Pirates of the Caribbean Online Fansite & Forums

Before I give my thoughts on a new quest, I am not saying this is feasible due to the legalities of the music industry. It is just an idea.

"Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" is a 1972 pop song written by Elliot Lurie and recorded by Lurie's band Looking Glass on their debut album Looking Glass. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, remaining in the top position for one week.

The lyrics tell of Brandy, a barmaid in a port town. She wins the admiration of many of the sailors, and the love of the song's narrator, but he, alas, is not willing to abandon his true love, the sea. In spite of this, Brandy continues to love the sailor and wears a braided silver chain with a locket that bears his name. It's been suggested the song is inspired by the real life story of Mary Ellis, whose grave resides in New Brunswick, New Jersey where the band was formed.

[1]
"Brandy" was the B-side of another Looking Glass song, and is rumored to have become an accidental hit when a DJ played the wrong side of the 45; although the flip side "One by One" has a running time of 6:01, which makes the rumor somewhat improbable.

The success of "Brandy" created a bit of difficulty for Looking Glass, in that the song's mellow pop sound was atypical of their normally somewhat harder-edged style; many fans of the single who attended the band's concerts were reportedly taken aback by a more rockish sounding band than they'd been expecting to hear.

[2]
Barry Manilow's 1974 "Mandy" was originally titled "Brandy" but Manilow changed it following the success of the Looking Glass single, so as not to get the two songs confused.
This song was used in the films Lords of Dogtown and Charlie's Angels.
Doug Heffernan sings this song at karaoke in an episode of The King of Queens.

Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)"

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, laying whiskey down
They say "Brandy, fetch another round"
She serves them whiskey and wine

The sailors say "Brandy, you're a fine girl
What a good wife you would be
Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor
From the sea."

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
Bringing gifts, from far away
But he made it clear, he couldn't stay
No harbor was his home

The sailors said "Brandy, you're a fine girl
What a good wife you would be
But my life, my lover, my lady
Is the sea."

Yeah Brandy used to watch his eyes when he told his sailor's story
She could feel the ocean fall and rise, she saw it's raging glory
But he had always told the truth, Lord he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand

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
What a good wife you would be
But my life, my lover, my lady
Is the sea"

"Brandy, you're a fine girl
What a good wife you would be
But my life, my lover, my lady
Is the sea"

Quest idea:
Brandy finds out that the Navy has captured her sailor/lover.

Quest tasks:
Visit Brandy in one of the Pubs to retrieve the quest.
Part I – Brandy tells you that she has heard rumors that the man she loves has been captured by the Navy and possibly forced into service aboard a ship. You must go to Kingshead and defeat lv18 Officer to retrieve the document informing of his capture and ship type.
Part II – Return to Brandy. Second part of quest is to ‘free’ her love from the ship he is aboard.
Reward:
Music sheet with the tune Brandy that can be played by the band in the Pub.

A little more history for the song:

Mary Ellis Grave

For the past 170 years Mary Ellis has resided on what she probably thought would always be a stately piece of property overlooking the scenic Raritan River. In actuality though, Mary has really just been monopolizing a prime parking space for the better part of the twentieth century. How poor Mary came to rest beneath the asphalt of the Loews Theater parking lot on Route 1 in New Brunswick is a romantic, and ultimately tragic story, not unlike a Bronte novel.

As the legend goes, Mary Ellis came to New Brunswick in the 1790's to stay with her younger sister Margaret. It was around this time that she met and fell in love with a man who was a sea captain, and former Revolutionary War officer. The Captain sailed down the Raritan and out to sea one day, vowing that when he returned he and Mary would be wed. He even left her his beloved horse to look after in his absence.

Every day after her captain's departure, Mary would ride his horse from her sister's house, on what is now Livingston Avenue, down to the banks of the river to eagerly await a glimpse of her lover's returning ship.

In 1813, she purchased a parcel of farmland overlooking the river from which she would maintain her daily vigil. Mary died there fourteen years later in 1827, still faithfully anticipating her captain's return. She was buried on the property, along with her sister, some other family members, and according to local lore, the captain's horse.

The plot, which was originally surrounded by an ornate wrought iron fence, lay in a rural, wooded setting until the twentieth century. Over the years the ownership of the land has changed hands several times, and the neighboring area has given bloom to a blight of strip malls, and cut-rate outlets. Mary's farm was paved over, and for many years was the site of the Route 1 Flea Market. Stranded high and dry in the market parking lot, Mary’s four-foot-high grave remained adrift in a sea of tarmac and bargain hunter-mobiles. Until recently, the small, grassy island was enclosed by a chain-link fence and sporadically maintained by Mary's descendants. Often though, the weeds on the plot were so tall that one could park right next to the grave without even noticing the two and a half foot tall marble head stone.

Those who did take note of the parking lot grave have always been curious about, and sometimes even inspired by it. It’s been alleged that the early 1970’s pop hit "Brandy," was really an ode to Mary. The Looking Glass, the band that wrote and recorded the song, were in fact from New Brunswick, and did record other songs based on local sites. "Brandy," the fine girl, according to the song, was in love with a ship captain who could not leave his true love, the sea, to marry her. Sound familiar?

After the demolition of the Route 1 Flea Market a few years ago the property was redeveloped and became the Loews Cineplex. The parking lot was re-graded, making Mary’s grave stand even taller than before. Still parked in a prime spot, Mary’s grave has been given a new retaining wall, and a few small trees have even been planted close by. The final resting-place of Mary Ellis seems to have been given a new lease. It’s just too bad the new theater isn’t a drive-in.

http://www.weirdnj.com/index.php?opt...d=49&Itemid=28