Harman Patil (Editor)

This Magic Moment

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B-side
  
"Baltimore"

Genre
  
Soul, R&B

Label
  
Atlantic

Released
  
1960

Length
  
2:28

Writer(s)
  
Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman

"This Magic Moment" is a song composed by lyricist Doc Pomus and pianist Mort Shuman, and is one of their best-known songs. It was recorded first by Ben E. King and the Drifters. The Drifters version spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 16 on April 2, 1960.

Contents

Jay and the Americans version

In 1968, Jay and the Americans released a version of the song, which became the song's most widely successful release. Their version spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 6 on March 1, 1969, while reaching No. 1 on Canada's "RPM 100" and No. 11 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. The song also debuted at No. 4 in the first issue of RPM's "Young Adult" adult contemporary chart. The single earned gold record status from the Recording Industry Association of America.

The song is used in David M. Evans' film The Sandlot and was also featured in David Chase's television show The Sopranos in the episode "Soprano Home Movies". The session musicians Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller hired to play on this record include Phil Bodner on sax, Ernie Hayes on piano, Bucky Pizzarelli and George Barnes on guitar, George Duvivier on bass, and Shep Sheppard on drums. In 2016 it was used in ESPN's 30 for 30 of the same title, "This Magic Moment" about the Orlando Magic.

Lou Reed's version, from a Doc Pomus tribute album, Till the Night is Gone, was featured in David Lynch's film Lost Highway.

References

This Magic Moment Wikipedia