Looking Glass were a New Jersey pop-rock band formed by musicians who met at Rutgers University in the late 1960s. They had a tougher, more rocking sound than their one enormous hit might suggest, but “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” transformed them into stars almost overnight.
- Formed: 1969, New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Big hit: “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”
- Released: 1972
- Writer: Elliot Lurie
- Chart peak: No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100
- Album: Looking Glass
- Interesting twist: “Brandy” was originally the B-side of a single.
- Story: A barmaid falls for a sailor who ultimately chooses the sea over her.
“Brandy” is one of those songs where the story is almost as memorable as the melody. It began attracting attention after a Washington, D.C. DJ played the overlooked B-side on the radio; listener response was so strong that the record company quickly pushed it out as a single. It eventually spent a week at No. 1—and decades later, its appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 introduced it to another generation.