"Magic" | ||||
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Single by Olivia Newton-John | ||||
from the album Xanadu | ||||
B-side |
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Released | May 1980 | |||
Studio | Musicland, Munich, Germany | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:31 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | John Farrar | |||
Producer(s) | John Farrar | |||
Olivia Newton-John singles chronology | ||||
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"Magic" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John for the soundtrack to the 1980 musical fantasy film Xanadu . Written and produced by John Farrar, the song was released as the lead single from the album in May 1980 and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks beginning on August 2. [4] On August 30, it was displaced from the top by Christopher Cross's "Sailing".
In Canada, "Magic" spent two weeks at number one on the RPM Top Singles chart. The single also reached number four in Australia and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. It also became Newton-John's biggest Billboard Adult Contemporary hit, spending five weeks at the top of the chart, and also topped the RPM Adult Contemporary chart for a week. [5] Billboard ranked "Magic" as the third most popular single of 1980, behind only "Call Me" by Blondie and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" by Pink Floyd.
John Lennon named "Magic" and "All Over the World" by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) as two recent songs he liked in a Newsweek interview in September 1980, shortly before his assassination. [6]
Record World called it an "infectious pop ballad [that] has a big beat production treatment". [1]
In a lawsuit involving the use of "Magic" in a high school musical performance, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit described the song as follows:
"Magic" was an original song in the 1980 musical movie fantasy Xanadu. Olivia Newton-John played Kira, a muse descended from Mount Olympus, who encourages and inspires the male protagonist, Sonny, to pursue his dream of opening a fantastical nightclub, Xanadu. "Magic" plays during their first encounter, reprises first when Kira must return to Olympus, and then again when Kira seemingly reappears as a Xanadu waitress. It is thus used as a vehicle of inspiration for pursuit of one's dreams and love. [7]
Both US and UK B-sides also appear in Xanadu:
Sadly, the song was not aviabile on Spotify, iTunes and on Youtube.
All tracks written and produced by John Farrar.
Additional personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [24] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Magic (Peach & DJ Dan Murphy remix)" | ||||
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Single by Olivia Newton-John featuring Wacci | ||||
Released | 22 May 2011 | |||
Genre | Electropop, dance-pop | |||
Length | 3:37 | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Farrar | |||
Producer(s) | DJ Dan Murphy, Steve Peach | |||
Olivia Newton-John featuring Wacci singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Magic (Peach & DJ Dan Murphy remix)" on YouTube |
"Magic (Peach & DJ Dan Murphy remix)" is a remix of the song. In May 2011, it was remixed by two Australians, DJ Dan Murphy and Steve Peach, to create a dance version. Newton-John went back to the studio to re-sing the vocals. The version was sponsored by WACCI, a humanitarian group.
Everybody who worked on the project volunteered their time, with all proceeds being donated to Newton-John's charity, the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre.
Newton-John was presented the world premiere of the song on the Australian edition of Dancing with the Stars on Sunday May 22, 2011. The song was released exclusively on Australian iTunes that same day.
A video was shot for the new remix in Sydney in an attempt to break the Guinness Book World Record for largest cast in a music video by featuring 350 people. Newton-John does not appear in the video, which was directed by DJ Dan Murphy.
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA) [25] | 79 |
Australia Dance (ARIA) | 19 |
This section needs additional citations for verification .(March 2015) |
"I Honestly Love You" is a song recorded by Olivia Newton-John and released in 1974 on the album Long Live Love in the United Kingdom and If You Love Me, Let Me Know in the United States. The song became a worldwide pop hit, her first number-one single in the United States and Canada. The single was first released in Australia as "I Love You, I Honestly Love You", as per its chorus. The song was written by Jeff Barry and Australian singer and composer Peter Allen. The latter recorded it around the same time for his album Continental American.
Xanadu is the soundtrack to the 1980 musical film of the same name, featuring the Australian singer Olivia Newton-John and the British group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in June 1980 on MCA Records in the United States and July 1980 by Jet Records in the United Kingdom. The original LP release featured on side one the songs of Newton-John, and on side two the songs of ELO. In 2008 the soundtrack album was digitally remastered as a bonus CD as part of the film's DVD release titled Xanadu: Magical Musical Edition.
"Angel of the Morning" is a popular song written by Chip Taylor, originally recorded by Evie Sands but which first charted with a version by Merrilee Rush. The song has been covered by many artists including Chrissie Hynde, Dusty Springfield, P. P. Arnold, Connie Eaton, Mary Mason, Guys 'n' Dolls, Melba Montgomery, Olivia Newton-John and most recognizably by Juice Newton.
"You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical Grease. It was written and produced by John Farrar, and released in 1978 by RSO Records as the second single from Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture. The song is one of the best-selling singles in history to date, having sold over 4 million copies in the United States and the United Kingdom alone, with estimates of more than 15 million copies sold overall.
