THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

663-10cc-I’m Mandy Fly Me.

1976-Number 6 single.

Best Bit-At 2.43. Please forgive me for ‘two much information,’ but there is no other way to let you know. ’10cc’ is a scientific term that represents a volume of semen, that is more than the average amount ejaculated, therefore emphasising the bands potency, and prowess.

’10cc’ (see also best songs 154) were officially formed in Stockport, England, in 1972, by their classic lineup of Graham Gouldman, (keyboardist/guitarist) Eric Stuart, (keyboardist/guitarist) Kevin Godley, (drums) and Lol Creme, (keyboardist/guitarist) although all four original members are multi instrumentalists. The quartet had already been working together since 1968, and previous to that, they had all worked in the music business, achieving success to different degrees, from the early to mid 1960’s. Due to musical differences, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme both left ’10cc’ in 1976, after the release of their fourth studio Album ‘How Dare You!,’ to work as a duo as ‘Godley and Creme, leaving Graham Gouldman, and Eric Stuart to continue as 10cc, through until 1983. In 1992 all four original band members re-united to record the 10th ’10cc’ studio Album, called ‘Meanwhile,’ while their final release, ‘Mirror Mirror,’ in 1995, was just the work of Gouldman and Stewart, from the original line up. In total there have been 20 different members come and go, and at the time of writing Graham Gouldman still uses the name ’10cc’ when going on tour with other current members.

The discography of ’10cc’ includes 11 studio Albums released between 1973-1995, and 34 singles released between 1972-1995, there are also four box sets, and 15 official compilation Albums, and four live Albums available. In the UK, seven of their Albums have reached the top 40, with three of those all peaking at Number 3, while in America on Billboard, two of their Albums have made the top 40. In the UK, ’10cc’ have had 13 of their singles reach the top 40, with three of those all making the Number 1 position, while on Billboard, they have charted within the top 40 on three occasions, with ‘I’m Not in Love,’ peaking the highest at Number 2 in 1975, while ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me,’ stalled at Number 60.

‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’ was the second of two singles released from ‘How Dare You!’ the fourth studio Album by ’10cc’ from January 1976, the first single release was ‘Art for Art’s Sake,’ which reached Number 5 in the UK, and Number 83 on Billboard in America. ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’ was co-written by Eric Stuart, Graham Gouldman, and Kevin Godley, with the production credited to ’10cc.’

The idea for ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’ came about after Eric Stuart had seen an eye catching billboard poster,’ he has said,’I remember seeing in Manchester this beautiful poster, and just below it was this tramp, I mean a serious tramp, quite a raggedy guy, looking up at this girl, and I thought God, do you know, there’s a song there. Look at that guy looking up at Cindy-fly-me, and I know he’s never gonna get on an aeroplane, I don’t think, except in his dreams.’ ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’ tells of the tramps fantasy dream of flying on an aeroplane, which crashes. The tramp is saved by the beautiful stewardess, (now named Mandy) but then she is nowhere to be found, was it all a dream?

Eric Stewart has said that his first attempt at the song came out two bland, so both he and Graham Gouldman, changed the rhythm completely, and ‘Put two whacking great guitar solos in there, in the middle of this quiet, soft, floaty song. The end result was this lovely interesting song, with the whacking guitar solos in it.’ Graham Gouldman has also confirmed the similarity of the guitar solo at 2.43, to that by Paul McCartney, on his 1973 song ‘Band on The Run’ (see also best songs 107.) The initial idea for ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’ came from Eric Stewart, but there was also major input from Kevin Godley, who re-wrote many of Stewart’s initial lyrics.

The intro to ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’ starts with words and music that sound as if they are being played through a small tinny speaker. The lyrics are actually taken from the 1974 ’10cc’ track ‘Clockwork Creep,’ which is written from the perspective of a plane with a bomb on board. The lyrics sung are,’Oh, no, you’ll never get me up in one of these again, ’cause what goes up must come down, down, down.’

‘I’ve often heard her jingle, it’s never struck a chord. With a smile as bright as sunshine, she called me through the poster, and welcomed me aboard.’