Annoying Songs & Covers #3

Well, we survived the first two installments of this project, and judging by the comments thus far, we have not pissed off anyone, yet, but we have damaged a few eardrums and caused some upset stomachs, and for that we apologize. (As a sidebar, to our Canadian audience, “pissed” doesn’t mean drunk in the U.S. of A. We just thought you should know this!). We promise to do our best to make sure that, in the future, the “few/some” turns to many, but who knows for sure? Perhaps there will be some weeks where you might enjoy both the solid original and the bad cover or like both the awful original and the worse cover. Who are we to judge? However, if this last scenario turns out to be the case, and it is, of course, your absolute right to like both, we can no longer be friends. And so, here is number 3!

I am not quite sure where I was in 1978 when I first heard Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana,” also known as “Copacabana (At the Copa),” but what I do know and remember is thinking that this was one of the worst songs I had ever heard. Granted, I was just 28 at the time, and there would be many more songs in my future that I would go on to abhor. Although the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, and the Grease soundtrack topped the charts that year, I was listening to 10CC – “Dreadlock Holiday,” Rolling Stones – “Miss You,” Dire Straits – “Sultans of Swing,” and Meatloaf – “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “For Crying Out Loud,” and others.

The song was written by Manilow, Jack Feldman, and Bruce Sussman. It was the third single released from Manilow’s fifth studio album, Even Now (1978). That same year, the song appeared on the soundtrack album of the film, Foul Play. Apparently, the song was inspired by a conversation between Manilow and Sussman at the Copacabana Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, where they discussed whether or not there had ever been a song called “Copacabana.” Just another reason to mention that 1984 film, Blame it on Rio! Despite my dislike for this song, and I should mention many others that he has done, I seem to be in the minority, as he has sold more that 85 million records as a solo artist worldwide, which makes him one of the world’s bestselling artists. So, what do I know?

When I decided to use this song, I had not yet decided on a cover version that I would use, and I waffled between using one that I found to be just as terrible, at least musically speaking, because the lyrics are equally, if not more annoying, than the original score. I finally settled on a cover done by the Gimnazija Kranji Symphony Orchestra & Choirs(GKSO&C). Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’ve never heard of them; neither had I, until I was scrolling YouTube late one night and came across this performance. As there are in many areas of the U.S., the GKSO&C are an ensemble made up of students from grade school through high school, and this one is from the Gimnajiza Kranji school in Slovenia. The school was founded in 1810 by the Governor of the Illyrian Provinces under Napolean. Today, the school has many departments and a total of 900 students. It is one of the largest general secondary schools in Slovenia. I have to admit that they do a very credible job with this cover. The two lead singers are excellent, as are the backup vocals, the choir and all the musicians, especially when you consider that English is not their first language.  If I could only get past the lyrics!

Barry Manilow. “Copacabana” 1978.

Gimnazija Kranji Symphony Orchestra & Choirs. “Copacabana” cover. Recorded live at the Great Christmas Concert 2017 at Gallus Hall, Cankarjev doma, Ljubljana, Slovenia, EU.

Los Angeles 2024