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A Kind of Magic (song)

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"A Kind of Magic"
UK single picture sleeve
Single by Queen
from the album A Kind of Magic
B-side
Released17 March 1986
Length
  • 4:25 (7-inch album version)
  • 3:37 (A Kind of A Kind of Magic version)
  • 6:23 (12-inch extended version)
  • 4:10 (original Highlander version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Roger Taylor
Producer(s)
Queen singles chronology
"One Vision"
(1985) 		"A Kind of Magic"
(1986) 		"Princes of the Universe"
(1986)
Music video
"A Kind of Magic" on YouTube

"A Kind of Magic" is the title track of the 1986 album of the same name by the British rock band Queen. It was written by the band's drummer, Roger Taylor, for the film Highlander and featured as the ending theme. The single reached number three in the UK Singles Chart, the top 10 in a number of European countries, and number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song is the opening track on the band's compilation albums, Greatest Hits II, and Classic Queen.[1]

Recording

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Highlander

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The phrase "a kind of magic" is used in Highlander by Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) as a description of his immortality. Roger Taylor liked the phrase so much that he used it as inspiration for the song. There are references to the film in the lyrics: "one prize, one goal"; "no mortal man"; and "there can be only one". The single's cover art features an image of Clancy Brown in character as the film's villain, The Kurgan.

Composition

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Taylor wrote the song, which originally appeared in the movie Highlander. Brian May described this original version as "quite lugubrious and heavy".[2] For the album version, Freddie Mercury created a new bass line, added instrumental breaks, and changed the song's order to make it more chart friendly. Mercury and David Richards produced this new version.[3]

In a radio interview in September 2017, Chris Rea claimed that he performed the finger clicks with which the song opens.[4]

Critical reception

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Upon its release, Howard Johnson of Kerrang! believed that "A Kind of Magic" would be a hit, but noted how, like the band's 1984 hit "Radio Ga Ga", it is "overloaded with keyboards, [leaving] poor guitarist Brian May once again reduced to a supporting role".[5] Mike Gardner of Record Mirror remarked that the band "plod through 'Radio Ga Ga' territory without any pretensions to anything as lowly as a song". He added that it is "rescued from total evaporation by Freddie's spirited vocals and some marvellous, but all too brief, guitar pyrotechnics from Brian May".[6] Karen Swayne of Number One gave the single a one out of five star rating, calling it "really, really boring".[7]

In the US, Cash Box commented how it "simmers and teases with tastes of classic Queen trademarks – stacked vocals and harmony lead guitar parts".[8] Nancy Erlich, writing for Billboard, suggested that the "rolling little rhythm item" would help the band "overcome its recent career slump". The reviewer added that the "bombast level is noticeably reduced, and the beat's just right for summer".[9] Dave Sholin of the Gavin Report also believed the song would change the band's "top 40 cold streak" and commented on how the "mercurial vocals and demon bass line showcase this exceptional Roger Taylor song". He concluded, "They've not had a song with this kind of symmetry in half a decade and, on the verge of becoming a self-parody, they pull it out of the fire".[10]

Music video

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The music video for this song was directed by Russell Mulcahy, director of Highlander. Brian May did not use his famous Red Special guitar in the music video, but instead a 1984 copy. In the video, Mercury is dressed as a magician type figure. He enters an abandoned theatre (The Playhouse Theatre in London) where May, Taylor and John Deacon (all dressed as stereotypical tramps) are asleep until awakened by Mercury's entrance. Mercury transforms the hobos into the Queen members, dressed regularly with their instruments, then back to hobos again as he leaves. Throughout the video, cartoon images dance to the beat of the song which were produced by The Walt Disney Company.[citation needed] As May later remembered, the theater was old and derelict, and lacking central heating, so the band were quite cold during the March filming.

Live performances

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The song was a live favourite on The Magic Tour of the same year, which proved to be Queen's last tour before the death of Freddie Mercury. Taylor often included the song in solo set lists, and those with his band The Cross. On the Rock the Cosmos Tour of Europe, Taylor took lead vocals for the song at some concerts.

