written by Barry Manilow, Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman

produced by Barry Manilow and Ron Dante

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I’m making this page on June 17th, 2021, Barry Alan Pincus’ 78th

birthday. Happy Birthday, BM!! To date, I’ve placed three songs by

Barry in my List and audio-treated them, including “Copacabana”

(the other two thus far are “Mandy” and “Daybreak”). There seems

to be a bit of discrepancy in my sources as to the single’s accurate

release date, and it’s not mentioned on his website. Anyhow.

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I’m inclined to think that even in the span of his nearly fifty-year-long career, when many think of the name Barry Manilow, one of the very first (if not the first) songs that comes to mind is “Copacabana.” And why not—even if not performing as well as its competing Manilow hits at the time, the impression it’s left in the last four decades remains pretty undeniable. Barry and songwriter Bruce Sussman originally wondered if there’d ever been a song in existence called “Copacabana” (ah, those elusive internet-free days). Discussing the idea to the point of growing interest in recording one, Barry urged Bruce to team up with fellow songwriter Jack Feldman to pen the lyrics. They did so, and Barry kicked in the music. In the mid-’80s, the three expanded the song into a full-length musical.

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It’s exceedingly easy to lose oneself in the song’s sweeping disco-flavored flow, although the lyrics and the story they narrate are rather dark. I find songs like this intriguing, with their incongruous juxtaposition of poppy, carefree music and chilling, disturbing subject matter. It makes me wonder what at the time was going through the minds and lives of Manilow versus Feldman and Sussman, if the song was a by-product or reflection of real-life perception or simply imaginative fabrication. At any rate, despite its age and history, I can’t help but wonder what sort of burden it’s been on any girl called Lola ever since. Oh, I’m sure it’s cute at first, telling folks your name and having them immediately break into the opening lines of “Copacabana”... but like anything else, after a while I’m sure enough’s enough.

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One more reason to choose “Copacabana” for today’s entry—and birthday tribute: the song came out in early 1978, on Barry’s record Even Now, which means the two-digit date now matches his age as of today. When Even Now was released, the version of the song which led it off was 4 minutes and 8 seconds long (give or take). As is typically done with classic hit albums, decades later it was re-released in a special edition with bonus tracks from around the era that didn’t originally make the cut. On said special edition, the included version of “Copacabana” was an extended 5 minutes, 46 seconds (ditto). Before that, however, the long version was also placed on Barry’s Greatest Hits II, an ’89 compilation also including numbers like “Could It Be Magic” and “I Write The Songs.”

 

(Update: okay, I was going by the GHV2 compilation in my CD collection on that last note. But funnily enough... it seems that even after Arista gave us Barry’s ’78 Greatest Hits, and ’83’s Greatest Hits II... it seems the label sort of re-consolidated the songs into three separate greatest hits packages—also simply titled Greatest Hits Vol. 1-3—in 1989. The original Greatest Hits from 1978—when “Copacabana” was a mere few months old—also includes the almost 6-minute long version.)

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Have notes to add? Let me know!

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YT:

full original version

full extended/disco version

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Barry’s official website

Lyrics

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original version: (Copa) / (His name was Rico) / Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl / With yellow feathers in her hair, and a dress cut down to there / She would merengue, and do the cha-cha / And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar / Across the crowded floor, they worked from 8 till 4 / They were young and they had each other / Who could ask for more / At the Copa (Copa), Copacabana (Copacabana) / The hottest spot north of Havana / (Here) At the Copa (Copa), Copacabana / Music and passion were always the fashion, at the Copa / They fell in love (Copa, Copacabana) / His name was Rico, he wore a diamond / He was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancing there / And when she finished, he called her over / But Rico went a bit too far, Tony sailed across the bar / And then the punches flew, and chairs were smashed in two / There was blood and a single gunshot / But just who shot who? / x1 / She lost her love (Copa, Copacabana) / (Copa, Copacabana) / (Music and passion, always in fashion) / Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl / But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show / Now it’s a disco, but not for Lola / Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair / She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind / She lost her youth, and she lost her Tony / Now she’s lost her mind / x1 / Don’t fall in love (Copa), don’t fall in love (Copacabana) / (Copacabana, Copacabana) / (Copa, Copacabana) / x1/[repeat and fade]

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extended/disco version: Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl / With yellow feathers in her hair, and a dress cut down to there / She would merengue, and do the cha-cha / And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar / Across the crowded floor, they worked from 8 till 4 / They were young and they had each other / Who could ask for more / At the Copa (Copa), Copacabana (Copacabana) / The hottest spot north of Havana / (Here) At the Copa (Copa), Copacabana / Music and passion were always the fashion, at the Copa / They fell in love (Copa, Copacabana) / His name was Rico, he wore a diamond / He was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancing there / And when she finished, he called her over / But Rico went a bit too far, Tony sailed across the bar / And then the punches flew, and chairs were smashed in two / There was blood and a single gunshot / But just who shot who? / x1 / She lost her love (Copa, Copacabana) / (Copa, Copacabana) / (Like in Havana, have a banana) / (Music and passion, always in fashion) / Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl / But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show / Now it’s a disco, but not for Lola / Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair / She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind / She lost her youth, and she lost her Tony / Now she’s lost her mind / x1

/ Don’t fall in love (Copa), don’t fall in love (Copacabana) / (Copacabana, Copacabana) / (Copa, Copacabana) / x4/[repeat and fade]