"We Must Believe in Magic" is a song written by Allen Reynolds and Bob McDill[1] and originally released by Crystal Gayle on her fourth studio album We Must Believe in Magic (1977).[2]
| "We Must Believe in Magic" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Crystal Gayle | |
| from the album We Must Believe in Magic | |
| Released | 1977 |
| Genre | Country |
| Songwriter(s) | Allen Reynolds, Bob McDill |
| Audio | |
| "We Must Believe in Magic" on YouTube | |
In 1978, it was covered by Jack Clement on his album All I Want to Do in Life.[1][3]
In his book on Johnny Cash, who recorded this song on a Jack Clement–produced album in the 1980s, John M. Alexander describes "We Must Believe in Magic" as a "whimsical piece of sound advice to hold on to our ability to always believe in magic and the guiding hand."[1]
The metaphorical ship bound for Alpha Centauri is filled with a crew of "dreamers and poets and clowns." And that's essentially how [Johnny] Cash and [Jack] Clement viewed themselves. They were the dreamers who believed in the music and, ultimately, had the universe at their command. [Allen] Reynolds recalls that the song was about Jack [Clement] and the label they started together, J-M-I Records. When he and McDill first wrote it they called it "The Company Song." And the magic appears to have worked because J-M-I achieved success when they released the first two Don Williams albums.
— John M. Alexander. The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash[1]
Johnny Cash version
edit| "We Must Believe in Magic" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Johnny Cash | ||||
| from the album The Adventures of Johnny Cash | ||||
| B-side | "I'll Cross over Jordan Someday" | |||
| Released | January 1983[4] | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | Columbia 38-03524 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Allen Reynolds, Bob McDill | |||
| Producer(s) | Jack Clement[5] | |||
| Johnny Cash singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "We Must Believe in Magic" on YouTube | ||||
Johhny Cash covered the song on his Jack Clement–produced 1982 album The Adventures of Johnny Cash.[2][1]
Released as the last of three singles from it, his version reached number 84 on U.S. Billboard's country chart for the week of February 26, 1983.[6][7][8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Must Believe in Magic" | A. Reynolds, B. McDill | 2:32 |
| 2. | "I'll Cross over Jordan Someday" | P. Chandler | 2:53 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 84 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Alexander, John M. (2018-04-10). The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash. University of Arkansas Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-68226-051-7.
- ^ a b "Cover versions of We Must Believe in Magic by Crystal Gayle". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ "Jack Clement – All I Want To Do In Life (1978, Specialty Pressing, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1978. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ "We Must Believe In Magic". Johnny Cash official site. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ a b "JJohnny Cash - We Must Believe In Magic | Releases". Discogs. 1983. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
JOHNNY CASH WE MUST BELIEVE IN MAGIC -A. Reynolds - B. McDill- Taken From The Columbia Lp: "THE ADVENTURES OF JOHNNY CASH" FC 38094 Produced by Jack Clement // JOHNNY CASH I'LL CROSS OVER JORDAN ONE DAY -P. Chandler- Taken From The Columbia Lp: "THE ADVENTURES OF JOHNNY CASH" FC 38094 Produced by Jack Clement
- ^ Banister, C. Eric (2014-08-01). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 287. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2.
- ^ "Johnny Cash". Billboard.
- ^ "Hot Country Songs Chart (The week of February 26, 1983)". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
- ^ Smith, John L. (1994). The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 11. ISBN 9780313295065.
- ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
External links
edit- "We Must Believe in Magic" on the Johnny Cash official website