Black Magic (Little Mix song)
"Black Magic" is a song recorded by British girl group Little Mix, released in May 2015 through Syco Music and Columbia Records as the lead single from their third studio album, Get Weird (2015). The single received acclaim from music critics upon release, who praised it for its catchy sound and upbeat tempo, and comparisons were made with the songs from their debut album, DNA (2012).
"Black Magic"
"Black Magic" is a teen pop, and dance pop song with influences of 80s pop music. It topped the UK Singles Chart, the first Little Mix single to do so since "Wings" in 2012 and the first song by an all-female group to reach number one since Icona Pop released "I Love It" in 2013.[2] It remained at number one for three consecutive weeks, becoming the first song by a girl group to spend more than a single week at number one since "About You Now" by Sugababes in 2007. It was named the fifth-biggest selling girl group single in the UK by the Official Charts Company.[3]
Outside of the United Kingdom, it peaked within the top ten in six other music markets and charted in 16 additional countries. On the Billboard Hot 100, the single peaked at number 67, becoming the group's highest-charting single to date in the US. As of 2021, the song has been certified triple platinum in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and gold or higher in ten other countries, including diamond in Brazil. The song was nominated for Choice Love Song at the 2015 Teen Choice Awards, and for British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year at the 2016 Brit Awards. Billboard ranked the song as one of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. In October 2023, it became the first music video by a British girl group to reach one billion views on YouTube and made Little Mix the third girl group to reach this milestone.
Composition[edit]
On 13 September 2021, "Black Magic" is a dance-pop[18][19] and teen pop[20] song that runs for a total length of three minutes and thirty-one seconds.[21] It was written by Edvard Førre Erfjord, Henrik Michelsen, Ed Drewett and Camille Purcell, and was produced by the Norwegian production duo Electric, who previously worked on the group's second studio album. The song's rhythm is influenced by the sounds of the 1980s dance music. The song has a quick tempo of 112 beats per minute and is composed in the key of E major. The group's vocal range in the song runs from G#3 to E5.[20]
Talking about the song's message, the group said, "we are the girls with the secret potion and we're going to give it to all the other girls that want to get the man they want to get", with Pinnock adding that "It [the potion] is a metaphor for having confidence to get your man".[22][23]
Chart performance[edit]
On 17 July 2015, "Black Magic" entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Little Mix's first UK number-one since their 2012 single "Wings". It spent three consecutive weeks at number one, becoming the longest-running number-one by a girl group since "About You Now" by Sugababes in 2007.[40][41] In its first week, the song had combined sales of 112,684, including 1.19 million streams.[42][43] In its second week the song remained at number one and had combined sales of 65,720, including almost 1.88 million streams.[44] In its third week the song continued at number one with combined sales of 59,887, including 1.97 million streams.[40] On 13 November 2015, the song was certified platinum in the United Kingdom for combined sales exceeding 600,000, becoming the first single by a UK girl group in more than a decade to achieve a platinum certification.[45] The song was ranked as the sixth biggest summer song of 2015 by the Official Charts Company.[46]
On the Irish Singles Chart In 3 April 2023, "Black Magic" peaked at number three.[47] In Australia, the song debuted at number 25 on the Australian Singles Chart and peaked at number eight two weeks later.[48] The song also charted on both Ultratip Belgian airplay charts, where it peaked at number four and number 37 on the Flanders and Wallonia charts, respectively.[49][50] It also topped the European digital downloads chart.[51][52] On the Israeli television airplay chart, the song peaked at number five.[53]
In the United States, the song entered at number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending 29 August 2015, becoming the group's first entry on the chart since "Wings".[54] In its second week on the Billboard Hot 100, it climbed 31 spots to number 68;[55] it achieved a new peak of 67 in its third week on the Hot 100, becoming the group's highest charting US single to date.[56]
Cover versions[edit]
English singer Jess Glynne, who also worked with the group on their Get Weird album, covered the song on Capital FM as a part of Capital Live Sessions. It was released on Capital's YouTube channel on 11 September 2015.[101] English boy group, Concept covered the song and added a rap part.[102] Welsh singer-songwriter Greta Isaac, accompanied by her sisters, performed the song for Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2 as a part of Greta Isaacs Live in Session on 9 August 2015.[103]