| "The Magic Number" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by De La Soul | |
| from the album 3 Feet High and Rising | |
| A-side | "Buddy" |
| Released | 1989 |
| Genre | Hip-hop [1] |
| Length | 3:16 |
| Label | Tommy Boy |
| Songwriters | |
| Producers |
|
| Official audio | |
| "The Magic Number" on YouTube | |
"The Magic Number" is a song by American hip-hop group De La Soul. It was released in 1989 as a single from the debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989). It gained popularity after being used in the end credits of the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). [3]
De La Soul is an American hip-hop group from Long Island, New York. [1] It consisted of David Jolicoeur (Trugoy the Dove), Vincent Mason (Maseo), and Kelvin Mercer (Posdnous). [1] The group got signed to Tommy Boy Records. [4] With producer Prince Paul, they went to Calliope Studios to create a record. [4] "The Magic Number" is the second song of the group's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), following "Intro". [4]
Posdnous and Trugoy provided vocals to "The Magic Number". [5] The song contained a sample from Bob Dorough's song "Three Is a Magic Number". [5] In a 2009 interview, Trugoy said, "Obviously three of us in the group, '3 is the magic number' became the philosophy, but mostly, it was just a song that we loved and it became part of the album." [6]
The drums of "The Magic Number" were taken from Double Dee and Steinski's "Lesson 3", [5] a chopped version of John Bonham's drum breaks on Led Zeppelin's song "The Crunge". [7] A line from Johnny Cash's song "Five Feet High and Rising" ("How high's the water, mama? Three feet high and rising.") was also used in the song. [7] Multiple records were scratched at the end of the song. [5]
In a 2016 interview, Posdnous said, "It's one of those songs that has always had this great energy and freshness, because it brings everything together at the end, and it means a lot – three friends who've stuck through everything and have been through so many ups and downs, and have maintained what people consider a magic bond." [5]
De La Soul released "The Magic Number" in 1989 as a single from the album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989). [8] In the United Kingdom, it remains the group's highest charting single, peaking at number 7. [9]
Due to sample clearances and other legal issues, De La Soul's first six albums were unavailable on digital streaming services for decades. [10] The catalog was acquired by Reservoir Media as part of its acquisition of the Tommy Boy Records catalog. [10] These albums were made available on digital streaming platforms on March 3, 2023. [10]
"The Magic Number" was made available on digital streaming platforms for the first time on January 13, 2023. [11] To celebrate the occasion, De La Soul also released the song as a 7-inch vinyl single, a cassette single, and a digital download. [12]
Jack Needham of Red Bull Music Academy wrote, "The Prince Paul-produced single, taken from De La's landmark rap debut 3 Feet High and Rising, helped usher in a new phase of modern hip-hop alongside records from the Beastie Boys ( Paul's Boutique , 1989) and A Tribe Called Quest ( The Low End Theory , 1991)." [9]
In 2017, NME placed the song at number 77 on its list of the "100 Best Songs of the 1980s". [13]
"The Magic Number" was used in the end credits of the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). [14] [15]
Credits adapted from liner notes. [16]
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) [17] | 39 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [18] | 7 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Downloads (OCC) [19] | 71 |