B-side "On the Road Again" Format 7" single Length 2:06 | Released August 1965 Recorded 1965 | |
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Genre Folk rock, sunshine pop | ||
"Do You Believe In Magic" is a song written by John Sebastian. It was first recorded and released by his group, The Lovin' Spoonful 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 song has been recorded by various artists including a 2005 version by the pop duo Aly & AJ.
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Song history
In 1965, the group The Lovin' Spoonful 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 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.
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' "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" to come up with the intro to "Do You Believe in Magic".
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.
"Do You Believe in Magic" was featured in The Parent Trap, American Pie, Date Movie, Temple Grandin, and Rolie Polie Olie. The original version was also the theme song for the short-lived TV series State of Grace.
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.
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.
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 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. The duo consists of sisters, Alyson "Aly" and Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka.