Laura Branigan - Gloria

"Gloria" is a 1979 love song originally written and composed in Italian by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi, and afterwards translated to English by Jonathan King. A 1982 cover version by American singer Laura Branigan peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Gloria" attained its highest profile via a re-working featured on the 1982 album Branigan, the first released album by Branigan. Although another selection, "All Night with Me", was chosen as the album's lead single, Branigan also performed the cover song during her promotional television appearances at the time of the album's release, and the track was chosen as the album's second single in June 1982, first becoming a disco favorite, and gradually accruing radio support to enter the pop charts in July. The single reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 27, 1982, behind Lionel Richie's "Truly", and remained there in the following two weeks, through December 11—when Richie had been supplanted by Toni Basil's "Mickey". "Gloria" earned Branigan a nomination for the Best Pop Vocal Performance Female Grammy Award for the year 1982. The song remained in the Top 40 for 22 weeks, and its total Hot 100 residency of 36 weeks established a new record for a single by a solo female act. The song also topped Cash Box magazine's Top 100 Singles chart. Certified platinum for sales of one million in the United States alone, "Gloria" was also an international success, most notably in Australia where it held the top position for seven consecutive weeks, from February 7 to March 21, 1983. "Gloria" also reached number one in Canada, number four in Ireland, number six in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and number nine in South Africa.