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The band Looking Glass consisted of Peter Sweval (bass), Larry Gonsky (keyboard), Jeff Grob (drums), and Elliot Lurie (lead vocalist and guitarist). While together, Looking Glass recorded two albums, “Looking Glass” and “Subway Serenade.” They had only one hit single: “Brandy You’re A Fine Girl.” Their second single “Jimmy Loves Marianne” only reached No. 33 on the Billboard charts.

So, what’s the song “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” about?

Elliot Lurie says “Brandy” was inspired by a high school girlfriend and barmaid whose name was Randye. ( (she wasn’t a barmaid ,it was good for the story). As he was writing the song, the first thing that came to mind was Randy.  But, Randy was an unusual and unisex name, so he changed it to Brandy. It took Lurie about a week to complete the song. “Brandy” was recorded three different times with various producers until they got it right. The one that we know now was recorded in New York City.

Before Brandy

Looking Glass was originally a bar band that started out in New Jersey. The members went to college together and played bars and fraternities covering “The Rolling Stones” songs and the like. So, “Brandy” was a little more pop in comparison to what they usually did.

Before “Brandy,” the band had been signed to Epic Records and had convinced the record label to release a song that was a little more rock-oriented  But, it did nothing to alter their image. A very determined promoter convinced a Washington D.C. DJ named Harv Moore to listen to more of the album. He heard “Brandy,” loved it, and put the song on the air. According to  Moore, the phones lit up and “Brandy” became the most requested song in his career.

Urban Legends

One of the urban legends about “Brandy” is that of Mary Ellis. Ellis was a spinster that had a hot romance with a sailor who left and never came back. She died and was buried in New Jersey where there is a tombstone today. Even though the story may be true, it has nothing to do with the song “Brandy.”

Brandy To Mandy

Another true legend is that Barry Manilow’s song “Mandy” was originally titled ”Brandy.” Record producer Clive Davis found the song for Manilow and thought it would be a hit, but in between the time when it had been a hit by Scott English in England in 1972 and when it was re-recorded by Davis, “Brandy” by Looking Glass had been released and taken the spotlight. Clive didn’t think it was a good idea to have two songs released that close together with the same title, so they changed Manilow’s “Brandy” to “Mandy.”

Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on Aug. 26, 1972.

According to statistics from hospitals, two years after the release of “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)”, the name Brandy became the most popular name for girls.

Later on, when Lurie’s music career slowed down, he worked in the film industry as a music supervisor on movies like the 1985 John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis hit “Perfect.”

Over the years, “Brandy(You’re a Fine Girl)” has been covered by  Kenny Chesney and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The song was also used in the films and soundtracks from “Charlie’s Angels” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”