Twofer Tuesday and today it involves a look at, and a listen to one song with two different versions. (Note that I stumbled upon this duo last week when I was trolling around for doggy songs. I found something claiming that this tune was about a dog.)
Barry Manilow’s first big hit was with the tune Mandy in 1974. However, turns out that Barry did not write Mandy. Ironically, nor did he write his other big hit I Write the Songs (click here.)
Mandy was actually a remake of a tune titled Brandy written and recorded initially by a British singer named Scott English. Listen to Scott’s original here and note @ 2:00 mark how he begins the 3rd verse with “Riding on a country bus, no one noticed us.” Then check out Barry’s version (below) where he omits that line (2:10.)
Reportedly, Scott did not much care for Barry’s version of his tune. This from Wiki “He said he hated the Manilow version because he took out part of a verse and made it a bridge, but he later loved it because it bought him houses.” Nothing little a little green to assuage any hurt feelings eh? Maybe they should have re-titled it Money!
As for the song being about a dog, there was this clarification:
As for the song’s title being changed, another song titled Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) was on the charts at that time. Barry and his record company bosses wanted to put some distance between the two and hence Scott’s Brandy became Barry’s Mandy. Who says Mandy came without taking?
Which brings us then to this being a Threefer Tuesday. Looking Glass may have been a one hit wonder, but what a hit Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) was! (Good article/interview here with the song’s writer Elliot Lurie who is still around and performing (click here.)) Note too that I have discussed Brandy Fine Girl previously (click here.)
The video is from a 70’s T-V show “Rolling on the River with Kenny Rogers and the First Edition.” Shown introducing Looking Glass are Kenny and his lead guitarist Terry Williams. This was back when Kenny was in his Hippie Kenny persona before moving onto become Country Boy Kenny.