View source for Magic (The Cars song)

{{Infobox song
| name       = Magic
| cover      = Cover for Magic by The Cars.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Cars]]
| album      = [[Heartbeat City]]
| B-side     = I Refuse
| released   = {{Start date|1984|5|7}}
| recorded   = 1983–1984
| studio     = [[Battery Studios|Battery]], London
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Rock music|Rock]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Gerard|first=Chris|url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2014/08/classic-album-revisited-the-cars-heartbeat-city/|title=Classic Album Revisited: The Cars, "Heartbeat City"|website=[[Metro Weekly]]|date=August 12, 2014|access-date=May 21, 2018|archive-date=August 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818074933/https://www.metroweekly.com/2014/08/classic-album-revisited-the-cars-heartbeat-city/|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[New wave music|new wave]]<ref name="summer">{{cite web|date=July 1, 2022|title=Rock's 40 Best Summer Songs|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/summer-forrock-songs/|access-date=July 21, 2022|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|archive-date=July 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707123407/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/summer-forrock-songs/|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[Pop music|pop]]<ref name="summer"/>}}
| length     = 3:57
| label      = [[Elektra Records|Elektra]]
| writer     = [[Ric Ocasek]]
| producer   =
* [[Robert John "Mutt" Lange]]
* {{nowrap|the Cars}}
| prev_title = [[You Might Think]]
| prev_year  = 1984
| next_title = [[Drive (The Cars song)|Drive]]
| next_year  = 1984
| misc       = {{External music video|type=single|{{YouTube|E0Kv6vxZwL8|"Magic"}}}}
}}
"'''Magic'''" is a song by American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Cars]] from their fifth studio album, ''[[Heartbeat City]]'' (1984). It was released on May 7, 1984, as the album's second single, reaching number 12 on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and number one on the ''Billboard'' [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Top Tracks]] chart.<ref>{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits |edition=8th |publisher=Billboard Books |page=108 |isbn=0-8230-7499-4}}</ref> The track was written by [[Ric Ocasek]] and produced by [[Robert John "Mutt" Lange]] and the Cars. Ocasek sang lead vocals.
==Music video==
The music video for "Magic" is set at a pool party attended by an array of bizarre and comically deranged characters. It features Ocasek walking on the water of the swimming pool as the various characters gather to marvel at him. Toward the end of the video, some of the guests (perhaps in their own delusion) attempt to reach Ocasek by stepping onto the pool's surface believing that they too can walk on water, but only end up plunging into the pool. Ocasek remains standing (and dry) because, as the song title suggests, "it's magic".
The Cars shot "Magic" at the Hilton family house in Beverly Hills, which [[Kathy Hilton]] had leased to the band. A [[Poly(methyl methacrylate)|plexiglass]] platform sat under the surface of the water. The platform collapsed on the first take and had to be adjusted to support Ocasek's weight.
==Personnel==
'''The Cars'''
* [[Ric Ocasek]] – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
* [[Ben Orr]] – bass guitar, backing vocals
* [[Elliot Easton]] – lead guitar, backing vocals
* [[Greg Hawkes]] – keyboards, backing vocals, [[Fairlight CMI]] programming
* [[David Robinson  (drummer)|David Robinson]] – drums, Fairlight programming
'''Additional personnel'''
* Andy Topeka – Fairlight CMI programming
==Charts==
===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1984 weekly chart performance for "Magic"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1984)
! scope="col"| Peak<br>position
|-
! scope="row"| Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |location=St Ives, N.S.W. |publisher=Australian Chart Book |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref>
| 96
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|14|chartid=6797|rowheader=true|access-date=February 26, 2020}}
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|50|artist=The Cars|song=Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=February 26, 2020}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|12|artist=The Cars|rowheader=true|access-date=February 26, 2020}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|1|artist=The Cars|rowheader=true|access-date=February 26, 2020}}
|-
! scope="row"| US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' Top 100 Singles<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19840714.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending July 14, 1984 |website=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |access-date=November 18, 2017 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513170337/https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19840714.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| 16
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 2019 weekly chart performance for "Magic"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2019)
! scope="col"| Peak<br>position
|-
! scope="row"| US [[Rock Digital Songs|Rock Digital Song Sales]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-cars/chart-history/rkt/ |title=The Cars Chart History (Rock Digital Song Sales) |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=February 13, 2021 |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812073122/https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-cars/chart-history/rkt/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 13
|}
===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Year-end chart performance for "Magic"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1984)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1984/hot-100-songs |title=Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 1984 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=February 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225152509/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1984/hot-100-songs |archive-date=February 25, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| 97
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{The Cars singles}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:1984 singles]]
[[Category:1984 songs]]
[[Category:The Cars songs]]
[[Category:Elektra Records singles]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Tim Pope]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Ric Ocasek]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange]]
[[Category:Songs written by Ric Ocasek]]
[[Category:Compositions in F-sharp minor]]
[[CAtegory:Compositions in A major]]
{{1980s-rock-song-stub}}