1986 single by Queen
"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, top ten in a number of European countries, and #42 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[1] The song is the opening track on the band's compilation albums, Greatest Hits II, and Classic Queen.[2]
Recording
Highlander
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
Taylor wrote the song, which originally appeared in the movie Highlander. Brian May described this original version as "quite lugubrious and heavy".[3] 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.[4]
In a radio interview in September 2017, Chris Rea claimed that he performed the finger clicks with which the song opens.[5]
Music video
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.
Legacy
The single was certified platinum in Brazil for more than 100,000 digital downloads of the single.[6]
Queen's compilations The Platinum Collection, Classic Queen, and Greatest Hits II all make an unsubstantiated claim that the song reached #1 in 35 countries around the world,[7] but it reached number one in Spain in 1986, the only country where it topped the charts.[8]
Musical theatre actress Elaine Paige recorded the song on her album of Queen covers The Queen Album in 1988.[9]
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 June 8 through Coke Studio and the result was released digitally on streaming platforms.[10]
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