In the song, songwriter Ray Davies skewered the would-be master lover of the title. Davies sings about how the dandy is "chasing all the girls" and how the girls "can't resist [the dandy's] smile." However, he warns the dandy that "when [he's] old and grey, [he'll] will remember what they said: that two girls are too many, three's a crowd and four you're dead!" Still, the singer feels sympathy for the dandy, saying "Dandy, you're all right."

There is speculation that Davies wrote the song in reference to the wild lifestyle of his younger brother, Kinks guitarist Dave Davies.

"Dandy" was only released in Britain and America on the Face to Face album. However, it was released as a single in Continental Europe, where it charted, reaching #1 in Germany, #2 in Belgium and #3 in the Netherlands. In some countries, (such as Norway) "Dandy" was flipped with "Party Line" (also from Face to Face) as the A-side.

AllMusic's Stewart Mason said of "Dandy" that "Davies delivers the lyrics, about a neighborhood lothario, with just the right mixture of disgust and admiration; his slyly witty vocals are truly what makes the song. Musically, the tune harks back to the music hall tradition of George Formby; Dave Davies' guitar is so trebly and clean that it sounds like a ukulele – or perhaps an electrified rubber band – and the gently swinging tune sounds like it could have been an old vaudeville hit. 'Dandy' is a charming, slightly subversive, gem."Stephen Thomas Erlewine, also from AllMusic, noted "the music hall shuffle of 'Dandy'" as a "wonderful moment" from Face to Face.

...
Wikipedia