Do You Believe in Magic (song)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Do You Believe in Magic"
Italian picture sleeve
Single by the Lovin' Spoonful
B-side"On the Road Again"
ReleasedJuly 20, 1965[1]
RecordedJune 1965[2]
StudioBell Sound, New York City
GenreFolk rock,[3] pop,[4] rock[5]
Length2:17
LabelKama Sutra
Songwriter(s)John Sebastian
Producer(s)Erik Jacobsen
The Lovin' Spoonful singles chronology
"Do You Believe in Magic"
(1965)
"You Didn't Have to Be So Nice"
(1965)
Audio
"Do You Believe in Magic" on
YouTube

"Do You Believe in Magic" is a song by American rock band the Lovin' Spoonful, written by John Sebastian 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 Lovin' Spoonful version

Billboard trade ad for the song

In 1965,

riff."[7] Record World said that it has "plenty of beat and plenty of contemporary grit sound."[8]

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

Heat Wave
" to come up with the intro to "Do You Believe in Magic."

In 2002, "Do You Believe in Magic by The Lovin' Spoonful was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[9]

Charts

Shaun Cassidy version

"Do You Believe in Magic"
Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)John Sebastian
Producer(s)Michael Lloyd
Shaun Cassidy singles chronology
"Hey Deanie"
(1977)
"Do You Believe in Magic"
(1978)
"Our Night"
(1978)

"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.

Chart performance

Aly & AJ version

"Do You Believe in Magic"
bubblegum pop
Length2:14
LabelHollywood
Songwriter(s)John. B. Sebastian
Producer(s)Matthew Gerrard
Aly & AJ singles chronology
"Do You Believe in Magic"
(2005)
"No One"
(2005)
Alternative cover
UK/digital cover

"Do You Believe in Magic" was covered by American pop rock duo Aly & AJ. Their version of the song appeared in the 2007 Disney film "The Game Plan" as well as 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 video has Aly and AJ performing with acoustic guitars in their loft apartment, cuddling their dog, taking Polaroids and then finger painting.

Release history

Date Country Format Label
February 15, 2005 United States CD Hollywood Records
June 5, 2006 Belgium
United Kingdom Digital download EMI

Chart performance

Chart (2005) Peak
position
US
Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[18]
2

References

  1. .
  2. . 74465 99730 2.
  3. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Great Moments in Folk Rock: Lists of Aunthor Favorites". www.richieunterberger.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
  4. .
  5. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Do You Believe in Magic? The Lovin' Spoonful". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. August 7, 1965. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  7. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 7, 1965. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  8. ^ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Record World. August 7, 1965. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  9. ^ "GRAMMY HALL OF FAME AWARD". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  10. ^ "RPM 100 (October 18, 1965)". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  11. ^ "The Lovin' Spoonful Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  12. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 – Week of October 16, 1965" (PDF). Cash Box. October 16, 1965. p. 4.
  13. ^ "Record World 100 Top Pops – Week of October 16, 1965" (PDF). Record World. October 16, 1965. p. 15.
  14. ^ "Top Singles of 1965" (PDF). Billboard. December 25, 1965. pp. 22–23 – via WorldRadioHistory.com.
  15. ^ "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1965" (PDF). Cash Box. December 25, 1965. pp. 14–16 – via WorldRadioHistory.com.
  16. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002
  17. .
  18. ^ "Hot Singles Sales : Apr 09, 2005". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2017.