Comments: 72

• Roy from VirginiaThe sailor is her father.
  That's why she's so interested in hearing his stories.
  Other sailors are flirting, saying things like "Your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea."
  But he says "You'll be a good wife to some lucky man."
  He brings her gifts when he gets the chance to see her, and she has his photo and name in a locket, because he's her dad.
  She does her best to understand why he can't stay.
  It's sad.
• William from New MexicoI've looked for "official" lyrics because I've always assumed that she served them Whiskey and Rye because I have a hard time picturing someone offering a Chardonnay whilst sitting down with a bunch of whisky drinking sailors. I've found lyrics that day otherwise but many of the lyrics sites have no clue what the words are.
• Seventhmist from 7th HeavenThis came out around the same time as Elton John's "Sweet Painted Lady," which also addressed lonely sailors, and I always thought of it as the darker side of the same genre. Maybe the sailor Brandy loved found it easier to turn her down because he was sampling the fares of a sweet painted lady.
• Camille from Toronto, OhWalt from NJ, congrats on still being married. Joyce from KS, yes, it's Elliot Lurie's voice that brings everything in the song together. Something about his tone makes you want to hear the whole story again even tho you've heard it a hundred times before. The descriptive verses make it easy to picture the scenario, another reason for the song's appeal. You can place yourself as a bar patron who's familiar with Brandy and her love story. Oh, and the horns are fabulous, adding beautiful dimension to the tale.
  
  Now let's talk about Brandy. The lyrics say she "loved" a man who's not around and that "Brandy used to watch his eyes when he told his sailor stories." The sailor is referred to in the past tense. It's possible he died while out at sea. The lyrics also say Brandy "does her best to understand" the sailor's love of the sea over her. Perhaps she's trying to come to terms with his losing his life doing what he loved. At no point does it say she's waiting around for him to come back to port. She wears the chain as it's all she has to remember him by.
  
