Mandy (song)

"Mandy" (or "Brandy" in 1971) was a 1974 hit song for Barry Manilow. It was his first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, and his first gold single. The song was written by Scott English under the title "Brandy", with music by Richard Kerr. Released by English in 1971, "Brandy" reached number 12 in the UK Singles Charts, but the fast-tempo version was a flop in the United States.

The suggestion that Scott English wrote the song about a favorite dog is apparently an urban legend. English has said that a reporter called him early one morning asking who "Brandy" was, and an irritated English made up the "dog" story to get the reporter off his back. The line "you kissed me and stopped me from shaking" that appears in the lyrics has led some to believe that the song refers literally to brandy, specifically alcoholism and the DT's of alcohol withdrawal.

In the three years between English's 1971 recording and Manilow's, Looking Glass had a hit song with "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" in 1972. Therefore, to avoid confusion, when Manilow decided to make his record, he changed the title to "Mandy". It was Clive Davis who suggested that Manilow record the song. Manilow originally recorded it as an up-tempo bubblegum pop tune similar to English's original, but he and the producer reportedly hated the way it turned out; thus, he sang it as a ballad and was much more pleased with the results.

There have been other several notable cover versions, including Andy Williams (1975), Richard Clayderman (1994), Johnny Mathis (1997), Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (1997), Box Car Racer (2002), Westlife (2003), Bradley Joseph (2005), Raymond Quinn (X Factor runner-up 2006), Donny Osmond (2007).

On the television series Angel, the song is one of Angel's favorites.

Westlife cover version

Irish boyband Westlife released a cover version of the Barry Manilow hit "Mandy", as their second single of their Turnaround album. The band's version differs slightly in the lyrical arrangement of the song. In 2003, the song was recorded by Westlife and became a number one hit in the UK and #1 in both Philippines' MYX (4 weeks; #10 in their 2003 Year-Ender Chart) and radio airplay (10 weeks). The song was also a hit for the group in Sweden, peaking at #4 and becoming Westlife's 11th top 10 hit in that country. Their version also has a Club Mix Version. Their version became an instant hit in the United Kingdom and is usually performed during the band's live concerts.

Track listing

CD1

1. "Mandy"
2. "Flying Without Wings" (2003 live)

CD2

1. "Mandy"
2. "You See Friends (I See Lovers)"
3. "Greased Lightnin'"
4. "Mandy" (CD-ROM function)

Chart performance

Chart (1974)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	11
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
Chart (2003)	Peak position
United World Chart	24
European Singles Chart	3
Austrian Singles Chart	16
German Airplay ChartA	1
German Singles Chart	14
Irish Singles Chart	1
Swedish Singles Chart	4
Swiss Singles Chart	30
UK Singles Chart	1

Notes:

• 1974: Barry Manilow
• 2003: Westlife
• ^AIt peaked at #8 on German's Viva Lesercharts.
• It topped the Philippine radio and music channel charts for several weeks.

Notes

External links

• "Mandy" (Westlife) Official Music video
• Song review at allmusic.com (Manilow version)