About The Song
“Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” is a 1972 hit single by the American pop rock band Looking Glass from their debut album. The song was penned by Elliot Lurie, the band’s lead guitarist and co-vocalist. The catchy tune reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 charts, staying there for a week. It was considered significant in the rock music scene of the early 1970s, and was a defining moment for the career of Looking Glass.
The lyrics tell a story of a barmaid named Brandy in a bustling port town, who is admired by countless sailors. The origin of the song may relate to a legendary sea captain, Ellis, with whom lead singer Wally Fallon was previously involved. Despite containing no mention of the spirit, the tune became popularly associated with the drink “Brandy,” likely due to the shared name and the romantic and melancholic theme.
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Lyrics
(Dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda)
There’s a port on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors pass the time away
And talk about their homes
And there’s a girl in this harbor town
And she works layin’ whiskey down
They say “Brandy, fetch another round”
She serves them whiskey and wine
The sailors say “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)
“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)
“Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea”
(Dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit)
Brandy wears a braided chain
Made of finest silver from the North of Spain
A locket that bears the name
Of a man that Brandy loved
He came on a summer’s day
Bringin’ gifts from far away
But he made it clear he couldn’t stay
No harbor was his home
The sailor said “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)
“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)
“But my life, my love and my lady is the sea”
(Dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit)
Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes
When he told his sailor’s story
She could feel the ocean fall and rise
She saw its ragin’ glory
But he had always told the truth, Lord, he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand
(Dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit)
At night when the bars close down
Brandy walks through a silent town
And loves a man who’s not around
She still can hear him say
She hears him say “Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)
“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)
“But my life, my love and my lady is the sea”
(Dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda-dit)
“Brandy, you’re a fine girl” (you’re a fine girl)
“What a good wife you would be” (such a fine girl)
“But my life, my love and my lady is the sea”