''It Must Be Magic'' is the fourth studio album by

Teena Marie Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before taking the sta ...

, released on May 14, 1981. It was her last album for

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

and the highest-selling of Marie's tenure with Motown. The album peaked at No. 2 on the US Black Albums chart and No. 23 on the Pop Albums chart. Lead single "

Square Biz "Square Biz" is a 1981 song by American R&B singer, Teena Marie. Bass player and frequent collaborator Allen McGrier is credited as the co-writer along with Marie. The song was released as a single from the album ''It Must Be Magic'', and became on ...

" became her most commercially successful for the label - peaking at No. 3 on Billboard's Black Singles chart and No. 12 on Billboard's Club Play Singles, while performing moderately on Billboard's Pop Singles, peaking at No. 50, becoming her second single to chart on the Pop Singles chart. This was followed up by No. 30 US Black Singles success for the title track, featuring label mates

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

, and the

Quiet storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album ''A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Lin ...

classic "Portuguese Love". Like '' Irons in the Fire'', it was fully written and produced by Marie herself, and received a positive critical reception, earning the album a nomination for

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

at the

1982 Grammy Awards The 24th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1982, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and were broadcast live on American television. The event recognized the accomplishments of musicians during the year 1981. Quincy Jones was the ...

. In 2002, the album was re-released in a remastered and expanded CD edition containing three additional tracks (two of which were recorded during a live concert in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

Track listing

All songs written by Teena Marie, except where noted. # "It Must Be Magic" – 6:03 # "Revolution" – 4:27 # "Where's California" – 5:24 # "365" – 4:10 # "Opus III (Does Anybody Care)" – 1:27 # "

" (Marie, Allen McGrier) – 6:40 # "The Ballad of Cradle Rob and Me" (Marie, Jill D. Jones) – 3:24 # "Portuguese Love" – 7:17 # "Yes Indeed" – 4:57 Bonus tracks - 2002 Expanded Edition # "Square Biz nstrumental – 6:40 (expanded edition) # "

Someday We'll All Be Free "Someday We'll All Be Free" is a 1973 song by Donny Hathaway from the album '' Extension of a Man''. The song was released as the flipside to the single "Love, Love, Love." Though the song was only released as an uncharted A-side, it is considere ...

" (

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

/Edward Howard) – 1:57 (expanded edition - live recording) # "Déjà Vu" (

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...

) – 12:26 (expanded edition - live recording)

Personnel

- Lead and Backing Vocals, Synthesizer *

Patrice Rushen Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist and R&B singer. She is also a composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director. Her 1982 single "Forget Me Nots" received a Grammy Awar ...

, Scott Markus DeTurk, James S. Stewart Jr. - Keyboards * Allen McGrier, Oscar Alston, Charles A. Glenn Jr. - Bass * Tom McDermott, Josef Andre Parson - Guitar * Paul Hines - Drums * Bill Wolfer, Allen McGrier - Synthesizer * Lloyd Lindroth - Harp * Daniel LeMelle - Saxophone *

Gerald Albright Gerald Albright is an American jazz saxophonist. He earned Grammys for 24/7 in 2012 and Slam Dunk in 2014 and has been nominated for New Beginnings in 2008 and for Sax for Stax in 2009. Biography Born in Los Angeles, Albright grew up in its ...

- Saxophone, Tenor Flute * John Ervin - Trombone, Flute * Eric Butler, Kenneth Scott - Trumpet * Cliff Ervin, Roy Poper - Piccolo Trumpet *

, Diedra Joseph, Glenn Carl Leonard, Jackie Ruffin, Jill D. Jones,

Melvin Franklin David Melvin English (October 12, 1942 – February 23, 1995) better known by the stage name Melvin Franklin, or his nickname "Blue", was an American bass singer. Franklin was best known for his role as a founding member of Motown singing g ...

, Mickey Boyce Hearn,

Otis Williams Otis Williams (born Otis Miles Jr.; October 30, 1941) is an American baritone singer.Ribowsky, Mark (2010). ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Endearing Soul of the Temptations''. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 7–9 He is o ...

, Julia Waters, Maxine Waters,

Pattie Brooks Pattie Brooks (sometimes credited as Patti Brooks and Patty Brooks) is an American singer most frequently associated with the disco era. She was born in Fort Riley, Kansas to a military family. Her first break came in 1968 when she auditioned fo ...

, Anthony Brockert, Christopher Anthony Boehme, Diedra Joseph, Dwayne Wedlan, Ginny Pallante, Grayland Taylor, Ray Townsend - Backing Vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

Certifications

Later Samples

* "Square Biz" ** "

Firm Biz "Firm Biz" is the first and only single by the hip hop supergroup The Firm from their singular collaborative LP '' The Album''. The song was produced by L.E.S, who based the song's track on a sample of Teena Marie's 1981 hit " Square Biz". "Firm ...

" by

The Firm The FIRM (stylized as The FIRM) is a brand of exercise videos and equipment currently owned by Gaiam. The original "The FIRM" videos are best known for popularizing a hybrid of aerobic exercise and weight training. History In 1979, Anna Bens ...

from their self-titled album ** "Crip Hop" by

Tha Eastsidaz Tha Eastsidaz is a hip hop trio consisting of Snoop Dogg, Tray Deee and Goldie Loc. Their first appearance was on Tommy Boy Records' ''The Ride: Music from Dimension'' with Crooked Eye Q on a Battlecat-produced song called "Feels So Good" in 19 ...

from the album '' Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way'' ** "Love U So" by

Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his mononym Mase (formerly Murda Mase and stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper and minister. In the late 1990s, he recorded on the Bad Boy Records label alongside its founder Sean ...

from the album

Harlem World ''Harlem World'' is the debut album by American hip hop recording artist Mase, released on October 28, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album was nominated at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It went on to sell 4.8 ...

* "Portuguese Love" ** "Child of the Night" ft. Nate Dogg by

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

from

The Red Light District ''The Red Light District'' is the fourth studio album from American rapper Ludacris. The album was released on December 7, 2004, through Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam Recordings, and was eventually certified double platinum by the RIAA. It d ...

External links

Teena Marie-It Must Be Magic at Discogs

References

{{Authority control Teena Marie albums 1981 albums Motown albums