Legacy

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The single was certified platinum in Brazil for more than 100,000 digital downloads of the single.[11]

Queen's compilations The Platinum Collection, Classic Queen, and Greatest Hits II all make an unsubstantiated claim that the song was a number-one hit in 35 countries.[12]

Musical theatre actress Elaine Paige recorded the song on her album of Queen covers The Queen Album in 1988.[13]

The song serves as the theme song and title inspiration for the 2008 French animated television series A Kind of Magic.

In May 2022, South Korean boy group Enhypen was chosen as the 2022 Coke summer campaign artist for the brand's "Coke x Music. Engrave the Magic of Summer" message. The group performed the song on 8 June through Coke Studio and the result was released digitally on streaming platforms.[14]

A cover of the song by Danna Paola, Felukah, and Tamtam was featured in the 2022 FIFA World Cup official songs with added lyrics in Spanish and Arabic.[15]

Personnel

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Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[41] Platinum 60,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[42] Gold 45,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[43]
sales since 2009 		Gold 25,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[44] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[45]
sales since 2011 		Platinum 600,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Queen Album: Classic Queen Archived 27 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine MTV. Retrieved 2 July 2011
  2. ^ Purvis, Georg (2011). Queen Complete Works. London: Titan Books. p. 209.
  3. ^ "A Kind Of Magic by Queen Songfacts". Songfacts. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
  4. ^ "Chris Rea about finger clicks in 'A Kind Of Magic'. Bob Fischer Sits In, BBC Tees, 12.09.2017 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  5. ^ Johnson, Howard (3 April 1986). "Short Kutz". Kerrang!. No. 117. p. 45. ISSN 0144-5774.
  6. ^ Gardner, Mike (22 March 1986). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 16. ISSN 0144-5804.
  7. ^ Swayne, Karen (22 March 1986). "Singles". Number One. No. 144. p. 46.
  8. ^ "Single Releases: Feature Picks". Cash Box. Vol. 49, no. 53. 21 June 1986. p. 11. ISSN 0008-7289.
  9. ^ Erlich, Nancy (21 June 1986). "Reviews: Singles". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 25. Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510.
  10. ^ Sholin, Dave (6 June 1986). "Dave Sholin's Personal Picks - Singles". The Gavin Report. No. 1609. p. 57.
  11. ^ ABPD | Associaçăo Brasileira de Produtores de Disco Archived 17 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Jenkins, Jim; Smith, Jacky; Davis, Andy; Symes, Phil (2000). The Platinum Collection (CD booklet). Queen. Parlophone. p. 11. 7243 5 29883 2 7.
  13. ^ "The Queen Album". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  14. ^ "ENHYPEN、Coke Summerキャンペーンアーティストに Queen名曲カバー6・8配信". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  15. ^ Hernandez, Jeanette (3 November 2022). "Danna Paola, Tamtam & Felukah Talk About their World Cup Song Collaboration". Remezcla. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  16. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ^ "Queen – A Kind of Magic" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  18. ^ "Queen – A Kind of Magic" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0716." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  20. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 19. 17 May 1986. p. 12.
  21. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  22. ^ "Queen – A Kind of Magic" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  23. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Kind of Magic". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  24. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 18, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  25. ^ "Queen – A Kind of Magic" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  26. ^ "Queen – A Kind of Magic". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  27. ^ "SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Songs J–L". rock.co.za. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  28. ^ "Queen – A Kind of Magic". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  29. ^ "Queen: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  30. ^ "Queen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  31. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Queen – A Kind of Magic" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  32. ^ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  33. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  35. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles: Hot 100 of the Year 1986". Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 28.
  36. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  37. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  38. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986" (in German). Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  39. ^ "Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England. 24 January 1987. p. 24.
  40. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1986" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  41. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Queen – A Kind of Magic" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  42. ^ "Danish single certifications – Queen – A Kind of Magic". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  43. ^ "Italian single certifications – Queen – A Kind of Magic" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  44. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Queen – A Kind of Magic". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  45. ^ "British single certifications – Queen – A Kind of Magic". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
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