"Magnet and Steel" is a hit single written and performed by

Walter Egan Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

, released in March 1978. It was the first and biggest hit on Egan's second solo LP, ''Not Shy''. It reached number eight on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number nine in Canada. It spent 22 weeks on the American charts.

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

and

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...

, members of

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

, sang background vocals along with several others; Buckingham was also one of the song's producers, along with Egan and

Richard Dashut Richard Charles Dashut (born September 19, 1951) is an American record producer who produced several Fleetwood Mac albums including '' Rumours'', ''Tusk'', '' Live'', '' Mirage'', ''Tango in the Night'', and ''Time''. Dashut was born in West ...

. Nicks was also Egan's inspiration for the song.

Later uses

"Magnet and Steel" was featured in ''

Boogie Nights ''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American period comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic fil ...

'' (1997), ''

Overnight Delivery ''Overnight Delivery'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Jason Bloom. It stars Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon as a college student and a stripper who take a road trip across America to retrieve a package that had been impulsiv ...

'' (1998), and '' Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo'' (1999). It was also heard in the Season 2 episode "Ohio" of the HBO series ''Divorce'' (2018) and in the film

This is 40 ''This Is 40'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. A " sort-of sequel" to Apatow's 2007 film ''Knocked Up'', the movie centers on married couple Pete (Rudd) and Debbie ...

. The singer

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

did a version of the song for the ''

Sabrina the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional character, fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo ...

'' album with

on guitar.

Personnel

– lead vocals, guitar *

– guitars, background vocals *

, Annie McLoone – background vocals * John Selk – bass guitar, background vocals *

Tom Moncrieff Sinai 48 is an American band formed in 2006 consisting of Alex Helene (vocals), Ananiah McCarrell (guitars and synthesizers), Gary "Hoppy" Hodges (drums and percussion), and Tom Moncrieff (bass and digital editing). The latter two were formerl ...

– guitar, background vocals *

Stephen Hague Stephen Hague (born 1960) is an American record producer most active with various British acts since the 1980s. Early life Hague was born in Portland, Maine in 1960. Early career Hague started his musical career in the mid-1970s as a session k ...

– keyboards, vocals * Mike Hurt – drums, percussion

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

Listen to "Magnet and Steel" (Audio)
{{authority control 1978 singles 1978 songs Columbia Records singles Polydor Records singles Songs written by Walter Egan Song recordings produced by Richard Dashut American soft rock songs Stevie Nicks songs Lindsey Buckingham songs