“You Can Do Magic” by America
For starters, the vocalist is not referring to literal “magic” per se. Rather he is speaking to something like positivity thinking, i.e. the belief that your world can completely change for the better via an unforeseen miracle. Well he was such a skeptic, until falling in love with the addressee.
And now he realizes that magic, if you will, is in fact possible. For instance, he never conceptualized that sleeplessness and depression could actually be mitigated via the affection of that special someone. But as revealed in the chorus, being in love has resulted in the formerly unbelieving vocalist now being under the impression that anything is possible.
So of course at the end of the day, despite all of the fancy metaphors or what have you, this is very much a love song, one of those which asserts that the recipient has experienced a newfound lease on life resultantly. But let’s conclude by also saying that this one takes it to a whole ‘nother level, one in which being fully smitten has truly put the vocalist, disposition-wise, on top of the world.
Who wrote “You Can Do Magic”?
It was written by singer-songwriter Russ Ballard. In addition to composing it, Russ also produced it for America.
Release Date
The release date of “You Can Do Magic” was July the 6th, 1982. It came out as the first single from America’s album “View from the Ground” released during the same year.
Chart Performance
- #8 on US Billboard Hot 100
- #8 on US Top 40
Covers of “You Can Do Magic”
Ballard released his version of “You Can Do Magic” in 2020. This song has also been covered by other artists such as:
- John O’Banion
- Drew Seeley
Media Appearance(s)
This America classic appeared in Sonic’s commercial released in 2011. However, the lyrics were changed to include the company’s products. Sonic is an American fast food restaurant chain. Below is the Sonic advert in question:
The “View from the Ground” Album
America’s 10th album is titled “View from the Ground”. It was launched by Capitol Records on July 15, 1982. This album produced the singles below:
- “You Can Do Magic”
- “Right Before Your Eyes”
Let’s not be fooled. “You Can Do Magic” is a song written using double meaning. And just like the song “Magic”, sang by Olivia Newton John, is a song about Lucifer.
Lucifer?…wow, dude, you really have some unresolved issues don’t cha…A 2000 plus year old fable by illiterate
desert living hunter-gatherers still sways you? Really sad.
—-Rick…
This song like many others is about a powerful and magical love one experiences with a twin flame (twin soul).