usher – arrangements (track 8)
- Jerry Hey – horn arrangement, horn (track 9); flugelhorn (track 6)
- Dann Huff, Michael Landau, Craig T. Cooper – guitars
- Gary Herbig, Marc Russo – saxophone solos
- Gary Grant, Larry Williams, Bill Reichenbach Jr. – horns (track 9)
- Nathan Alford Jr. – percussion
- Brian Malouf – percussion, all keyboards and synthesizers (including programming, electronic drums and bass)
- Nathan East, Larry Ball – bass
- Bo Tomlyn, Michael Boddicker, Alan J. Pasqua, Steve Williams, Richard Ruttenberg, Michael Egizi, Michael Mason – all keyboards and synthesizers (including programming, electronic drums and bass)
- James Ingram, Jon Joyce, Richard Page, Joe Pizzulo, Jim Haas, Tom Kelly, Phillip Ingram, Beth Andersen, Maxine Anderson, Leslie Spiro, Kelly Bruss, Edie Lehmann, Andrea Robinson, Rod Burton, Kevin Dorsey, Tommy Funderburk, Kyle Henderson, George Merrill, Susan Boyd, Rosemary Butler, Jill Colucci, Angie Jaree – background vocals
