"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song originally
recorded by Laura Branigan in 1983. The song was recorded later
the same decade by its writer, Michael Bolton.
The second single from Branigan's second solo album
Branigan 2spent three weeks at number one on the
BillboardAdult Contemporary chart and peaked at number
twelve on the Hot 100. 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. Branigan
performed the song on the syndicated music countdown show
Solid Goldin late 1983 and on the popular holiday
special
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.
Michael Bolton co-wrote the song, and Branigan's record was
his first major hit as a songwriter. Bolton, whose own
recording career would not take off until 1987, went on to
co-write the rock ballad "I Found Someone" for Branigan's
Hold Mealbum in 1985, and she also recorded his song
"It's Been Hard Enough Getting Over You" in 1993 for
Over My Heart. Though
Branigan 2went out of print in 2004, Branigan's original
version appears on the albums
The Best of Branigan(1995),
The Essentials: Laura Branigan(2002) and
Laura Branigan: The Platinum Collection(2006).
The single's B-side was a newly-written song over the music
to the Italian song "Mama", by Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto
Tozzi. Branigan's first major hit had been with "Gloria",
another English song written to an Italian hit by the duo. She
would go on to have hits with "Self Control", co-written by
Bigazzi, and "Ti Amo", an English song written by Diane Warren
over an Italian song by Bigazzi and Tozzi.
Since Branigan introduced "How Am I Supposed to Live Without
You", the ballad has been recorded by dozens of artists around
the world, in English and Spanish, 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. A salsa version appears
on Miguel Martin's 1995 Sony International album
Salsa with the Oldies.
In 1989, Bolton recorded his own version of the song and it
became his biggest hit, reaching number one on both the
BillboardHot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts in 1990.
This marked the second time the song had topped the U.S. AC
chart. The song appears on his album
Soul Providerand on
Michael Bolton: Greatest Hits (1985-1995). Other male
singers to record ballad versions of the song include Charlie
Roots, Wayne Denton, and Korean star Se7en.
British singer Newton has recorded a dance version of the
track. In 2004, J Costa did a dance version of "How Am I
Supposed to Live Without You" with Mr Mig and DJ Holland doing
successful club remixes. Other dance versions include a 2008
version by In Bliss.
A Spanish language translation of the song, "Como He de
Vivir Sin Tu Cariño", has been recorded by numerous artists.
Latin Pop singer Danny Rivera recorded the translation for his
1990 album
Canto a La Humanidad. Other Spanish artists to record
the song include Paloma San Basilio, who featured the song on
her Sony International album
Escorpioin 2001 and Rosa López, who featured the song on
her Gold 2008 Universal Music album
Promesas. Italian singer Filippa Giordano recorded the
Spanish version for her album
Prima Donnain 2005.
The ballad was one of several hits covered in the Finnish
language, as "Kerro Kuinka Rakkaudesta Toipuu", by Virve Rosti
on her Edel Records album
Vicky Rock Vol. 1.
Filipina superstar Sharon Cuneta featured the song on her
Platinum album
When I Lovein 1999. Asian singer Julie Su recorded the
song on a 1989 album covers released by Warner Music Taiwan.
Other female artists to perform the song include American
singer Vicki Carr, and German singers Stephanie de Kowa, who
recorded the song with the Filmorchester Babelsberg for her
album
Two Faces, and Joana Zimmer, on her 2008 Universal Music
album
Showtime. The song appears on actress/singer Ingrid
Saxon's 2004 CD of pop and Broadway standards,
A Lot of Livin' to Do. That year, Dutch jazz-pop singer
Laura Fygi included the song on her album
Song Book: 20 Jazz Greatest Hits.
Lisa Hartman performed the song in character as a rising pop
singer on the nighttime soap opera
Knots Landingin an early 1980s episode. Characters
played by Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez duetted to the song
on an early 1990s episode of the teen sitcom
Saved by the Bell.