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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

BRANDI

Whenever my husband meets a girl named "Brandi", "Brandy" or "Brandee", he insists on singing the song "Brandi" which was a hit in 1972 by the group Looking Glass. The girls are usually embarrassed and if they are under the age of thirty they usually do not know the song! He also does this with "Mandy" and "Jean".

This serenading began with "Carrie Anne" which is his niece's name and her father named her after that song by the Hollies. The problem is that not many girls are named Carrie Anne.

An interesting bit of trivia: Barry Manilow's song "Mandy" was originally titled "Brandy" but when Looking Glass' song was released, Manilow changed the title to "Mandy" and it was a hit in 1974.

"Jean" by Rod McKuen is the theme song from the wonderful movie "The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie". The sappy, inferior song, so totally incongruous with the character of Jean in the movie, is exactly opposite of what the character Miss Jean Brodie (the "creme de la creme") would have expected for herself!

Although the song was nominated for an Academy Award, the concatenation of Rod McKuen and Oliver in collaboration on the song resulted in its being named one of the "100 Worst Songs" ever!

If you want to listen to the YouTube video of Brandi by Looking Glass, click here. The Miss Jean Brodie song is below.



1 comment:

Arminta said...

I think I've told you before that I sing to all "the girls" which is how I refer to the staff in my office. We used to have a Jean, but her first name was actually Gloria so that's what I always sang. Oh Donna was one of my favorites but Donna, Jean and Julie,Julie,Julie do you love me, are no longer at my branch. I do have two Amandas, one who goes by Mandy, thus causing me to break out in Barry Manilow and for Amanda I go with Waylon. I also have Brandi and Lisa (who was more fun singing to when I still had a Julie too) and Carol and Cheryl and Ashley, all of to whom I have trouble singing. I'm sure they feel bad about that :)