Back Magic (Lied) German Magic (Olivia Newton-John) Italian マジック (オリビア・ニュートン＝ジョンの曲) Japanese Magic av Olivia Newton-John NN
| "Magic" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=albert einstein&lang=en&file=File:Magic_Front.jpg) Picture sleeve of the US and Australasian releases | ||||
| Single by Olivia Newton-John | ||||
| from the album Xanadu | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | May 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | Musicland (Munich, Germany) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:31 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | John Farrar | |||
| Producer(s) | John Farrar | |||
| Olivia Newton-John singles chronology | ||||
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"Magic" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John for the soundtrack to the 1980 musical fantasy film Xanadu, which starred Newton-John and Gene Kelly. Written and produced by Newton-John's frequent collaborator John Farrar, "Magic" was released as the soundtrack's lead single in May 1980 and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks beginning on August 2.[4] On August 30, it was displaced from the top by Christopher Cross's "Sailing".
In Canada, "Magic" spent two weeks at No. 1 on the RPM Top Singles chart, and also reached No. 4 in Australia and No. 32 in the United Kingdom. "Magic" became Newton-John's biggest Billboard Adult Contemporary hit, spending five weeks at the top of the chart, and also topped the RPM Adult Contemporary chart for a week.[5] Billboard ranked "Magic" as the third most popular single of 1980, behind only "Call Me" by Blondie and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" by Pink Floyd.
John Lennon named "Magic" and "All Over the World" by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) as two recent songs he liked in a Newsweek interview in September 1980, shortly before his assassination.[6]
Record World called it an "infectious pop ballad [that] has a big beat production treatment".[1]
In a lawsuit involving the use of "Magic" in a high school musical performance, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit described the song as follows:
"Magic" was an original song in the 1980 musical movie fantasy Xanadu. Olivia Newton-John played Kira, a muse descended from Mount Olympus, who encourages and inspires the male protagonist, Sonny, to pursue his dream of opening a fantastical nightclub, Xanadu. "Magic" plays during their first encounter, reprises first when Kira must return to Olympus, and then again when Kira seemingly reappears as a Xanadu waitress. It is thus used as a vehicle of inspiration for pursuit of one's dreams and love.[7]
Both US and UK B-sides also appear in Xanadu:
- US: "Fool Country" is one of three single B-sides to appear in the film but not on the soundtrack. This is featured in the nightclub grand opening segment following the film's title track and before its reprise.
- UK: "Whenever You're Away from Me" (a duet with co-star Gene Kelly), also appears as the B-side of the US "Xanadu" single.
- ^ a b "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 24 May 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- ^ Molanphy, Chris (17 April 2021). "Taylor's Version of Country Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ Sendejas Jr., Jesse (7 August 2014). "The '70s' Seven Sexiest Soft-Rock Songs". Houston Press.
- ^ "The 15 best Olivia Newton-John songs" Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "Did John Lennon love the soundtrack to Xanadu? | Steve Hoffman Music Forums". Forums.stevehoffman.tv. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "Tresóna Multimedia, LLC v. Burbank High School Vocal Music Association et al" (PDF). Cases.justia.com. 24 March 2020. p. 20. Retrieved 26 May 2020.