  I think Brandy eventually moves on. I see her as an attractive woman with a good head on her shoulders. Think Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza. Maybe those bar tips paid for Brandy's college tuition. I don't think the sailor is gay but may be a man who has a "Brandy" at every sea port and will not commit to just one. It's all in how you want to interpret it.
• Seventhmist from 7th HeavenLonely Aunt Selma sang (term used loosely) this song for Lisa on an episode of The Simpsons.
• Wanda Roles from Saugerties NyI just bought the house this was recorded in. Closed 4/20/2020!!! She will b rocking those walls again soon!
• Smitty from EarthFollowing the song's release in 1972, Brandy increased in popularity as a girl's name in the United States. According to data from the Social Security Administration, Brandy was the 353rd most popular name in 1971, 140th in 1972, and, in 1973 (the first full year after the song's popularity), 82nd.
• Seventhmist from 7th HeavenMy sister was married to a man for several years whose daughter from his first marriage was named after this song. She was born a few weeks after it came out.
• Jennifur Sun from RamonaGreg wish you could tell him thanks for me. This song just makes my imagination go wild. It really can bring to life parts of this song in my mine.
• Jennifur Sun from RamonaAlways was a favorite of mine. I think I had just gotten out of school when this hit.
• Chris from Stamford CtBrandy is my favorite 70s pop tune!
  It beams me back to the summer of 72, ten years old, building monster models in my backyard patio with my trusty AM transistor radio by my side. Lots of great AM gold that summer, and that's what started my love affair with music!
• William from Reno, NvI am a 24 year retired US Navy SQIUID. I loved this song even before I opened my world. It launches all kinds of thoughts on how cool it would be for a lonely sailor to find a woman like that at some port that he goes to occasionally. K/H D
• Erica from Texarkana I adore this song so very much. The story reminds me of a book called "forever amber" that my grandmother passed along to me as her favorite book.
• Michael Blanchette from Kissimmee, FloridaHey Greg from New Jersey...your dad was in Looking Glass. So what's your opinion on the true writer of "Brandy?" Was it Elliot Lurie or someone else?
• Denise from Pembroke Pines, FlGreat lyrical storytelling in this song. I always tear up when I hear it, so sad for Brandy!
• 70s Flashback from Staten Island, NyHate to say it but this song is played to death on my local oldies station (wcbs-fm) and I can't stand it! Sorry.
• Vinny8 from Toronto, OnI find it very disturbing that the song Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) was credited to Elliot Lurie as the composer when in fact he was not the composer of this song. He bought the rights, and for all these years, people still think he wrote the song, what a shame!
• Andie from Azle, TxJames from Chesterton, Indiana is correct. I know the man who wrote this song and he sings it beautifully as well. It was always one of my favorite songs so it was a really cool coincidence to meet and get to know Steve. Last time I saw him was in valpo so I have a feeling James knows him also. Steve should have gotten a lot more credit for being the songwriter. It's a fantastic song!
• James from Chesterton, InOk well here is the "rest of the story". Elliot Lurie did not write the song "Brandy". He did not write the lyrics or the music. That is why the song sounded so different from the rest of their live sets. The song Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) was written by a man in Chicago who was close friends with the band The New Colony Six. He wrote the song for his friends to record but the band fell apart before that could happen. Some time later, two years maybe, a sound engineer called the writer of the song and asked him if he still had it. The engineer said there is a band in town from New York and they are looking for some material to record. The man agreed to come to the studio and introduced the song to Lurie and the rest of the group. So after sitting on the song he had wrote for three years or longer, he sold all rights to Lurie.
• Sandy from Enterprise, FlLink to online story of Mary Ellis' grave: http://bit.ly/2OCJsz6
• Kimberly from Landing, NjBrandy played solo with the seas as seen thru blue eyes. As if the tale was told.. love the song
• Jim from West Palm Beach, FlRecorded with the Fender Rhodes electric piano, which was used on many hits back in the 70's.
• Tom from Modesto, CaI saw the post from Robert from San Jose, CA. Like him, the first time I heard this song it was almost mystical. I was a young Sailor going through BUD/S training in San Diego in 1972. We had just finished one of the worst days of my life and were returning to the barracks to get "unsandy". As we entered the barracks in the distance I heard "Brandy". Whenever I hear it now I'm immediately taken back to that evening but always with a fond memory, not how I felt at the time.
