Though lonely sailors flirt with her, she pines for one who has long since left her because he claimed his life, his love, and his lady, was “the sea.” The urban myth that Brandy was based on Mary Ellis (1750–1828), a spinster in New Brunswick, New Jersey,[3] has been refuted by Lurie himself.

[4] Lurie was thrilled with the deeper meaning given to the song when its lyrics were used as a metaphor by a father explaining his life's choices to his son in the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

He put the song into a one-hour rotation for two days and as Moore related at the time, "the switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree."

A year later when Moore celebrated his 10th Anniversary at WPGC, Looking Glass returned the favor and played at the bash the station held in his honor.

[citation needed] Upon the release of the single, Record World called it "a tuneful, soulful effort deserving of heavy action.