Every once in a while I'd see her smile
And she'd turn my day around
A girl with those eyes stared through the lies
See what your heart was saying
Think of Laura but laugh, don't cry
I know she'd want it that way
And when you think of Laura, well, laugh don't cry
I know she'd want it that way
A friend of a friend, a friend to the end
That's the kind of girl she was
Taken away so young
Taken away without a warning
Think of Laura but laugh, don't cry
I know she'd want it that way
And when you think of Laura, well, laugh don't cry
I know she'd want it that way
I know you and you're here
In everyday we live
I know her and she's here
I could feel her when I sing
Hey Laura (Laura), where are you now?
Are you far away from here?
I don't think so, I think you're here
Taking our tears away
Think of Laura but laugh, don't cry
I know she'd want it that way
And when you think of Laura, well, laugh don't cry
I know she'd want it that way
Well, I know she'd want it that way (want it that way)
Hey Laura (Laura), hey Laura
I know, she'd want it that way (want it that way)
Hey Laura (Laura), hey Laura
I know you'd want it that way
Hey Laura
"Think of Laura" became Christopher Cross's third single to hit No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart, following "Never Be the Same" and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)".
Cross wrote the song to mourn the death of Denison University college student Laura Carter, who was killed in Columbus, Ohio, when she was struck by a stray bullet during gunfire in a gang war.
Carter, a lacrosse player from Wayne, Pennsylvania, was sitting in the back seat of her father's car. Her family was visiting for homecoming, and had just watched Laura and her friends compete in a lacrosse match.
Cross had met Carter through her college roommate Paige McNinch, whom Cross was dating at the time. McNinch is pictured on the inner sleeve of the Another Page album, sitting on a stool. Cross wrote the song as a way of offering comfort to McNinch, and honoring Carter's memory.
The song's chart popularity was enhanced by the ABC soap opera General Hospital. One of the program's supercouples, Luke and Laura, were quite popular, and the song came to be associated with the character Luke's love for Laura, who had been missing and presumed dead for many months. Notes of the song became a recurring motif as the character of Laura was mentioned, and eventually returned. When interest in the song grew because of its prominence on the show, it was released as a single.
According to Cross, ABC never officially licensed the track; it concluded that the use of only small fragments of it for a "ghosting effect" during scenes involving the character Laura Spencer did not require a license. Cross has stated that his team formally asked ABC to stop using the song, but the network refused.