• Esskayess from Dallas, TxI know of at least a dozen girls who were named from this song. Alas, I know even more who are named "Madison" because their foolish parents saw "Splash" and decided it was suitable as a name as well.
• Joyce from Plains, KsBrandy is one of my old favorites. There is something about Elliot Lurie's voice that is really calming, the "Looking Glass" band as a whole is super geat too. I also love the story he tells in his song. I wish we had more singers/bands that would put great music (songs) out there like they did back in the 60's & 70's. I listen to a lot of music (50, 60, 70 & 80's) at work and some from current artists. The current artists just don't make the grade that the past artists did. They just don't seem to feel what they are singing. I'll just keep listening to the Oldies, (especially artists like the "Looking Glass".
  Joyce, KS, USA
• Robert from San Jose, CaThis song always stirs up memories. I was in the Navy when it came out. We used to go to the Enlisted Men's Club for lunch. They had dancers at the club during lunch. There was a beautiful dancer named Brandi and she would dance to this song every day. Great memories!
• Faye from Jacksonville, FlThe song "Mandy" by Barry Manillow has nothing to do with the song "Brandy"......they are two completely different songs, with no connection!!!
• Esskayess from Dallas, TxThis song triggered a huge wave of baby girls named "Brandy" in the early-to-mid seventies. My sister's stepdaughter was one of them. Didn't mind that a bit, unlike the flood of girls named "Madison" that started with the movie "Splash." What a name for a kid. How 'bout other cities, like Minneapolis or Albuquerque?
• Mike from Owen Sound,ontario, Oni am 46 and love this song,anyone know if the group is canadian
• Laura from Saratoga, CaLove the video for this song, wish the resolution was better. Elliot was hot!
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-dleViv2nc&feature=player_embedded
• Rick from Fresno, CaActually the group name came along when they were all sitting around and were watching Alice in Wonderland. One guy said "Hey she jumped through the looking glass..." and they named the group Looking Glass. Bill Fisher was the group Bassist, but was drafted and while he was in the service when the song made a hit. He was later reunited with the drummer in Colton, Ca when a Radio DJ said "There is a member of the group Looking Glass out there..." and they both called in. He ended up driving to Bill's house and giving him a copy of the Album with Bill Fisher named as the Bass Player, and gave it to Bill. Bill died in 2001 of a heart attack. We plaed the song Barndy at his funeral. Bill Fisher was a computer repair guy for many companies, and owned his own company called Exalibur Computers. He was a great man and never told us about the band until we knew him well. He never used it as any kind of benifet of his own. You had to beat him to tell the story. But it holds a special place for us that remember him.
• Claire from Miller's, MdI have a relative named Brandy.
• Brandee from Brisbane, Australiaheyaa,
  i was named after this song but my name is spelt with a double E.... its a pretty cool song....
  and it first became a hit on my mum's 7th birthday...BEAT THAT!!!!
• Bob from San Antonio, TxThis is one of the best well constructed songs ever
• Sandra from Leggett, TxWhen I was in high school this was a hit and I said to myself then that when I had a daughter that Brandy would be her name. My first child was a girl and I named her Brandy. She is now 28 and my very best friend in this world.
  I recently visited Spain and my top mission there was to get my Brandy a locket and braided chain from the North of Spain. I succeded and I plan to have the love of her life's name engraved on the inside of the locket. In July I will give it to her for a birthday present.
  It is a beautiful song and as the song states, Brandy did turn out to be a great wife (and mother as well). Of course it took a wonderful young man to make it all happen
  Sandra Willson, Tx
• Deanna from Squamish, BcI know how the sailor feels, I own a 33ft Bayliner
  cant go to the sea but ocean,yes. and i am a female but I love the water.
  Deanna
• Matt from Somersworth, NhMy parents used to have this song on one of their LP's (remember those?) I've loved listening to it ever since I was a kid. I agree that "Brandy" is the type of girl any guy would want, but, as fate would have it, she can't have the man she wants!
• Jerry from Brooklyn, NyMy mom was named after this song.
• Greg from New Jersey, NjHey guys. my name is Greg Gonsky, my dad Larry was the keyboardist for Looking Glass. the first few seconds you hear of the song is my dad playing lol it's great seeing there are still fans of the band out there! i had a myspace going for Looking Glass nostalgia, but it got crazy and i hectically deleted it. i might get it running again, we'll see.
  
