Westlife: "Mandy" (2003)

"Brandy" (the song's original name) is a 1971 hit for songwriters Scott English and Richard Kerr. It reached number 12 in the UK Singles Charts, but the fast-tempo version was a flop in the United States. In 1974, recorded by Barry Manilow as "Mandy", the song was Manilow's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts, and his first gold single.

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.

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 his producer Ron Dante reportedly hated the way it turned out; thus, he sang it as a ballad and was much more pleased with the results. It was Manilow's first hit single and the first song on Clive Davis' Arista Records label (formerly Bell Records) to hit the Billboard Hot 100.

According to wikipedia, there have been several other notable cover versions, including Andy Williams (1975), Richard Clayderman (1994), Johnny Mathis (1997), Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (1997), Bradley Joseph (2005), Raymond Quinn (X Factor runner-up 2006), Donny Osmond (2007).

"Mandy" is the second single released from Westlife's fourth studio album, "Turnaround". The single peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's 12th Number One Single. The idea for the single came around when the band performed a cover of the original on their live arena tour, which proved popular with fans. The single was the second from last to feature band member Brian McFadden.


- Lyrics:

I remember all my life
Raining down as cold as ice
A shadow of a man
A face through a window
Crying in the night
The night goes into

Morning, just another day
Happy people pass my way
Looking in their eyes
I see a memory
I never realized
you made me so happy, oh Mandy

Well you came and you gave without taking
but I sent you away, oh Mandy
well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking
I need you today, oh Mandy

I'm standing on the edge of time
I Walked away when love was mine
Caught up in a world of uphill climbing
The tears are in my mind
And nothing is rhyming, oh Mandy

Well you came and you gave without taking
but I sent you away, oh Mandy
well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking
And I need you today, oh Mandy

Yesterday's a dream I face the morning
Crying on the breeze
the pain is calling, oh Mandy

Well you came and you gave without taking
but I sent you away, oh Mandy
well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking
And I need you today, oh Mandy