General Hospital is an American daytime soap opera that premiered on April 1, 1963. The soap opera is set in the fictional town of Port Charles, New York. The story involves complicated lives with romance, medical drama, and suspenseful storylines.
The show was at its peak culturally in 1981 when Lucas Lorenzo Spencer married Laura Webber. It featured an unprecedented mix of riveting storytelling, lovable characters, and a surprise appearance by Elizabeth Taylor as villainess Helena Cassadine. As stated on ABC website, the wedding sequence "brought in 30 million viewers." It still remains the "highest-rated hour" in in the history of American daytime television.
The song Baby Come to Me was featured on General Hospital in 1981 as the love track of Luke and Laura Spencer.
How did Baby, Come to Me become associated with
General Hospital?
It was during the early years of the 1980s when General Hospital depicted one of the most talked-about sequences of the show. There was a plot dealing with Luke Spencer, played by Anthony Geary, and Laura Webber, portrayed by Genie Francis.
The series kept developing the relationship between these two characters after their popular wedding in 1981. During this period, GH featured the song Baby, Come to Me by Patti Austin and James Ingram.
This song was inserted in various scenes involving the duo. Using the song as a recurring musical theme for Luke and Laura seemed to strike a chord in the viewers' minds. Initially, the song was released in April 1982 and secured 73rd spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Being played repeatedly on GH brought the single new attention that contributed greatly to its success.
The track entered the chart again months later and clinched the first spot on February 19, 1983.
Where did the story of Luke and Laura begin?
The story of Luke Spencer and Laura Webber started in 1979 at the Campus Disco, where both worked. Luke was a mob hitman who became a flirtatious friend to the young Laura. One night, thinking his life was over because of an assignment from the mob, Luke, in a drunken state, declared his love for Laura and forced himself on her. This scene caused controversy among the fans, as reported by People magazine.
Despite the initial controversy, fan reaction was unprecedented and an outpouring of letters reportedly demanded more of Luke and Laura's story. Producers had planned to end the character of Luke but switched gears, building a complicated romance that made the pair one of the most iconic daytime TV couples.
Why was Luke and Laura’s wedding a cultural milestone?
When Luke and Laura got married on November 17, 1981. The event carried suspense, romance, and a little drama when Laura's ex-husband, Scott Baldwin, appeared dramatically to catch the bouquet just before the wedding ceremony was about to take place.
The tension was enough to stop Luke from jumping over the balcony and fighting to ensure that the marriage would take place as it was planned. It was an occasion that found favor among all cross-generational audiences. Moreover, Elizabeth Taylor's cameo appearance in the wedding sequence also left a mark on the fans of the show.
Interested viewers can watch General Hospital on ABC every weekday.
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