The Real Story Behind ‘Think of Laura’ by Christopher Cross
If you are a fan of the song “Think of Laura” by Christopher Cross, it’s also likely that you have memories of the song being used nonstop in the early eighties by the daytime soap opera General Hospital. Way back then, General Hospital was at the absolute height of its popularity. It was one of those rare moments when a daytime soap caught the eye of a younger generation — and made an impact on the charts.
“Think of Laura” was not quite the only song linked with General Hospital at the time. The show even had its own novelty song, “General Hospi-Tale,” which made it to the Billboard Top 40 during the summer of 1981. And of course, Rick Springfield was making a name for himself as Dr. Noah Drake on the show, as he was rocking hard on the charts with the single “Jessie’s Girl.” But it was the unlikely romance of Luke Spencer and Laura Webber that really captured the nation’s fancy.
Laura was played by Genie Francis, an actress who, if I remember correctly, wasn’t even 20 years old at the time fame and fortune hit. ABCm General Hospital ‘s network, did everything they could to capitalize on the Luke and Laura phenomena; when they finally got married in 1981, even Elizabeth Taylor showed up for the blessed event.
Shortly after the wedding, much to the chagrin of fans everywhere, Laura mysteriously disappeared, leaving poor Luke to be haunted by her memory. As time passed, whenever Luke would think back or perhaps catch a glimpse of someone who reminded him of his lost love, Christopher Cross’s “Think of Laura,” from his second album, Another Page, would play in the background. It really was perfect.
According to Christopher, it was Anthony Geary, the actor who played Luke Spencer, who suggested the use of the song in the show. In 2013, Christopher told Courtney Devores of The Charlotte Observer, “Tony was a big fan of that record and suggested it when they wanted to bring Laura back.”
When Laura finally did return, tiny little snippets of the song had been used so often that it was easy for a viewer to think that the song had been written specifically for the show. I know I did.
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But the truth is that Christopher Cross had written this beautiful song as a comfort for his girlfriend, Paige, who had lost a very close friend in a terrible, horrible, tragic accident. Paige’s friend, Laura Carter, had been sitting in the backseat of her parents’ car when a stray bullet, fired in a gang fight about a block away, hit and killed her.
It was such a senseless tragedy: One minute, Laura was visiting with her parents in their car, and the next moment, without any sort of warning, she was gone.
After seeing the impact of the tragedy on those friends and family members who loved Laura dearly, Christopher went to work. It was a daunting task; he needed to write a song that could help those who were hurting the most, a song that would comfort and, at least for a moment or two, provide a tiny bit of peace as they reflected on Laura’s life.
The end result, “Think of Laura,” is one of Christopher Cross’s best-known songs. These days, he often dedicates his live performances of the song to someone near and dear who is no longer with us. While written about Laura Carter, the song’s haunting and melancholy themes are truly universal.
Only semi-related: during that same 2013 interview with The Charlotte Observer, Christopher acknowledged that he was never asked for permission to use the song on General Hospital. He said, “They never used enough of it to need a license. They would just use a little for a ghosting effect.”
Remind