Song · The Cars
“Magic” by The Cars
From the album Heartbeat City (1984)
“Magic” by The Cars appears on 12 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1984 and 2023. It was first released in 1984 on the album Heartbeat City. Its best result is #24 on the 102.9 The Whale Rocktober: Scare 24. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #186 alternative song of 1984.
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Video from YouTube (RHINO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Magic" came out in May 1984 as the second single from Heartbeat City, the Cars' fifth album, on Elektra. Ric Ocasek wrote it and sings lead, with Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes and Benjamin Orr credited on vocals too; Easton and Ocasek play guitar, Hawkes keyboards, Orr bass and David Robinson drums. Robert John "Mutt" Lange produced with the band, and Mike Shipley mixed. It climbed to 12 on the Hot 100 and went all the way to the top of Billboard's Top Tracks chart.
The video throws a pool party for a crowd of comically unhinged guests, with Ocasek strolling across the water while the others try to follow and sink. The trick was a plexiglass platform hidden just under the surface, and the whole thing was shot at a house in Beverly Hills.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 102 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1984 | 106 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 294 | Big 100 | BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) | 500 |
| 2014 | 588 | Big 100 | BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2015 | 24 | 102.9 The Whale | 102.9 The Whale Rocktober: Scare 24 | 24 |
| 2016 | 306 | Big 100 | BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) | 500 |
| 2017 | 317 | Big 100 | BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) | 500 |
| 2018 | 318 | Big 100 | BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) | 500 |
| 2021 | 850 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2022 | 259 | 99.1 PLR | 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2022 | 404 | 97.1 The River | River 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2023 | 353 | 97 Rock | 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) | 500 |
| 2023 | 254 | 97.1 The Drive | 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) | 500 |
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