"IT'S MAGIC" first saw the light of day in Doris Day's first film for Warner Brothers, "Romance on the High Seas". Her version was the most popular, was a gold record and topped the Hit Parade for over 21 weeks. Here is how it was introduced in the film:
The song, written by Julie Styne and Sammy Cahn, was nominated for an Academy Award that year. It lost to "Buttons and Bows" (figure that one out!!!). It was covered by hundreds of artists that year, and throughout the years. Here are some of those other versions.
TONY BENNETT
GORDON MACRAE
SARAH VAUGHAN
DINAH WASHINGTON
DELLA REESE
TOM JONES
HOW ABOUT THIS VERY DIFFERENT VERSION COMPLETE WITH LIGHTED FOUNTAINS???
THE FINAL WORD????
WHEN THE SONG WAS RELEASED IN 1948, THE HIT VERSION BY DORIS DAY SOUNDED LIKE THIS, A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN IT SOUNDED IN THE FILM, BUT A GIGANTIC HIT AT THE TIME EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE TOP TEN COMPETITION COVER VERSIONS BY DICK HAYMES, GORDON MACRAE AND TONY MARTIN. THIS WAS THE ONE TO BUY:
IN 1952, COLUMBIA RECORDS RELEASED A SERIES OF SINGLE 45 RPM RECORDS OF VARIOUS STARS RE-RECORDING ONE OF THEIR ORIGINAL HITS. THEY TAPPED DORIS FOR "IT'S MAGIC", AND THE NEW VERSION FEATURED THE LUSH ORCHESTRATION OF PERCY FAITH
IN 1972, DORIS DID HER FIRST TELEVISION SPECIAL CALLED "THE DORIS MARY ANN KAPPELHOFF SPECIAL". HER GUEST STAR WAS PERRY COMO, AND SHE DID A LOT OF SINGING BOTH ALONE AND WITH PERRY. AT THE END OF THE SHOW, SHE DID STANDUP VERSIONS OF BOTH "SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY" AND "IT'S MAGIC". THE VIDEO BELOW HAS EXCERPTS FROM THIS SPECIAL. YOU CAN HEAR HER SING MANY OF HER TOP SONGS BUT IF YOU DIAL TO 1:10 MINUTES, YOU WILL HEAR THE DEFINITIVE VERSION OF THIS SONG TWENTY SOME YEARS LATER...AND THE MAGIC IS STILL DORIS DAY!
And after all is said and done....there are still other versions....because the songs keeps being revived...Here are more: