A rejected song became a global anthem after a songwriter stood his ground
In short: Before it became a defining power ballad of the nineties, the hit song How Am I Supposed to Live Without You was nearly altered beyond recognition. When a label executive demanded lyrical changes, the songwriter refused, sparking a journey that transformed a rejected demo into a career-defining superstar anthem.
Co-written by Doug James and Michael Bolton in 1982, the track was originally intended for the Australian duo Air Supply. However, Arista President Clive Davis insisted on modifying the chorus lyrics. Bolton refused to compromise his vision, leading Davis to drop the song entirely. Laura Branigan subsequently recorded the original version, which became the first major success for both songwriters. Her rendition reached the top of the Adult Contemporary charts in both the United States and Canada in 1983, achieving this popularity without the support of a music video.
The song’s path to fame faced legal turbulence in 1986 when songwriter Gary William Friedman sued, alleging the track plagiarized his earlier work. During the August 1986 trial in a New York federal court, Branigan performed the song live to demonstrate its composition. By the end of that month, a jury cleared the defendants of all claims. Despite the legal victory, the song remained a Branigan staple until Bolton recorded his own version for his 1989 album, Soul Provider.
Bolton’s interpretation proved to be a massive turning point. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1989 and climbed steadily to become the first number-one single of the 1990s. This success propelled Bolton from a behind-the-scenes songwriter to a global superstar and earned him a Grammy for his vocal performance. The accompanying music video, directed by Philip Rose and Greg Gold, cemented the song's emotional resonance by depicting a narrative of relationship reconciliation, contrasting sharply with the song's initial rejection by industry executives.
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