Magic

1974

Pilot

Pilot was actually a Scottish band that came into being in 1973 when former Bay City Rollers members David Payton and Billy Lyall decided to form their own group, and their #5-scoring One Hit Wonder is another song whose chorus is instantly recognizable to anyone who struggled their way to questionable wakefulness on a school-day morning in late 1974 or early 1975.

It's a simple, lighthearted , energetic little tune about nothing more serious than getting to laze around in bed as the early morning streams through the window. No hidden meanings, or complicated musical plot. Just a lot of fun, and, as noted, an instantly recognizable chorus. Listen to the instrumentals, though. Their hard edged, hard hitting precision forms a unique and pleasant contrast to the light-hearted lyrics.

'Magic' was released in November of '74, but didn't debut on the Billboard Hot 100 until April of 1975, when it hit the chart at #84. It cracked the top 20 two months later, on June 7^th, squeaking in at #20, then cracked the Top 10 three weeks after that at #9. It'd peak at #5 two weeks later, on July 12^th, and stay in the Top 10 for 4 weeks. 'Magic' finally dropped off the chart on August 16^th after a 20 week chart run.

Our neighbors to the north in Canada liked it even more than we did, taking it to # 1 on their charts. All of Us 70s Kids, be we American or Canadian, remember this one fondly. If you should happen to hear it on one of the Oldies stations...which you will...it's definitely a song that'll dredge up pleasant memories of hanging out with friends at the beach or pool or favorite Mid-Seventies teen hangouts as well as memories of lazy school mornings squeezing that last couple of minutes of sleep out before parents made the final breakfast call (Flipping the light in my room on and off as they did so in my case) and, even better, lazy weekend and summer mornings when you didn't have to wake up and could just lay there listening to the radio.

It still pops up pretty regularly on 107.3, here in Richmond, and for awhile there around 2009 or so, it even occasionally popped up on that good 'ol Richmond FM Top 40s stalwart, WRVQ...better known for the last 40 or so years as Q-94.

Say what?!?' You ask. Ahhh, Indeed, I say. Seventies music is timeless...and to prove it, it was covered by one of todays shining and rising stars...very appropriately, I might add, as the artist who covered it is also the young lady who portrayed one of the most popular...and loveliest...TV wizardesses of all time. The very lovely, very talented, and legitimately awesome Miss Selena Gomez covered 'Magic', changing the instrumentals a bit but staying true to the lyrics and melody, for Wizards of Waverly Place back in 2009. She did an awesome job with it, IMHO, cracking the Hot 100 when she did so. She also regularly performed it live when touring with her band, 'The Scene., usually winding up her concerts with it and getting the kids to join in on the final chorus. And yep...they joined in flawlessly. ' So yes, another generation will have 'OH Ho Ho it's MA-AGIC permanently embedded in their brains.

And that's a very very good thing...Our music's timeless and awesome, and I love it that a new generation enjoys it almost as much as we did.

So Enjoy! Magic, by Pilot!

As Bonus Numero Uno...Selena Gomez's version of Magic. Magic was the very first single she released...it was actually recorded for the Wizards of Waverly Place Movie...and she knocked it outa da park, IMHO!

Bonus Numero Dos...ran up on this 2011 live performance at The Concert of Hope by Selena Gomez and The Scene while I was looking for her version of the tune. She really gives 110 percent at her concerts, and one of the things her young fans love about Sel, as her fans and friends call her, is the fact that she truly and legitimately cares about them. This video shows it.