The song was inspired by a conversation between Manilow and Sussman at the
Copacabana Hotel in
Rio de Janeiro, when they discussed whether there had ever been a song called "Copacabana". After returning to the U.S., Manilow—who, in the 1960s, had been a regular visitor to the
Copacabana nightclub in
New York City—suggested that Sussman and Feldman write the lyrics to a story song for him. They did so, and Manilow supplied the music.
Lola Falana inspired the song's famous lyric, "Her name is Lola / She was a showgirl". The song's lyrics call the Copacabana nightclub "the hottest spot north of
Havana". The story focuses on Lola, a Copacabana
showgirl, and her sweetheart Tony, a
bartender at the club. One night, an ostentatiously wealthy man named Rico takes a fancy to Lola, but Tony intervenes when Rico becomes aggressive. The ensuing brawl ends in a gun being fired; although it is initially unclear "who shot who", it soon becomes apparent that Tony has died. Thirty years later, the club has been transformed into a
discotheque, but a middle-aged Lola remains in her showgirl attire, now a customer at the bar who "drinks herself half blind" lamenting the loss of her youth, her sanity, and Tony. ==Release and reception==