  
• Glenn from Minneapolis, MnBy the summer of 1974 the band had faded to the point where they were playing county fairs. I saw them at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque Iowa in July of that year. They played two sets -- each about 45 minutes and played "Brandy" and "Jimmy Loves Mary Anne" repeatedly -- at least five times each. It was cool, because they had a great sound, but a little sad because they just had these two hits and they weren't connecting with any of their other material.
  
  Still, after a hot summer day in Iowa, it was great to kick back in the cool evening breeze and enjoy these two mellow tunes.
• Patty from Spokane, WaThis song came out the best summer of my life, 1973. I got to travel by myself on a bus to Seattle to see my best friend Theresa S. for a week. I thought Seattle was amaing and magical. Whenever I hear the song Brandy I think of the best summer of my life when I was 12. I moved to Seattle after I grad. from high school and have had a great life here. I'm a girl that adores the sea and has a locket from my husband who unlike Brandy's man has been around. Who knows...maybe I learned from Brandy!! Thanks Elliott Lurie... you changed my life!!
  
  
  
  
• Brandy from Hendersonville, Nc, NcI was born in November 1972 and the song hit Number 1 in September 1972. My daddy loved the song and he was in the Navy so that is how I got my name. My mom and daddy always told me that was how I got my name. My Mom always calls me whenever she hears it on the radio. I had a frien that I used to go out with and when we would meat a guy and tell him our names she would always sing "Brandy, you're a fine girl what a good wife you would be." Sadly it never helped pick up any guys.
• Wes from Erewhon, Czech RepublicLook up Elliot Lurie on Wikipedia -- he has had a successful career. The version by The RHCPeppers is on YouTube, along with the original.
• Brande from Las Vegas, Nvmy dad named me after he heard it while waiting for me to enter the world he loved it and decided that that would be my name only spelt Brande. that was in 1985. and I am a fine girl
• Janie from Middletown, OhMy daughter "Brandy" was named after this song in 1996.
  My husband suggested naming our third daughter "Brandy" after passing "Brandy's" Sports bar here in Ohio. I pointed out we were Southern Baptist, and we didn't drink; and of course it is a name of a alcoholic drink as well. Then he pointed out that it was a song, by "Looking Glass" And of course I recognized the song right off. I loved it growing up. It has always been a song that you couldn't forget when you hear it on the radio, so for hours you would find yourself just singing it. Being parents from the early 60's we could appreciate it.
  I felt it would be a good loyal name to give her since Brandy in the song was so loyal to the sailor.
  Each of our daughter's has a story of how they got their name and this is "Brandy's!"
• Rekeaux from Philadelphia, PaOne of my most fondest memories of my Navy days was when 2 buddies & I sung this song at a Karioki bar in Singapore. We were all drunk, couldn't sing or dance (made total fools of our selves). But the bar was filled with Sailors & Marines who were also very drunk. And although we got a huge (very un-deserved) standing ovation, we cringed while watching the video...OOOHHH what wonderful memories!!!
• Walt from Haddon Heights, NjPlayed at my wedding in 1973 at Rutgers College in New Brunswick, NJ. So I have a tendency to believe the comments related to New Brunswick and Rutgers. The wedding reception and band cost a total of $1,000. Great Band, Great Party and still married.
  Walt, Haddon Heights, NJ
• Donald from Seattle, WaGreat song; on of my favorites. Lyrics very clear, story line excellent. Great music!
• Josh from Woodlawn, IlDoes anyone know if any other band does a cover of this song? I tried to get Flogging Molly to play it last year, but they refused.
• Guy from Woodinville, WaThis has to be one of the most-played radio songs of all time. It has NEVER left the playlists since it came out in '72. You would think that would make me totally sick of it, but it's such a good song, I still enjoy it and reflect on the story almost every time I hear it! Great clear lyrics! It does what music does best--it evokes emotions.
• Leah from Ann Arbor, MiHere's a question ... years ago (when I was in middle school and waiting for the bus to arrive in the morning), I heard on the radio a version of Brandy by Bill Murray in his lounge-singer style ... can anyone tell me where this from? Was it on SNL? I've been searching for it for a long, long time... It was one of the funniest things I've ever heard!
• Bill from Boca, FlAs a bass player, I've always loved Brandy for its challenging bass part, as well as the fact that it's just plain good music. So I bought it on iTunes, and discovered that the iTunes copy (only available on an album called "One Hit Wonders") was a recut, using the same singer but a different and less-talented bass player. Bah.
• Casey from Wanatah, InMy parents' former mortgage broker actually wrote this song and sold it to the band for just over a thousand dollars. These Rutgers boys already had money and decided to buy a hit for themselves. That's the REAL story.
• Stu from Summit, NjI heard this song is about a gay sailor. He'd rather hang out with a bunch of other sailors than with her. "But my life, my lover, my lady
  is the sea" - they really wanted to write "C" (as in a four letter word for penis)
• Michelle from Wilmington, DeI LOVE this song it makes me wanna just grove to it! It also makes me feel bad for Brandy and makes me wonder will she ever get her man??? LOVE it, that's some good stuff there!
• Sunny from , Hong KongOne of the best choruses from the 70's:
  "Brandy, you're a fine girl. What a good wife you would be! But my life, my love and my lady is the sea ..."
  
  The light-hearted vocals, harmonies and intrumentation only serve to intensify your sentiment of saddness, loss and sympathy with the song.
  There goes the same old adage again: They just don't make this kind of music any more these days.
  
  - Sunny Paul, Hong Kong
• Frida from Urbana, IlEven though i'm only 13, i just love this song, even if it makes me cry very time. I have yet to hear other songs from the group though.
• Snerdley from Newark, NjVery strange article about the possible inspiration for the song. looking Glass were from New Brunswick , NJ where this story takes place.
  
  MAKING A GRAVE DECISION
  Tuesday, October 03, 2006
  BY NAWAL QAROONI
  Star-Ledger Staff
  Mary Ellis has been resting in her grave for 178 years, in a small family plot near the Raritan River in New Brunswick.
  
  Even as the landscape around her changed, her grave remained untouched. Today, she rests in the middle of the parking lot at the Loews movie theater, her plot about six feet above ground, her tombstone surrounded by a wrought iron fence.
  But Ellis soon may be uprooted to make way for 524 luxury condominiums, 42,000 square feet of retail and three parking garages. She would be moved closer to the river as part of a plan proposed by developer Jack Morris, whose company, Edgewood Properties, bought the 23-acre property several years ago for $14.7 million.
  
  Morris, who grew up about a mile from the site, said he knew Ellis' story when he bought the land.
  
  "You can certainly build on top of her and around her, but that's not the right thing to do in my mind," Morris said, adding that he wants to recreate her family plot from pictures he has seen, complete with an iron gate around it. "We can bring Mary home to where I think she belongs and wants to be."
  
  According to lore, Ellis was desperately in love with a sea captain. When he sailed off to sea, he vowed to return and marry her, so she waited for him at the river's bend day in and day out.
  
  To maintain her vigil, Ellis bought the piece of land overlooking the Raritan in 1813. She was buried there 14 years later without ever seeing her beloved again. Six other relatives are believed to be buried in the plot, though their graves are unmarked.
  
  Some believe Ellis was the inspiration for the 1970s song "Brandy" by the New Brunswick band Looking Glass. The song tells the story of a girl in love with a ship captain who couldn't leave his true love -- the sea -- to be with her.
  
  Morris said he wants to bring the band back to New Brunswick for the grand opening of the development. Other officials involved in the project said moving Ellis' grave out of the theater parking lot will only do her justice.
  
  "The grave is in the middle of the site, in a sort of tough position," said Dave Minno, a principal at Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners who is working on the project. "What we can do is make it part of a river walkway and memorialize it with a plaque."
  
  
• Brandy from Seattle, WaIt's kinda cool to have the same name as a song. I can imagine that it's me they're singing about. :)
• Rich from Ny, NyI absolutely love this song. It's one of those songs that you know and have heard because it's a popular "oldies" song or is in movies (ie: Charlie's Angels with Tom Green singing the chorus). I know this sounds crazy, but I actually listened to it on repeat for a few days straight; I was going through a rough time regarding a relationship. This made me feel so peaceful and happy. It reminds me of a woman that is just so simple, yet perfect. Perhaps the kind that any guy would want--not flashy, just a great lover and companion. After all, not much is really expalined about her; she is simply presented in her basic glory. It's great that such songs as this can sound so great and almost new, despite the fact that it came out several years ago. I think the song can be interpreted in various ways; it can be a song about the woman, or about conflict of emotion, or both..
  Anyway, sorry for the lengthy post. Great song :-)
• Brandy from **********, ScI had never heard of this song until a friend of mine started singing it to me. Now everytime I see her, she starts singing it to me. And Since then our group of friends all sing it to me.
• Ashley Jade from Cleveland, GaIt's a good song. Makes me sad for some reason
• Brandi from Stafford, VaHey, my name! Well, almost... haha
• Brandi from Ada, MiI was named ater this song, though my name is spelled with an "i" and not a "y". I guess I love it so much because although I do not work "laying whisky down" I d0 like to watch the eyes of sailors as they tell their tales and I AM in love with a man who is not around,while I do my best to understand.
• Murph from Peoria, IlI've recently discovered that this whole song is a lie. I'm dating a girl named Brandy right now and not only does she not live anywhere near the sea, but when I finally had to put my foot down about her being in love with some guy floating around in a boat she flat out denied it.
• Rob from Lititz, PaMy dad said that he sang backup on the track, though I'm not really finding any credit to his name. But then again, when DO backup singers get credit?
• Simon from London, EnglandI saw the chilies cover this in hyde park and it was amazing! This is such a beautiful song.
• Jim from Folsom, CaAlthough his solo career never took off, Elliot Lurie didn't drop off the planet. Among other things, he works in the movie business as a music supervisor/producer.
• Mike from Wichita, Ks, United StatesDoes anyone know what happened to Elliot Lurie? Urban legend has it that he was abducted by aliens because shortly after release of "Brandy" and while it was climbing the charts, Lurie disappeared. Some have speculated that he couldn't cope with success. Evidently, he just dropped off the face of the Earth. The Alien abduction comment is purely a stab at humor.
• Tegan from Melbourne, Australiai think the red hot chili peppers sung this song on the live at hyde park cd i really like it.
• Gavin from Hampden, Mathis song is pretty cool. it is the only song by them i like.
• Charles from Charlotte, NcThe actual whole title of the song is Brandy (You're a Fine Girl). The group had a follwup minor hit in autumn 1973 "Jimmy Loves Mary Anne".

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