Physical is the eleventh studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released through MCA Records on 13 October 1981. The album was produced and partly written by her long-time record producer John Farrar. Recorded and mixed at Ocean Way and David J. Holman's studio in Los Angeles, Physical became one of Newton-John's most controversial and sexual records, and her most successful studio album. Musically, the album features considerable use of synthesizers, and it explores lyrical themes such as love and relationships, sex, and environmental protection. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from music critics, many of them considering it to be Newton-John's best effort. The album charted high in several countries, including the United States, Japan and Newton-John's native Australia, becoming one of the most successful albums of the early 1980s. It also ranks among the best-selling albums by Australian solo artists, selling more than ten million copies worldwide.
"Let Me Be There" is a popular song written by John Rostill. It was first recorded by Olivia Newton-John and released in September 1973 as the second single from her studio album of the same name. The country-influenced song was Newton-John's first Top 10 single in the US, peaking at No. 6, and also won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocalist. Mike Sammes sings a bass vocal harmony on the song.
"I'm Alive" is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released as a single in May 1980. It is featured in a sequence near the beginning of the feature film Xanadu. The song also appears on the soundtrack album Xanadu.
"Xanadu" is the title song from the soundtrack of the 1980 musical film of the same name. Written by Jeff Lynne of the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), the song is performed by English-born Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John, with Lynne adding parenthetic vocals in the style of his other songs on the Xanadu soundtrack, and ELO providing the instrumentation. It was Lynne's least favourite of his own songs. Released as a single in June 1980, it reached number one in several European countries and was the band's only UK number-one single when it peaked there for two weeks in July 1980. It was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry. It also peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Summer Nights" is a popular song from the musical Grease. Written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, its best-known version was recorded by American actor and singer John Travolta and British-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for the big-screen adaptation of the musical, and released as a single that same year. It was released in August 1978 as the fourth single from the movie's soundtrack album and became a massive hit worldwide during the summer of 1978. Parts of the song were introduced to a new audience when it was re-released in the 1990s as part of a megamix of several songs from the movie version.
Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is the second greatest hits album by Olivia Newton-John released on 3 September 1982. The album compiled most singles released by Newton-John since the release of her 1977 Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits album from her following albums and soundtracks. The album included two new recordings; "Heart Attack" and "Tied Up", both of which were actually recorded during the sessions for the Physical album. It was released in the United Kingdom as Olivia's Greatest Hits.
"Hopelessly Devoted to You" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (1978). It was written and produced by John Farrar and originally performed by Newton-John in the film version of the musical Grease (1978). The song was released in Australia in August 1978 and peaked at number two. It reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Adult Contemporary chart. On the country chart, "Hopelessly Devoted to You" peaked at number 20 and was her first top 20 country hit in two years. Newton-John performed the song at the 21st Grammy Awards in 1979.
"Have You Never Been Mellow" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John for her 1975 fifth studio album of the same name. Written and produced by John Farrar, the song was released as the lead single from the album in January 1975.
The albums discography of British-Australian recording artist Olivia Newton-John consists of twenty-six studio albums, six live albums, fourteen compilations and six soundtracks. According to Billboard, Newton-John is the 44th most successful artist of all time. She is also listed as the 36th top female artist on the Billboard 200 all-time female list. To date, she has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.
"Please Mr. Please" is a song written by Bruce Welch and John Rostill, both members of British pop singer Cliff Richard's backing band, The Shadows. Welch had originally recorded the song himself in 1974 with no commercial success.
"Make a Move on Me" is a song recorded by singer Olivia Newton-John for her eleventh studio album. Physical (1981). It was written by John Farrar and Tom Snow, and produced by the former. The follow-up single to the number-one hit "Physical", it was released in January 1982 and peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 that April. It also became her twelfth and final single to be certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"A Little More Love" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John for her tenth studio album, Totally Hot (1978). Written and produced by Newton-John's long-time record producer John Farrar, the song was released as the lead single from Totally Hot in October 1978 and became a worldwide hit single.
"Sam" is a song performed by Australian singer Olivia Newton-John. It was written by Don Black, Hank Marvin and John Farrar.
"Suddenly" is a duet performed by Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard from the soundtrack Xanadu, and is the love theme from the 1980 film of the same name. It was written and produced by John Farrar.
"Don't Stop Believin'" is the title track from the 1976 album by Olivia Newton-John. Written and composed specifically for Newton-John by John Farrar. It was released in August 1976 as the album's lead single. It peaked at number thirty-three on the Billboard Hot 100. It was her seventh number one on the Easy Listening chart, spending one week at the top of the chart in September 1976. The single also went to number fourteen on the country chart.
"You Have to Believe" is a 2015 electronic dance song produced by American DJ/remixer/producer Dave Audé, featuring vocals from Australian singer/songwriter/actress Olivia Newton-John and her daughter, singer/actress Chloe Lattanzi. The song was written by Audé, John Farrar, Lattanzi, and Australian singer/songwriter, Vassy, and produced by Audé. The song was released on August 10, 2015 by Audacious Music. It topped Billboard Dance Club Songs chart for one week and peaked at #28 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart.