Brandy (Scott English song)

"Brandy", later called "Mandy", is a song written by Scott English and Richard Kerr.[1] It was originally recorded by English in 1971 and reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.

"Brandy"
Single by Scott English
B-side"Lead Me Back"
Released1971
Recorded1971
GenrePop
LabelTrojan/Horse/Fontana (UK)
Janus (U.S.)
Songwriter(s)Scott English
Richard Kerr

"Brandy" was recorded by New Zealand singer Bunny Walters in 1972, but achieved greater success when released in the United States in 1974 by Barry Manilow. For Manilow's recording the title changed from "Brandy" to "Mandy" to avoid confusion with Looking Glass's "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)". His version reached the top of the US Hot 100 Singles Chart. Later, it was recorded by many other artists. The song was a UK number-one hit in 2003 for Irish boyband Westlife.

Scott English original recording

Under the title Brandy, the selection's original title, the song charted in 1971 for Scott English, one of its co-composers, whose version of it reached #12 in the UK Singles Charts. It was also released in the United States, where it was a minor hit, remaining in the lower portion of the Hot 100.

The suggestion that Scott English wrote the song about a favorite dog is apparently an urban legend. English later 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.[2] In a 2013 interview, he said the idea for the song title came while he was in France and someone tried to make a dirty joke saying "Brandy goes down fine after dinner, doesn't she" although in English, a drink does not actually have a grammatical gender, and the line does not have the intended double entendre. He later wrote the song in London. He said he hated the Manilow version because he took out part of a verse and made it a bridge, but he later loved it because it bought him houses. The song was inspired by his life, he said, the face in the window being his father.[3]

Charts
Chart (1971–72) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 13
UK Singles Chart 12
US Billboard Singles Chart 91

Bunny Walters version
"Brandy"
Single by Bunny Walters
Released1972
Recorded1972
GenrePop
Songwriter(s)Scott English, Richard Kerr

In 1972, Bunny Walters recorded "Brandy" and had a hit with it in New Zealand.[5] The backing vocals were by The Yandall Sisters. He later included the song on his album Very Best of Bunny Walters.[6]

Chart (1972) Peak
position
New Zealand Singles Chart 4

Barry Manilow version
"Mandy"
Single by Barry Manilow
from the album Barry Manilow II
B-side"Something's Comin' Up"
ReleasedOctober 7, 1974
Recorded1974
GenreSoft rock[7]
Length3:15 (single version)
3:32 (album version)
LabelBell
Songwriter(s)Scott English, Richard Kerr
Producer(s)Barry Manilow, Ron Dante
Barry Manilow singles chronology
"Let's Take Some Time to Say Goodbye"
(1974)		 "Mandy"
(1974)		 "It's a Miracle"
(1975)
Music video
"Mandy" (audio)
"Mandy" (TopPop, 1973)
on YouTube

In 1974, Barry Manilow recorded the song under the title name of "Mandy". The song was Manilow's first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts, and his first gold single.

In the three years between English's and Manilow's recordings, Looking Glass's "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" had hit #1 in 1972. When Clive Davis suggested that Manilow record the selection, the singer changed the title to "Mandy" to avoid confusion. Joe Renzetti arranged the record.[8]

In the Manilow version, the first two lines from the fourth verse, following the instrumental section, were omitted. They were:

"Riding on a country bus/
No one even noticed us."

The remaining lines were then used as a bridge instead.

Weekly charts
Chart (1974–75) Peak
position
Australia 4
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[10] 1
Ireland 6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] 30
Italy 29
South Africa (Springbok)[12] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] 1
US Cash Box Top 100 1
West Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 19

Year-end charts
Chart (1975) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 35
US Cash Box[18] 17
Canada RPM Top Singles 12
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[19] 5

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[21] Gold 1,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Westlife version
"Mandy"
Single by Westlife
from the album Turnaround
ReleasedNovember 17, 2003
RecordedRokstone Studios, London
Olympic Studios, London 2003
GenrePop
Length3:19
LabelBMG, Syco
Songwriter(s)Scott English, Richard Kerr
Producer(s)Steve Mac
Westlife singles chronology
"Hey Whatever"
(2003)		 "Mandy"
(2003)		 "Obvious"
(2004)
Music video
"Mandy" on YouTube

