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(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, 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 August 2. On August 30, 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.