Released 1947 (1947) Lyricist(s) Sammy Cahn | Composer(s) Jule Styne | |
"It's Magic" is a popular song written by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was introduced by Doris Day in her film debut, Romance on the High Seas (known in the United Kingdom as It's Magic after the song), and was published in 1947. Versions which made the Billboard magazine charts in 1948 were recorded by Doris Day, Tony Martin, Dick Haymes, Gordon MacRae, and Sarah Vaughan. It was nominated for a Best Song Oscar in 1948, losing to "Buttons and Bows."
Contents
In 1952 Doris Day made the song the theme of The Doris Day Show, her Hollywood radio series.
Releases
The Doris Day recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 38188. The recording spent 21 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #2.
The Tony Martin recording was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-2862. The recording spent 13 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #11.
The Dick Haymes recording was released by Decca Records as catalog number 23826. The recording spent 18 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #9.
The Gordon MacRae recording was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 15072. The recording spent 17 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #9.
The Sarah Vaughan recording was released by Musicraft Records as catalog number 557. The recording spent 2 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #29. It appeared on the EP "The Divine Sarah Sings" (1954)
Dinah Washington recorded the song in 1959 for her album "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes!"
Keely Smith recorded it in 1959 for her Capital album, Swingin’ Pretty, arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle.
Shirley Bassey recorded the song in 1963 for her EP "In Other Words...".
In 2010, Australian singer Melinda Schneider recorded the song for her Doris Day tribute album "Melinda Does Doris".
Also, Bethany Joy Galeotti released a little cover of the song at Soundcloud.com and Muziboo.com in 2011.
Barbara Lewis recorded the song in 1965, and it was included in her album of the same name.
In 1962, The Platters, with Sonny Turner singing lead, released it as a single. It reached 95 on the Billboard chart. It was also featured on their 1961 album "Song for the Lonely".
It's also the title cut of the 2013 album "It's Magic - The songs of Sammy Cahn" recorded by Steve Tyrell, featuring a sultry saxophone solo by David Mann.
To celebrate the one hundredth birthday of Sammy Cahn, a 2013 album was released featuring an ensemble of vocalists and jazz combo for the CD, "It's Magic"
Other movie versions
In the 1951 Warner Brothers cartoon "Rabbit Every Monday," Bugs Bunny parodied the song with several verses beginning with "Carrots are divine...You get a dozen for a dime. It's magic." In the 1953 Warner Brothers cartoon Robot Rabbit, Bugs Bunny reprised this parody in a shorter version. In a later short, 1963's "Transylvania 6-5000", Bugs hums/sings the melody, inserting magic words that he acquired from a book and unknowingly causing troublesome transformations in the short's antagonist, Count Bloodcount.
The 1967 motion picture The Cool Ones featured Mrs. Miller doing a rock-flavored version of the song.