Looking Glass

And then there was the title problem.

In 1972, right after English's initial version, the group Lookingglass hit number one in Billboard's chart with their massive nautical smash brandy you're a fine girl remember that song so to avoid any total market confusion clive davidson coming decided to change the name from brandy to mandy there you go the recording session took place on august 20th 1974 A person by the name of Joe Renzetti arranged the record, building a lush, gorgeous orchestral landscape.

Cash Box magazine called it, quote unquote, a lushly orchestrated ballad, a classical love song with Barry doing some fine piano work.

While record world praised how Manolo's performance builds from his solo foundation to the rafters of Joe Renzetti's romantic strings.

Hey, relationships are complicated, but nobody wants razor burn when things get intense.

Right? Music history is full of happy accidents.

If a reporter hadn't called Scott English early in the morning asking about a dog, if Clive Davis hadn't insisted Barry Mellon record a track he initially hated, and if Lookingglass hadn't already claimed the name Brandy, we wouldn't have this one defining emotional ballad of the 1970s.

So that's why I always say, write what you know.

But in that time...

They were called Looking Glass and they had a number one hit in the United States, as I said, in 1972 with Brandy.

You're a fine girl.

Did absolutely nothing in the UK.

She hears him say, Brandy, you'll find your heart.

But my life, my lover, my lady Is the same, it is, yes it is It's a brand new hit, you'll find

That's Looking Glass with Brandy, open brackets, you're a fine girl, close brackets.

I guess we would class that as one that got away.

Um, they were actually...

So this band came out of the band Looking Glass, which, if you don't know, is the song that, uh, or the band that, uh, wrote the song Brandy (You're a Fine Girl), which came-

Oh

... out in 1972, which is on the Guardians of the Galaxy [laughs] soundtrack.

I mean, I would almost say there are bands that have one perfect song, which is a rare thing.

Like Looking Glass, right? Like, like, Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) is a perfect song.

Oh my God.

And Looking Glass is...

I, I'm pretty sure, correct me if I'm wrong, if you're Looking Glass heads like me, [laughs] um, that they're, they were kind of a studio creation, right? W- aren't they just sort of session musicians who were thrown together for the purposes of a record, or am I making that up?

up?I'm, I'm actually not sure

But that's a perfect song, right?

And I don't know if they ever recorded anything else, actually.