Magic (Olivia Newton-John song)
| "Magic" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Picture sleeve of the US and Australasian releases | ||||
| Single by Olivia Newton-John | ||||
| from the album Xanadu | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | May 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | Musicland (Munich, Germany) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:31 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | John Farrar | |||
| Producer | 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, which starred Newton-John and Gene Kelly. Written and produced by Newton-John's frequent collaborator John Farrar, "Magic" was released as the soundtrack's lead single in May 1980 and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks beginning on 2 August. On 30 August, it was displaced from the top by Christopher Cross's "Sailing".
In Canada, "Magic" spent two weeks at No. 1 on the RPM Top Singles chart, and also reached No. 4 in Australia and No. 32 in the United Kingdom. "Magic" 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. Billboard ranked "Magic" as the third most popular single of 1980. Record World called it an "infectious pop ballad [that] has a big beat production treatment".
Both US and UK B-sides also appear in Xanadu:
- US: "Fool Country" is one of three single B-sides to appear in the film but not on the soundtrack. This is featured in the nightclub grand opening segment following the film's title track and before its reprise.
- UK: "Whenever You're Away from Me" (a duet with co-star Gene Kelly), also appears as the B-side of the US "Xanadu" single.