COVERED: liv. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
liv. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal
by Walter Price
Singer-songwriter liv. (Olivia Bolger) certainly wears her experiences on her sleeve, which makes her songwriting all the more palpable and a documentary glimpse into a woman’s perpetual growth. This form of therapy through song is as intriguing as it is authentic—with all the uncomfortable and honest lumps along the way.
So, a while back, when I saw posts introducing liv. covering an enduring hit from 1972, I was curious. How could a chronicling storyteller make a classic pop-rock track fit her ongoing narrative—well, it started with a text.
Via a Facebook post, Bolger explains the backstory of her redux of Looking Glass’s seaside “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)“, “When I first got this text, I couldn’t help but instinctually think that it would be really cool to channel my inner Taylor Swift and one day release my own version of the song. I knew I wanted to use this text as the artwork.—I have a tendency of being slightly spiteful. I also have a tendency of laughing at myself. This song makes me feel a little bit of both, and I would argue that that’s the beautiful part about music; it sparks emotions that sometimes contradict each other.”
Contradictions. What an apt word for describing liv.’s version of this track. Gone is the original’s rosé glaze and in its place is an atmospheric and melancholic retelling. Liv.’s voice is as real as ever and collaborator/producer Annamarie Rosanio knows how to let it breathe—Which makes this cover as faithful as anything this studio duo has accomplished in the past.
You stream liv. – “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”; here at the GTC.
liv. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)
Artist photo, artwork, and quotes via Facebook
Written by Elliott Lurie
Performed by liv.
Produced by Annamarie Rosanio
“I have absorbed a lot in this beautiful, accidental, musical journey I’ve been on these last four years. I’ve learned about honesty, about fear, about loss, and change, and growth, and love. The coolest part about doing all of this is getting to see and hear the shift in all of these things. I am so honored that I get to share this little life and these little songs with you.” liv. (Facebook)