You know the line. It’s ingrained in the collective subconscious of anyone who’s ever been to a wedding, a karaoke bar, or a dusty piano lounge. "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl." As soon as Barry Manilow hits those tropical, brassy notes, you can almost smell the stale cigarette smoke and expensive perfume of a 1940s nightclub.
But here’s the thing. Most people treat the song like a breezy beach anthem. They dance to it. They sip margaritas. They ignore the fact that the lyrics describe a double homicide and a woman’s total psychological collapse into alcoholism and madness.
It's dark. Really dark.
Why "Her Name Was Lola She Was a Showgirl" is the Most Misunderstood Lyric in Pop
Manilow, along with songwriters Enid Sussman and Jack Feldman, didn't just stumble into this narrative. Released in 1978 on the album Even Now, "Copacabana (At the Copa)" was a calculated piece of musical storytelling. It’s a three-act tragedy disguised as a disco hit.
In the first verse, Lola is at the top of her game. She’s got yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to "there." She’s the star of the Copacabana, which, for the record, was a real-life legendary New York City nightclub. While Lola danced, her boyfriend Tony worked the bar. It was a classic "it-couple" setup of the era.
Then enters Rico.
Rico is described as a diamond-wearing mobster type who "took her too far." This isn't just a dance-floor scuffle. When Tony tries to protect Lola, a fight breaks out. The lights go out, there's a single gunshot, and when the smoke clears, Tony is dead.
📖 Related: Howie Mandel Cupcake Picture: What Really Happened With That Viral Post
The shift in the music is subtle, but the lyrics are brutal. We jump thirty years into the future. The Copacabana has been turned into a disco—a nod to the actual 1970s environment when the song was written—but Lola is still there. Only now, she isn't the star. She’s the "showgirl" who lost her youth, her lover, and her mind.
The Real Copacabana: Fact vs. Fiction
To understand why the line her name was Lola she was a showgirl resonates so much, you have to look at the setting. The Copacabana opened in 1940 at 10 East 60th Street in Manhattan. It wasn't just a club; it was a cultural powerhouse.
- The Copa Girls: These weren't just random dancers. They were icons of glamour. To be a "showgirl" at the Copa was a legitimate career peak in the 1940s and 50s.
- The Celebrity Factor: Figures like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. performed there. It was the place to be seen.
- The Mafia Connection: Like many major nightclubs of the mid-20th century, the Copa had ties to organized crime, specifically through figures like Frank Costello. This makes the "Rico" character in Manilow's song feel less like a caricature and more like a historical archetype.
Manilow actually performed at the Copa, which gave him the inspiration for the track. He once mentioned in an interview that the idea sparked during a conversation at the hotel in Rio de Janeiro (also called the Copacabana), but the song is firmly rooted in the New York mythos.
The Musical Genius of the "Disco Tragedy"
Technically, the song is a masterpiece of contrast. The tempo is a brisk 116 BPM, perfect for the hustle or a Latin-inspired dance. It uses a heavy Latin percussion section—timbales, congas, and shakers—to create a sense of celebration.
However, the harmonic structure tells a different story. The verses are somewhat tense, building toward the chorus, but the final verse—the one about "Lola at the bar"—is genuinely haunting. Manilow's vocal delivery shifts. He stops being the energetic narrator and becomes a somber observer of a woman who "drank herself half-blind."
The irony is that the world chose to ignore the ending. "Copacabana" won Manilow his only Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1979. It became a Top 10 hit globally. People loved the "showgirl" but forgot the tragedy.
👉 See also: Austin & Ally Maddie Ziegler Episode: What Really Happened in Homework & Hidden Talents
The Lola Archetype in Pop Culture
Why are we so obsessed with the fallen showgirl? Lola isn't just a character in a Barry Manilow song. She represents the "faded glamour" trope that appears everywhere from Sunset Boulevard to Chicago.
There’s something deeply human about the transition from being the "star with yellow feathers" to the person sitting at the end of the bar in a dress that no longer fits. It’s a story about the passage of time and the cruelty of the entertainment industry.
Interestingly, the name "Lola" itself has a long history of being associated with "temptresses" or women of the stage. You’ve got Damn Yankees ("Whatever Lola Wants"), and the Kinks’ "Lola" (though that’s a very different story). In Manilow's world, Lola is the victim of a world that moved on without her.
Common Misconceptions About the Song
A lot of people think the song is a true story. It's not. While the Copacabana was a real place and the "type" of people described were real, Lola and Tony are fictional creations.
Another big one: people think it’s a happy song. If you play it at a wedding, you’re basically celebrating a story where the groom gets shot and the bride becomes an alcoholic recluse. It’s the ultimate "Trojan Horse" of pop music—a dark narrative wrapped in shiny disco paper.
The 1985 Movie Adaptation
Did you know there was a TV movie? Yeah, it's true. In 1985, Barry Manilow starred in a musical film called Copacabana. It expanded the three-minute song into a full-length feature. Lola was played by Annette O'Toole.
✨ Don't miss: Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep: The Dark Folklore of a Viral Lullaby
The movie tried to flesh out the Rico/Tony/Lola triangle, but honestly, it lacked the punch of the original song. There’s something about the brevity of the lyrics—leaving the "single gunshot" to the listener's imagination—that makes the song more effective than a visual medium ever could be.
Analyzing the 2026 Resurgence of the "Showgirl" Aesthetic
In the current landscape of 2026, we’ve seen a massive revival of this mid-century glamour. TikTok and Instagram "vintage" influencers are obsessed with the "Showgirl Aesthetic."
But the "Lola" trend is different. It’s not just about the feathers. It’s about the "Camp" factor. "Her name was Lola she was a showgirl" has become a shorthand for a specific kind of tragic theatricality. We see it in fashion runways that prioritize "theatrical ruins"—dresses that look like they've been through a fight at a 1940s club.
What We Can Learn from Lola’s Story
If you look past the catchy chorus, there’s a surprisingly deep lesson about fame and the "good old days."
- Nostalgia is Dangerous: Lola is stuck in the past. The song says she "lost her youth and she lost her Tony, now she's lost her mind." She’s a cautionary tale about what happens when you can't evolve past your "glory days."
- The Cost of the Spotlight: The "Copa" was a place of high stakes. The song reminds us that behind the feathers and the spotlights, there were real lives and, occasionally, real violence.
- The Power of Storytelling: Manilow proved that you could put a devastating story on the radio if you just gave it a good enough beat.
Next Steps for the Copacabana Enthusiast
If you want to dive deeper into the world that created Lola, don't just put the song on repeat. Start by looking into the photography of the original Copacabana club to see the actual "Copa Girls" who inspired the legend. Their costumes were engineered by top-tier designers and were far more intricate than most modern stage outfits.
Then, listen to the "1985 Remix" or the various live versions Manilow has performed over the decades. You’ll notice how his performance of the final verse has changed as he’s aged—becoming more empathetic to Lola’s plight.
Finally, check out the history of the "New York Club Scene" during the transition from the Big Band era to Disco. It’s the exact historical bridge that Lola had to cross, and it explains why she felt so out of place in the "crowded disco" of the song's finale. Understanding the history doesn't ruin the song; it makes those yellow feathers feel a lot heavier.