Magic (Robin Thicke song)
Encyclopedia
"Magic" is a song by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...

 singer Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...

. The R&B jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

-inspired song was produced in 2008 for Robin Thicke's third studio album, Something Else
Something Else (Robin Thicke album)
-Singles:*Magic*The Sweetest Love*Dreamworld - A video for the song, directed by Anthony Mandler was released on February 11, but no further information shows that the song will be released officially....

. "Magic" is a R&B uptempo song, with its live instrumentation
Instrumentation (music)
In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...

 varied; including conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...

, horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....

, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

, and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

. The song's lyrics refer to a someone reversing their lovers past hurts in relationships. The track was released on May 20, 2008 to radio and is the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...

. The song was introduced on July 13, 2008 at the Miss Universe 2008
Miss Universe 2008
Miss Universe 2008, the 57th Miss Universe pageant, was held at the Crown Convention Center in the Diamond Bay Resort, Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 14, 2008...

 pageant. It was the background music for the 'Evening Wear' competition of the pageant. The song is also used on the most recent Samsung U900 Soul advert for the summer, and the 2008 UAAP Cheerdance Competition in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, sponsored by Samsung.

Charts

"Magic" was released to radio May 20, 2008. The song debuted on the R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart on May 29, 2008 at number ninety, and has since then peaked at number ten as of July 16, 2008, giving Thicke his second top ten on the chart. After falling from the top ten for three weeks "Magic" re-entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart on August 14th, and as since jumped to number six. The song then debuted on the Hot 100 charts on June 19, 2008 at number eighty-eight. In July 2008, the single re-entered the Hot 100 at number ninety-one, and has climbed to a new peak of number sixty-one as of August 2008. After slipping in the charts in September to 73 on Sept 11th it surged to a new high again at 59. It has also entered the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...

 chart at number ninety-eight and has so far risen to number sixty. The remixed version, "Magic Touch", otherwise known as the "Moto Blanco Remix" has charted on the Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...

 peaking at number 2.

Chart positions

> > > > > > >
Chart (2008) Peak
position
US Hot Jazz Songs (Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

)
21
US Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...

 (Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

)
78

Music video

The music video for Robin Thicke's "Magic" has already been shot, and premiered Thursday July 17 on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...

's 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...

. It was directed by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 director Robert Hales
Robert Hales (director)
Robert Hales is a graphic designer and music video director from the United Kingdom. Hales has directed music videos by artists such as Jet, The Veronicas, Fuel, Stereophonics, The Donnas, Justin Timberlake, Nine Inch Nails, Miley Cyrus, Gnarls Barkley and Crowded House...

 (who also directed Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...

' "Break the Ice") and Robin Thicke himself. On August 8, 2008, the video debuted on 106 & Park at number 9, and has currently peaked at number 6 and is still climbing. BET J placed it at #20 on the year-end Last Call 2008! Top 50 Countdown.

It is an example of many contemporary music videos which have a blend of modern day computer effects along with dance moves of the past. This is shown in one scene as Robin Thicke uses a replica set to the one dance legend Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...

 used when singing to "Puttin' on the Ritz
Puttin' on the Ritz
"Puttin' on the Ritz" is a popular song written and published in 1929 by Irving Berlin and introduced by Harry Richman in the musical film Puttin' on the Ritz . The title derives from the slang expression "putting on the Ritz," meaning to dress very fashionably. The expression was inspired by the...

". He also uses several similar steps to the ones that Fred Astaire used in the original video.

Speaking of the video in October 2008 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning "Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern Soul....

", Robin stated: "For the song I just wanted to celebrate that feeling that gave people hope and made them feel good on the inside. And, with its vibe being about the endless possibilities in life and with space being the final frontier, for the video I just thought that seeing people lying on the moons and controlling the universe suited that theme of bravado very well."

Remixes

The official remix is a duet remix with R&B singer Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...

 and is called "Magic Touch (NYC Remix)". There are other remixes using the original version by Freeway
Freeway (rapper)
Leslie Edward Pridgen , better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper. Best known for his tenure on Roc-A-Fella Records and his affiliation with Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, he is recognized by his high-pitched delivery and for the long beard he keeps due to his Muslim faith...

 & T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....

. There is an unofficial Mick Boogie Remix featuring Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

. The remix uses the first verse from Jay-Z's American Gangster
American Gangster
American Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Steve Zaillian. The film is based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning...

. Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....

 produced a remix of "Magic Touch" featuring Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...

 & Wale
Wale
A wale is a broad, thick plank around the outside of a wooden ship.The garboard is the wale next to the keel; the gunwale is the top such plank and covers the heads of the timbers between the main and fore drifts....

. Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...

 did a remix of the remixed version, "Magic Touch".

Versions

  • "Magic" (album version) – 3:53
  • "Magic" (radio edit) – 3:35
  • "Magic" (a cappella) – 3:24
  • "Magic" (instrumental) – 3:54
  • "Magic" (Movement Soul Remix) – 5:38
  • "Magic" (Remix featuring Freeway
    Freeway (rapper)
    Leslie Edward Pridgen , better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper. Best known for his tenure on Roc-A-Fella Records and his affiliation with Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, he is recognized by his high-pitched delivery and for the long beard he keeps due to his Muslim faith...

    ) – 3:36
  • "Magic" (Remix featuring T.I.
    T.I.
    Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....

    ) – 3:18
  • "Magic Touch" (featuring Mary J. Blige
    Mary J. Blige
    Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...

    ) (NYC Remix Radio Mix) – 3:37
  • "Magic Touch" (featuring Mary J. Blige) (NYC Remix Extended) – 3:52
  • "Magic Touch" (featuring Mary J. Blige) (Moto Blanco Radio Mix) – 3:20
  • "Magic Touch" (featuring Mary J. Blige) (Moto Blanco Club Mix) – 7:32
  • "Magic Touch" (featuring Mary J. Blige) (Moto Blanco Dub Mix) – 7:18
  • "Magic Touch" (featuring Mary J. Blige) (Mark Ronson
    Mark Ronson
    Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....

    Remix featuring Wale) – 3:52
  • "Magic Touch" (featuring Mary J. Blige) (Remix featuring Rick Ross) – 3:55
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