Song of the Day: 'Jimmy Loves Mary Anne' by Looking Glass

This one is interesting for a number of reasons. Fellow '80s New Wavers will remember the song was the debut single from Josie Cotton's sophomore album. But what I didn't know is that it was also the lead single from Looking Glass's second -- and what turned out to be last -- album. Fresh of the huge success of "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" -- which hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart in 1972 -- the Jersey Shore band the charts again with this one. But after peaking at No. 33, the boys never recorded again, although singer/songwriter Elliot Lurie has toured with replacement members since the early aughts. (Sadly, bassist Pieter Sweval died of AIDS in 1990.) 

In 1984, Josie Cotton released a true-to-the-original cover -- minus a slight spelling change to the woman's name. Although it was a minor MTV hit, it stalled at No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and effectively ended her recording career, becoming her first and I believe only chart single. (She wouldn't release another song for over a decade, 1995's mostly forgotten "Frightened by Nightingales," before staging a three-album comeback in the 2000s.) FYI: Josie will be performing at the upcoming Like Totally Festival in Huntington Beach, Calif., on May 11 -- how I wish I could attend!