Copacabana (song)

"Copacabana (At the Copa)"
Single by Barry Manilow
from the album Even Now
B-side	"Copacabana" (Short version)
Released	1978
Genre	Disco
Length	5:46 on A side 3:48 on B side
Label	Arista
Writer(s)	Jack Feldman, Barry Manilow, Bruce Sussman
Producer	Ron Dante, Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow singles chronology
"Even Now" (1978) "Copacabana" (1978) "Ready to Take a Chance Again" (1978)

"Copacabana", also known as "Copacabana (At the Copa)", is a 1978 song which was sung by Barry Manilow and written by Jack Feldman, Barry Manilow, and Bruce Sussman.

Song information

The song's title refers to the famous New York night club, the Copacabana. The beginning is set in the late 1940's and tells the story of Lola, a showgirl, and her lover Tony, a bartender at the club who is murdered by Rico, a Mafia boss who took an interest in Lola. Tony was trying to protect Lola from Rico when he called her over to his table, most likely to try to seduce her. The ending is set thirty years later, (most likely in the 1970's, when the song was made), where the club has been transformed into a disco. Lola has grown old and is alone, pining for her lost love Tony.

The recording was used as incidental music in the 1978 movie Foul Play, which starred Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, and has been featured in over a dozen other films. The single version clocks in at 4:08, the Extended Disco version is titled "Copacabana (At The Copa) (Disco)" and is 5:46. As opposed to a commercial 12" single, the extended version was on the B-side of the 45 and can also be found on Manilow's first Greatest Hits double album.

It debuted on Billboard magazine's Top 40 chart on July 7, 1978, and peaked at #8. It peaked at #42 in the United Kingdom the same year. The track was Manilow's first gold single for a song he recorded and released. Additionally, the lyrics to "Copacabana" earned Manilow his first and only Grammy Award for Pop Male Vocalist in February 1979.

Manilow released a Spanish version entitled "Copacabana (En El Copa)" shortly after the English version was released. Though popular in dance clubs catering to Latin audiences, the Spanish version failed to chart on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

A remixed version of the original English release entitled "Copacabana (The 1993 Remix)" peaked at #22 on Billboard magazine's Top 40 chart in 1993.

A home demo recording, albeit truncated, is available on the 4 CD/1 DVD box set collection, The Complete Collection and Then Some.... In conjunction to this release, the song was remixed and released as "Copacabana (At The Copa) 1993 Remix".

In 1985, Manilow and his collaborators Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman expanded the song into a full length, made-for-television musical, also called Copacabana, writing many additional songs and expanding the plot suggested by the song. This film version was then further expanded by Manilow, Feldman, and Sussman into a full-length, two-act stage musical that ran at the Prince of Wales Theatre on London's West End for two years prior to a lengthy tour of the UK. An American production was later mounted that toured the US for over a year. Over 200 productions of the show have since been mounted worldwide.

Amanda Lear version

"Copacabana"
Single by Amanda Lear
from the album Forever Glam!
B-side	"Do U Wanna See It?"
Released	2005
Format	CD
Genre	Pop
Length	4:17 (album version) 3:26 (single remix)
Label	Dance Street/ZYX Music
Amanda Lear singles chronology
"Paris by Night" (2005) "Copacabana" (2005) "Someone Else's Eyes" (2009)

French singer Amanda Lear recorded her interpretation of "Copacabana" in 2005 and it was released on a single by Dance Street and ZYX Music. Apart from single edit of the song, a longer version also exists, with a slower piano intro. The latter was included in Forever Glam! compilation tracklist, released later in 2005.

Dance song "Do U Wanna See It?" was released on the single as well as music video for "Love Boat" (which actually was an edited version of TV performance). Both tracks come from Amanda's 2001 album Heart.

Track listing

• CD Maxi-Single (2005)

1. "Copacabana" - 3:26
2. "Do U Wanna See It?" - 3:51

music video: "Love Boat" - 3:12

Other cover versions

• James Last recorded "Copacabana" in 1979.
• Paul de Leeuw released his version under the title "Kopa Koopavond" in 1994.
• DJ Hell recorded his cover version, sampling from Manilow's original, and released it as "Copa" in 1999.
• Kylie Minogue performed the song on her 2008 KylieX2008 tour.
• John Barrowman recorded "Copacabana" on his 2010 self-titled album.
• The Vandals recorded a parody of "Copacabana" called "Dachau Cabana" which was later performed by Bradley Nowell of Sublime.