Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Gloria (1982)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) In this song, Laura Branigan is advising her friend to take it a bit slower in her pursuit of a particular man. Did you more recently give or receive advice? I had a rather serious conversation with my nephew, who just turned 24, about the worst part of pet parenthood: euthanasia. My sister's family adopted their cat 17 years ago, when my nephew was just 7. That feline has been his buddy almost his entire life. The family knew Donny was fading, but my nephew wasn't sure it was time to let him go. He asked me how I arrived at the decision with my cat, Reynaldo, in 2021. I got a text from my nephew -- he only texts -- after they said goodbye to Donny and he thanked me for helping him be at peace with the decision.

 

2) Gloria seems determined to rush ahead, regardless of the consequences. Do you consider yourself a big risk taker? Not anymore. When I was younger, I was more fearless. Time has made me more conservative.

 

3) Laura herself seemed to be impulsive in love. She met a lawyer at a party in 1978 and they married months later. It worked out, though. They were married for almost 20 years, until his death. Thinking of your circle of friends, has someone more recently been married, divorced, or widowed? I'm at a time in my life when my friends' kids are getting married.

4) "Gloria" was originally recorded in 1979 by Italian singer Umberto Tozzi. His version was a Top Ten hit in Switzerland, Belgium and Germany. Have you ever visited any of those countries? I visited Switzerland and Germany back in the mid-70s during my one and only trip to Europe.

5) In 2018, decades after its initial release, this recording of "Gloria" enjoyed a surge in popularity. The St. Louis Blues used it as their victory song whenever they won a hockey game at home. What's the most recent sporting event you attended? 

I was there last month when Kris Bryant returned to Wrigley Field. It was a perfect day. 

6) After Laura Branigan died of a cerebral aneurysm at the age of 52, her high school established a scholarship in her honor. When did you most recently return to your old high school, and what was the reason? My nephew's graduation six years ago. Being back there practically gave me PTSD. My mom, who also attended that same school, used to tell high school me that "these are the best years of your life." My mother could not have been more wrong about that.

 

7) In 1982, when this song was popular, the Sears catalog sold an at-home blood pressure monitor that ran on four C-batteries and sold for $190 (that's $600 in today's dollars). Amazon's current best-selling monitor is cheaper ($40) and smaller, running on AAA batteries. Is high blood pressure a concern of yours? I'm probably more worried about it than I should be. My dad died of a stroke, brought on by high blood pressure, when he was 55. Since I favor his side of the family, I always grill the doctor after my BP is taken, and I'm always told it's fine.

 

8) Also in 1982, The Compleat Beatles, a two-hour documentary about The Fab Four was released to good reviews. Do you enjoy documentaries? If I'm in the right frame of mind.

9) Random question: Which of these chores to you enjoy the least: doing the dishes or the laundry? The dishes. Laundry is a once-a-week thing and it's the one chore I'm very good at, which makes it satisfying. It feels like I'm always at the kitchen sink, washing something. I hate it.