‘Magic Man’ is a song by the American rock band Heart released as a single off their debut album, Dreamboat Annie. Written and composed by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by an older man (referred to as a Magic Man), much to the disapproval of her mother, who calls and begs the girl to come home. In an interview, Ann Wilson revealed that the "Magic Man" was her then boyfriend, band manager Michael Fisher, and that part of the song was an autobiographical tale of the beginnings of their relationship. The line, "Come on home girl..." relates to Ann Wilson's mother. The line, "Try to understand, Mama, he's a magic man" is Ann's response. Wilson says her mother helped keep her grounded when she was being rather irrational and acting under the spell of her "magic man."
The album version of ‘Magic Man’ features an over-two-minute instrumental break which consists of a guitar solo and the usage of a Minimoog synthesizer, while the single version of the song edits out most of this break, cutting it down from 5:28 to 3:29.
‘Magic Man’ was originally released in Canada in June 1975 as the second single from the yet-to-be released Dreamboat Annie, the first single having been the folksy ‘How Deep It Goes’. ‘Magic Man’ spent 9 weeks on the RPM Singles Chart peaking at number 62 on August 16, 1975. The success of ‘Magic Man’ prompted the release of the album and, in March 1976, a third single, ‘Crazy on You’. After ‘Crazy on You’ had a chart run, ‘Magic Man’ gained popularity in new areas of the country almost a full year later and re-entered the RPM Singles Chart on September 11, 1976 for 14 weeks peaking at number 26 on October 30, 1976.
According to Ann and Nancy Wilson's autobiography Kicking and Dreaming, this hit climbed the charts thanks to a radio publicist who offered DJs drugs and prostitutes in return for airplay. "When we were out of the way he'd pass the DJ a gram of cocaine," recalled Nancy, "or the number of a hooker and say, 'She's yours, on Heart.'"
In the United States, ‘Magic Man’ received its first release in summer 1976, after the first US single ‘Crazy on You’ had introduced Americans to the group's sound. It became Heart's first top 10 hit, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 6, 1976. In the Netherlands and Belgium, ‘Magic Man’ was the first single released from the album, that being in late 1976, and it peaked at number 7 and 10, respectively, in early 1977. It was also successful in Australia where it peaked at number 6 while it reached number 26 in nearby New Zealand.
Label – Mushroom
Songwriters – Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson
Producer – Mike Flicker
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Cold late night, so long ago
When I was not so strong, you know
A pretty man came to me
Never seen eyes so blue
You know I could not run away, it seemed
We'd seen each other in a dream
Seemed like he knew me
He looked right through me, yeah
[Chorus]
"Come on home, girl", he said with a smile
"You don't have to love me yet, let's get high awhile
But try to understand
Try to understand
Try, try, try to understand
I'm a magic man"
[Verse 2]
Winter nights, we sang in tune
Played inside the months of moon
Never think of never
Let this spell last forever
Well, summer lover passed to fall
Tried to realize it all
Mama says she's worried
Growing up in a hurry, yeah
[Chorus]
"Come on home, girl", Mama cried on the phone
"Too soon to lose my baby yet, my girl should be at home"
But try to understand
Try to understand
Try, try, try to understand
He's a magic man, Mama
Ah, he's a magic man
[Chorus]
"Come on home, girl", he said with a smile
"I cast my spell of love on you, a woman from a child"
But try to understand
Try to understand
Oh, oh, oh
Try, try to understand
Try, try, try to understand
He's a magic man, oh yeah
Ooh, he got the magic hands
[Instrumental Break]
[Chorus]
"Come on home, girl", he said with a smile
"You don't have to love me yet, let's get high awhile"
But try to understand
Try to understand
Try, try, try to understand
He's a magic man
Yeah, oh