"Magic" is a song by American
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
recording artist
B.o.B, released on June 7, 2010, as the fifth single from his debut studio album ''
B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray'' (2010). The track features
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...
's lead singer
Rivers Cuomo, singing the chorus. It was written by both artists, alongside the song's producer
Dr. Luke. In the UK, the track made Radio 1's B-Playlist.
Composition
"Magic", a hip hop song, is written in the key of
B major with a
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 82 beats per minute in
common time
A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...
. The song follows a chord progression of B
5–E
5–G
5–F
5, and the vocals in the song span from D
3 to F
4.
Reception
Despite mixed reviews, the song progressed up and down the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching number 10 at its peak.
''Billboard'' gave it a positive review, saying, "The song's strongest force is an infectious, throbbing synth-guitar hook from Dr. Luke, who seamlessly fuses B.o.B's verses with a chorus by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo that demands a singalong. The result is stellar." The reviewer at TinyMixtapes.com said that "'Magic' is magnificently, triumphantly corny, enough to give
Steve Miller and that guy from
The Outfield
The Outfield were an English pop rock band formed in London in 1984. The band achieved success in the mid-1980s and are best remembered for their hit single "Your Love (The Outfield song), Your Love". The band's lineup consisted of guitarist J ...
a run for their money. 'Magic' isn't good by any stretch of the imagination, but it is goofily enjoyable."
In his album review for ''
Spin'', Kenny Herzog wrote, "The Adventures of Bobby Ray is a hip-hop ''
Scary Movie
''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon Wayans, Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon ...
'', tossing off references (
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chr ...
sample, Rivers Cuomo cameo) while struggling to establish a distinctive identity." Pitchfork questioned "the appearance by Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, whose creepily blank vocals on 'Magic' sound like the engineer has a gun to his head". ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''s Paul MacInnes wrote that "all the
Chris Martinesque piano lines and calibrated guest appearances – from Weezer's River Cuomo to
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...
– can't obscure an absence of soul throughout."
Music video
The music video was released on
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
at midnight on September 3, 2010. The video features B.o.B trying to wake himself up from a dream. He was also performing with
Rivers Cuomo in the video on a stage at a wild party. In addition,
Paul Iacono from the MTV show ''
The Hard Times of RJ Berger'' is featured dancing on stage. The video was directed by
Sanaa Hamri.
[Rodriguez, Jayson (September 3, 2010)]
"B.O.B IS LIVING THE DREAM IN 'MAGIC' VIDEO -- WATCH IT HERE!"
MTV.
Track listing
# "Magic" - 3:16
# "Mellow Fellow" - 2:58
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
In other media
* The Treblemakers, an all-male a cappella group in ''
Pitch Perfect'', sang the song in their finale performance.
*
Becky G
Rebbeca Marie Gomez (born March 2, 1997), known professionally as Becky G, is an American singer and actress. Born and raised in Inglewood, California, she first gained recognition in 2011 for her cover version, cover versions of popular song ...
recorded a new version of the song for ''
The Smurfs 2'' soundtrack called "Magik 2.0", featuring singer
Austin Mahone. It was produced by A.C.
*
References
{{Authority control
2010 songs
2010 singles
B.o.B songs
Rivers Cuomo songs
Atlantic Records singles
Grand Hustle Records singles
Song recordings produced by Dr. Luke
Songs written by B.o.B
Songs written by Dr. Luke
Songs written by Rivers Cuomo
Pop-rap songs