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. In 2003, the song was recorded by Westlife and became a …

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