20 memorable songs dealing with magic

In French, the term “voilà” means “there it is,” and the phrase is typically used when a magician performs different tricks. When N.E.R.D. teamed up with Gucci Mane and Wale on their 2017 track “Voilà,” they used the term to highlight how people have the will to help change life's trajectory. As Pharrell sings on the hook, “You are a magician (voilà, voilà) / You can make it happen (voilà, voilà) / So when you say abracadabra, leave me, come back as something different.” 

In 1965, rock band The Lovin’ Spoonful released its hit song “Do You Believe in Magic?” On the track, the band expresses how music can be a powerful and magical experience for one’s soul. It’s evident from the first verse: “Do you believe in magic in a young girl’s heart / How the music can free her whenever it starts?” 

On The Drifters’ 1960 track “This Magic Moment,” the band expresses how love and romance can be thrilling and captivating. It’s evident in the first verse as they sing, “This magic moment / So different and so new / Was like any other / Until I kissed you.” Although The Drifters had solid success with the song’s original version, Jay and the Americans’ 1968 version reached even wider momentum.

When it comes to matters of the heart, sometimes a partner’s mere presence and touch can bring a person joy. Colbie Caillat implies this sentiment in her 2007 track “Magic.” She sings in the first verse, “You’ve got magic inside your fingertips / It’s leaking out all over my skin, yeah / Every time that I get close to you / You’re making me weak.” 

Ciara joined forces with Justin Timberlake on their 2009 single “Love Sex Magic.” On the track, the two describe how a night of love-making can be pretty magical. The song starts off with Ciara expressing her desires, “Your touch is so magic to me / The strangest things can happen / The way that you react to me / I wanna do something you can’t imagine.” 

On Olivia Newton-John’s 1980 track “Magic,” the singer tells listeners that they have to believe in a little bit of magic to pursue their dreams. Her stance is evident on the hook, singing, “You have to believe we are magic / Nothing can stand in our way / You have to believe we are magic / Don’t let your aim ever stray.” 

Sometimes when it comes to matters of the heart, people can become so enchanted with a lover. That’s the sentiment on The Police’s 1981 track “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.” The band expresses how a romantic interest in a woman can, at times, cause nervousness, but everything about her is so magically captivating. 

Sometimes a bond between two lovers can be so powerful that some outsiders try to break it. That’s the sentiment on Coldplay’s 2014 track “Magic,” in which the band expresses how a relationship between two people can still be magical, even if the relationship doesn’t last. As they sing in the third verse, “And if you were to ask me / After all that we’ve been through / ‘Still believe in magic?’ / Oh yes, I do.” 

Although Bruno Mars’ 2016 hit single “24K Magic” refers to a night of partying, the title itself refers to him showing off his fly jewelry. Sometimes the gold people wear can be so blinding to others that it’s magical. So for anyone ready to party with Mars, they better make sure they’re wearing their finest threads. 

There’s no doubt that some people are skeptical that magic is even real. Folk rock duo America alludes to the skepticism on their 1982 track “You Can Do Magic,” but they start to believe it once they feel hypnotized by someone they admire. As they sing in the first verse, “I never in believed in things that I couldn’t see / I said if I can’t feel it then how could it be? / No, no magic could happen to me / And then I saw you, I couldn’t believe it.”

In 2012, Smash Mouth released their seventh studio album Magic. The eponymous lead single highlights how one meets the potential love of their life but ends up getting ghosted by them. So the potential lover claimed they had feelings, and now they’re pulling a disappearing act. As the band sings in the second verse, “She told me she would call me in a week / But I’m still waiting on the phone to ring / Now she’s acting like Houdini.”

It’s pretty apparent that a band by the name of Magic! would have a song appropriately titled “Don’t Kill The Magic.” On the track, the band expresses that they’re willing to give their partner the space and time they need to consider their relationship, but they're not ready to call it quits. As they sing on the hook, “Just don’t kill the magic / I’m not ready to give up just yet.” 

On B.o.B.’s 2010 track “Magic,” the rapper compares his music skills to magic tricks. Throughout the track, he highlights different magic themes, such as hypnosis, and claims his music can magically turn into gold, referencing the famed magician David Blaine. As he says in the first verse, “These tricks that I’ll attempt will blow your mind / Pick a verse, any verse, I’ll hypnotize you every line.” 

In 2020, Jhené Aiko released her third studio album Chilombo. One of the standout tracks is “Magic Hour,” in which Aiko refers to the time between sunset and sunrise. The singer refers to the most peaceful time as she waits for a miracle to occur. 

Pop singer Kylie Mingoue brings some disco elements to her 2020 single “Magic.” On the track, Minogue highlights that good things can happen, but sometimes it takes a little belief. As she sings on the hook, “Dancing together / Ain’t nothing that could be better / Tomorrow don’t matter / We’ll make the night last forever / So do you believe in magic?”

Houdini is one of the world’s most famous escape artists and magicians. Pop singer Kate Bush named a song after him to reference how people use seances to attempt to communicate with spiritual beings.

In 1984, rock band The Cars released its single “Magic.” Similar to how some other artists have referenced magic regarding love and relationships, the band did the same thing on their track. As they sing on the hook, “Uh oh, it’s magic when I’m with you / Uh oh, it’s magic, just a little magic / You know it’s true, I got a hold on you.” 

The Searchers’ 1963 track “Love Potion No. 9” takes on magic in a different kind of way. On the track, the band refers to not having the best luck in the love department, so the protagonist meets a gypsy to give him a magical elixir. As they sing in the second verse, “I told her that I was a flop with the chicks / I’ve been this way since 1956 / She looked at my palm and made a magic sign / She said, ‘What you need is Love Potion Number Nine.’”

In 2007, Bruce Springsteen released his fifteenth studio album Magic. The eponymous track finds Springsteen references different elements of magic tricks. It’s evident since the beginning of the track, as he says, “I got a coin in my palm / I can make it disappear / I got a card up my sleeve / Name it, and I’ll pull it out your ear.” 

In 1972, the soulful group Blue Magic released its debut single, “Spell.” While the song doesn’t mention magic in a literal sense, the band expresses how a partner has put them under a spell to make them have strong feelings. As they sing throughout the track, “Must have put a spell on my mind / I’m under your power, baby.”