Solitaire (Laura Branigan song)
Encyclopedia
Background
The song originated as a 1981 recording in French by Martine Clemencau for whom "Solitaire" was a modest hit with a French chart peak of #50 on the French pop charts where it remained for 22 weeks. Written by Clemencau herself, the French version of "Solitaire" concerned a recluse who shuts himself away from a world moving toward nuclear war. The English lyrics of "Solitaire" reinvent the song's narrative, with the playing of the card game solitaireSolitaire
Solitaire is any tabletop game which one can play by oneself or with other people. The solitaire card game Klondike is often known as simply Solitaire....
employed as a metaphor for the singer enduring the neglect of her lover. "Solitaire" would launch the hitmaking career of Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
who had recently been employed as a staff writer by Branigan's producer Jack White
Jack White (producer)
Jack White is a music composer and producer.- Musical work :White started out as a songwriter/producer for German singers in the early 70s and then developed an international style mainly as a producer...
; Warren gave White the completed lyrics for "Solitaire" the day after he asked her to give the song an English rendering.
Laura Branigan recording
The lead single from the Branigan 2Branigan 2
- Personnel :* Laura Branigan - vocals* Dennis Belfield - bass guitar* Michael Boddicker - synthesizer* Robbie Buchanan - synthesizer, keyboards* Lenny Castro - percussion* Joe Esposito - background vocals* Jim Haas - background vocals...
album, "Solitaire" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
the week Branigan's breakthrough hit "Gloria" fell off the chart; with a #7 peak "Solitaire" became Branigan's second consecutive Top Ten hit. A chart item on Billboards Adult Contemporary and Dance
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
charts at respectively #16 and #28, "Solitaire" was an international success with hit status in several territories where "Gloria" had been a success - see chart below - a significant exception being the UK.
The verses begin low and restrained, with the melody's theme repeated in ever-higher variations throughout the pre-chorus and chorus, climaxing in three high, sustained belts of "Solitaire". The song's rangy melody and dramatic refrain appealed to Branigan and producers Jack White and Robbie Buchanan
Robbie Buchanan
Robbie Buchanan is a Canadian keyboardist, songwriter, arranger, and producer.Buchanan began playing the piano at the age of 6. He acquired his first paying gig as a pianist at the age of 12 playing 6 nights a week in Dawson City, Yukon Territory. While still a teenager, Buchanan joined a band...
, who extended the original arrangement to revolve back to one last refrain, giving Branigan a triumphant, sustained final note in keeping with the new lyrics by Warren, which have Branigan turning the tables on a neglectful lover and getting on with a life she had put on hold for him. The note is a mere two seconds shy of the world record for longest note held by a female singer in a hit Pop song, which is held by Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
in "Dim All the Lights
Dim All the Lights
"Dim All the Lights" is a song by Donna Summer released as a single in the latter half of 1979. Taken from her Bad Girls album and produced by longtime collaborator Giorgio Moroder with Pete Bellotte, the track combines Summer's trademark disco beats with a more soulful/R&B-esque sound...
".
Promotion
Branigan promoted the song with appearances on American BandstandAmerican Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
, Solid Gold
Solid Gold (TV series)
Solid Gold is an American syndicated music television series that debuted on September 13, 1980. Like many other shows of its genre, such as American Bandstand, Solid Gold featured musical performances and various other elements such as music videos...
, and The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...
, among others. The song's dramatic, theatrical style and range was a vocal showcase, and it was not uncommon for talent show contestants, such as those on Star Search
Star Search
Star Search is a television show that was produced from 1983-95, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Alfred Masini. A relaunch was produced in 2003-04. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd...
, to tackle "Solitaire". It was a favorite of a very young Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, who performs the song in a rare televised clip.
While the video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Gloria" had simply been a straightforward performance clip, "Solitaire" was promoted with an elaborately produced video depicting the song's narrative: after being abandoned by her male companion Branigan is shown recording in a studio and somewhat occupied with the trappings of fame and career, but otherwise spending her free time alone and frustrated. When her errant companion attempts a reconciliation Branigan walks away pausing to flip him a pack of cards which he stoops to gather up.
An Atlantic 12" featured an extended version of the song that ran 5:16 in length; Hot Tracks, a popular DJ remix service of the time, produced their own extended remix as well, which ran to 7:02 and clocked in at 140 BPM. The song was re-released by Atlantic in the U.S. as an "Oldies Series" single in the mid-1980s, backed with "Gloria". In Europe, the song saw limited release as a 12" single backed with "Gloria". In addition to Branigan 2
Branigan 2
- Personnel :* Laura Branigan - vocals* Dennis Belfield - bass guitar* Michael Boddicker - synthesizer* Robbie Buchanan - synthesizer, keyboards* Lenny Castro - percussion* Joe Esposito - background vocals* Jim Haas - background vocals...
, which went out of print in 2004, the single version of "Solitaire" appears on 1995's The Best of Branigan (re-released in 2007), 2002's The Essentials: Laura Branigan
The Essentials: Laura Branigan
The Essentials: Laura Branigan was released in 2002 and was the second greatest-hits collection of singer Laura Branigan that was issued in the United States...
, and 2006's The Platinum Collection.
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 5 |
| Canada | 8 |
| New Zealand | 12 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 7 |
Other versions
In 1982 "Solitaire" had been rendered in German as "Immer Mehr" and recorded by MilvaMilva
Maria Ilva Biolcati , known as Milva, is an Italian singer, actress and television personality. She is also known as 'La Rossa', , due to the colour of her hair, and additionally as the 'Panther of Goro', which stems from the Italian press having nicknamed the three most popular Italian female...
; another German rendering retaining the title "Solitaire" was recorded in 1983 by Séverine
Séverine (singer)
Séverine is a French singer.Séverine won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971 for Monaco, performing "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" , with music by Jean-Pierre Bourtayre and words by Yves Dessca...
in the wake of the Branigan version.