Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1965


Do You Believe in Magic (song)

Buy Do You Believe in Magic (song) now from Amazon

First, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.

Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Do You Believe in Magic

| cover = Do You Believe in Magic.jpg

| alt =

| published =

| type = single

| artist = the Lovin' Spoonful

| album = Do You Believe in Magic

| B-side = On the Road Again

| released = July 20, 1965

| recorded = June 1965

| studio = Bell Sound (New York City)

| venue =

| genre = Folk rock

| length = 2:17

| label = Kama Sutra

| writer = John Sebastian

| producer = Erik Jacobsen

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = You Didn't Have to Be So Nice

| next_year = 1965

| misc =

}}

"'Do You Believe in Magic'" is a song by American rock band the Lovin' Spoonful. Written by John Sebastian in 1965. The single peaked at number 9 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart. In 1978, Shaun Cassidy reached the Top 40 with his cover version.

The Lovin' Spoonful version



In 1965, The Lovin' Spoonful originally recorded and released the song as the first single from their debut studio album 'Do You Believe in Magic'. The single was well received by the public and became a top ten hit on the 'Billboard' Hot 100, peaking at number 9. According to the lyrics, the magic referenced in the title is the power of music to supply happiness and freedom to both those who make it and those who listen to it. Session drummer Gary Chester played tambourine on the track. The Lovin' Spoonful's version was ranked number 216 on 'Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. 'Billboard' said of the original single release that the "pulsating folk-flavored rhythm number serves as a strong and exciting debut for new group in the Byrds vein." 'Cash Box' described it as a "rollicking, teen-angled romancer with an infectious danceable riff."

In a 2007 DVD entitled 'The Lovin' Spoonful with John Sebastian - Do You Believe in Magic', author Sebastian illustrates how he sped up the three-chord intro from Martha and the Vandellas' "Heat Wave" to come up with the intro to "Do You Believe in Magic."

"Do You Believe in Magic" was featured in 'The Parent Trap', 'American Pie', 'Date Movie', 'Temple Grandin', and 'The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'. The original version was also the theme song for the short-lived TV series 'State of Grace'. The song is also significantly featured in the Jim Sheridan movie 'In America', as an Irish-immigrant family, having entered the U.S. on false pretenses, enter New York City for the first time.

In 2012, the Lovin' Spoonful's version was used in the official "Meet the Pyro" trailer for the first-person shooter video game 'Team Fortress 2'.

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Shaun Cassidy version



"Do You Believe in Magic" became a top forty hit again in 1978 in both the U.S. and Canada when Shaun Cassidy released his cover as a single. Cassidy's version reached number 31 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100. The song was Cassidy's second successful remake of a 1960s hit, the first being "Da Doo Ron Ron" from his previous LP.

Chart performance



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Aly & AJ version



"Do You Believe in Magic" was covered by American pop rock duo Aly & AJ. Their version of the song was for Aly's film 'Now You See It...', and it also appeared in the 2007 Disney film The Game Plan as well as on their debut studio album, 'Into the Rush', in addition to an appearance on the 2009 soundtrack to the TV show 'Wizards of Waverly Place'.

Track listings



Release history



Chart performance



References



Category:The Lovin' Spoonful songs

Category:1965 debut singles

Category:1978 singles

Category:Shaun Cassidy songs

Category:2005 debut singles

Category:Aly & AJ songs

Category:Songs written by John Sebastian

Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients

Category:1965 songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Erik Jacobsen

Category:Song recordings produced by Michael Lloyd

Category:Kama Sutra Records singles

Category:Warner Records singles

Category:Hollywood Records singles

Buy Do You Believe in Magic (song) now from Amazon

<-- Return to songs from 1965



This work is released under CC-BY-SA. Some or all of this content attributed to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1107544175.