Mandy (song)

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"Mandy" is a song first recorded (with the title "Brandy"; not the same song as the Looking Glass' "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)") by Scott English in 1971 and made into a hit by Barry Manilow in 1974 (his first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, and his first gold single). It was later recorded by Westlife in 2003 and became a number one hit in the UK.

The title character from TV Series Angel is a fan of Manilow's and particularly keen on this song. The song featured prominently in the movie Can't Hardly Wait, as numerous characters speculated on the meaning of the song. The popular theory is that it is about alcoholism, 'Mandy' being a substitute for 'Brandy'.

The suggestion that Scott English wrote "Brandy" (which was originally a major British hit but a flop Stateside) about a favorite dog of his that he had sent away is apparently an urban legend. English has said (quoted in The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits) 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. When Manilow went to do the song as "Mandy", he originally recorded it as an uptempo bubblegum pop tune similar to English's original, but reportedly hated the way it turned out; thus, he decided to sing it as a ballad and was much more pleased with the results.

The song was parodied on Gift Grub under the title "Andy" and on The Drew Carey Show episode Check Out Drew's Old Flame where Mandy is replaced with Kyra.

On a November 2006 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode Happenstance, investigator Nick Stokes had to sing the first half the chorus to finger print tech Mandy Webster before she'd give him the findings from an envelope he'd recovered.

[edit] Notable cover versions

v • d • e

Westlife

Current Members
Kian Egan • Mark Feehily • Shane Filan • Nicky Byrne •
Former Member
Byran McFadden
Studio Albums
Westlife • Coast to Coast • World of our Own• Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits Vol. 1• Turnaround• Allow Us to Be Frank• Face to Face• The Love Album
Singles
Swear It Again • If I Let You Go • Flying Without Wings • I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun • Fool Again • Against All Odds • My Love • What Makes A Man • Uptown Girl • Queen Of My Heart • World Of Our Own • Bop Bop Baby • Unbreakable • Tonight / Miss You Nights • Hey Whatever • Mandy • Obvious • You Raise Me Up • When You Tell Me That You Love Me • Amazing • The Rose
Download Singles
Flying Without Wings (Live) • Smile • Beyond The Sea
Limited Releases
I Lay My Love On You • When You're Looking Like That • Ain't That A Kick In The Head
DVDs
The Westlife Story • Coast To Coast • Where Dreams Come True• Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits (Music Videos)• Unbreakable - The Greatest Hits (Concert)• Turnaround Tour• The Number Ones Tour• Face To Face Tour

Discography •

Preceded by "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Elton John	Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Manilow version) January 18, 1975	Succeeded by "Please Mr. Postman" by Carpenters
Preceded by "Crashed the Wedding" by Busted	UK number one single (Westlife version) November 16, 2003	Succeeded by "Leave Right Now" by Will Young