"Mandy" was covered by Irish boy band Westlife in 2003 and was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, Turnaround. The single peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart to become the band's twelfth #1 single on the chart.[22] The single sold over 200,000 copies in the UK.[23] The single was released on Monday, November 17, 2003. The music video was filmed in the United Great Lodge of England, Freemasons' Hall, London. Their version won them their third Record of the Year award, in under five years.[24] Their version is also considered as the single with the longest leap to the top (from No. 200 to No. 1) in UK music history.[25] It is the band's seventeenth most streamed song, sixteenth best selling single in paid-for sales category and in best selling single combined sales category in the United Kingdom as of January 2019.[26] Westlife's version was the fifth best-selling single of 2003 in Ireland.

Tours performed at

Track listing
UK CD1
  1. "Mandy" – 3:19
  2. "You See Friends (I See Lovers)" – 4:11
  3. "Greased Lightning" – 3:19
  4. "Mandy" (Video) – 3:19
  5. "Mandy" (Making of the Video) – 2:00
UK CD2
  1. "Mandy" – 3:19
  2. "Flying Without Wings" (Live) – 3:41

Charts
Chart (2003–04) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart 16
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart 50
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[27] 3
Danish Airplay Chart 48
Czech Republic (IFPI)[28] 1
Danish Singles Chart 2
Dutch Singles Chart 27
European Hot 100 Singles[29] 3
Germany (Official German Charts)[30] 14
Irish Singles Chart 1
Norwegian Singles Chart 15
Poland (Polish Airplay Charts)[31] 1
Russia Airplay (Tophit)[32] 127
Scottish Singles Chart[33] 1
Swedish Singles Chart 4
Swiss Singles Chart 30
Taiwanese Singles Chart 1
UK Singles Chart[22] 1
World Airplay Chart 10
World Singles Chart 17

Year-end charts
Chart (2003) Position
Irish Singles Chart 5
UK Singles Chart 32

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 200,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Other versions

"Mandy" has been covered many times. Notable cover versions include:

See also

References
  1. "Mandy (legal title) - BMI Work #955340". Repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  2. Quoted in The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits.
  3. Paul Leslie, Scott English Interview on The Paul Leslie Hour, YouTube, November 22, 2013
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 103. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. "Brandy - BUNNY WALTERS (1972) - Pop Archives - Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s". Pop Archives. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  6. "Very Best of Bunny Walters". Newzealandcds.com. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  7. "VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. SpinMedia. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  8. Huey, Steve. "Mandy - Barry Manilow | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6133a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  10. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6148." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  11. "Charts.nz – Barry Manilow – Mandy". Top 40 Singles.
  12. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  13. "Barry Manilow: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  14. "Barry Manilow Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  15. "Barry Manilow Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Barry Manilow – Mandy". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  17. "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  18. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1975". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  19. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  20. "British single certifications – Barry Manilow – Mandy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  21. "American single certifications – Barry Manilow – Mandy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 22, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  22. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 692. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  23. "Westlife: Official Top 20". Mtv.co.uk. October 28, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  24. Sexton, Paul (December 1, 2003). "Young, Westlife Top UK Charts". Billboard charts. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  25. "Record Breakers and Trivia: Singles: Individual Hits: Number 1s". EveryHit. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  26. Copsey, Rob (January 12, 2019). "Westlife's Top 20 biggest songs on the Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  27. "Ultratop.be – Westlife – Mandy" (in French). Ultratip.
  28. "Oficiální Česká Hitparáda - Pro týden 14/2004" (in Czech). IFPI ČR. Archived from the original on April 5, 2004. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  29. Nielsen Business Media, Inc (June 12, 1993). "Billboard". Retrieved December 13, 2003. westlife. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  30. "Offiziellecharts.de – Westlife – Mandy". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  31. "Polish Airplay Charts - Lista krajowa 16/2004" (in Polish). PiF PaF Production. Archived from the original on November 5, 2004. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  32. "Russia Airplay Chart for 2003-12-08." Tophit.
  33. "Official Scottish Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  34. "British single certifications – Westlife – Mandy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 30, 2016. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Mandy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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