Sometimes you just have to accept that the public only wants you for the one song you wrote and recorded which sounds nothing like the rest of your music.

Looking Glass formed at Rutgers University in New Jersey in 1969. Upon graduating, the band gave it a shot in the real world but broke up after finding no success beyond playing gigs at the occasional frat party. Each member subsequently joined other bands but the chemistry wasn’t right, so eventually they got the gang back together as Looking Glass and decided to redouble their efforts. However, after two more years of honing their songs and their chops, they still hadn’t gotten anywhere.

As fate would have it, a friend introduced them to a manager who arranged a showcase gig in front of Clive Davis, current president of CBS Records, who ended up particularly liking a song of theirs called “Brandy.” He promptly signed Looking Glass to the Epic Records subsidiary. From bottom of the barrel to top of the heap in a matter of days.

Guitarist Elliot Lurie wrote “Brandy” about his high school girlfriend named Randy, but found that Brandy just sounded better when sung (the fact that Randy is generally a male name probably contributed). The band headed into the studio but didn’t click with their first couple of producers so they decided to produce their first album themselves. “Brandy” also went through a couple of different arrangements because they felt it sounded too “bubblegum.”

Released as a single in early 1972, “Brandy” didn’t find initial success until a DJ in Washington DC began playing it and the station couldn’t keep up with all the phone requests that poured in. The song slowly gained steam over the spring and summer and reached #1 at the end of August.

Only one problem. “Brandy” sounded nothing like the rest of the band’s material. Looking Glass owed more to the lighter side of The Stones, The Faces, Poco — acoustic rock with some electric guitar and rollicking piano. They did not make slick pop with strings and horns, and audiences who bought the record or saw the group live were left very confused. It didn’t help that the band had two lead singers, so half of the songs sounded like an entirely different group.

Their sophomore effort tried to add more of the “Brandy” sound with a little R&B while toning down the countrified rock. Alas, it only produced a minor hit and Lurie left for a solo career. But he could never eclipse the one song people wanted.

So feel the ocean fall and rise … with Looking Glass.

But wait! This long story gets even longer. After Lurie left, the rest of the band stayed together. They added a new singer and a second guitarist and changed their name to Fallen Angels. After pursuing more of a hard rock/power pop sound, the remaining members eventually settled on the name Starz, scoring a big radio hit in 1977 with “Cherry Baby.” Mmmm, that is one delicious chorus.