Animal Magic (song)
| "Animal Magic" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Belouis Some | ||||
| from the album Belouis Some | ||||
| Released | September 1987[1] | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 4:33 | |||
| Label | Parlophone, Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Belouis Some, Guy Fletcher | |||
| Producer(s) | Gary Langan, Guy Fletcher | |||
| Belouis Some singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Animal Magic" is a song by English new wave musician Belouis Some, from his 1987 self-titled second album. Released as the second single from the album, the song reached No. 6 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart. A popular club remix appeared on the U.S. 12" release on Capitol Records, with remix and additional production by Justin Strauss and Murray Elias.[2]
On the CD compilation Retro:Active7 - Rare & Remixed (2010), Strauss and Elias mention in the liner notes how they thought the vocal delivery of "Animal Magic" was kind of New Order-ish and that "Bizarre Love Triangle" was dominating the clubs at the time, so they tried to bring that sound to the remix.
Critical reception
[edit]Upon its release, Roger Morton of Record Mirror described "Animal Magic" as a "pert little slice of softly-softly pop, with some winning birdy noises which totally fail to disguise Mr Some's painfully mannered vocal delivery". He added, "Belouis has a formidable talent for making everything he does sound third-hand. Johnny Morris should sue."[3] Norman Corbett of Aberdeen Press and Journal gave the single three out of four stars and commented, "Laid-back cut not sharp enough to pierce big time success. Pleasing enough sound from Some flows along but lacks bite. Profligate use of vocal talent."[4]
In the US, Billboard considered the song to be a "melodious and lucid pop number" with "nice production".[5] In a review of Belouis Some, Scott Benarde of The Palm Beach Post described the song as "dreamy".[6]
Track listing
[edit]- UK 12"
- A. "Animal Magic" (Extended Version)
- B1. "Animal Magic" (Radio Version)
- B2. "Aware of You"
- U.S. 12"
- A1. "Animal Magic" (Dance Vocal) (Remix, additional production: Justin Strauss & Murray Elias) - 6:58
- A2. "Animal Magic" (Jungle Mix) (Remix, additional production: Justin Strauss & Murray Elias) - 7:10
- B1. "Animal Magic" (Dub) (Remix, additional production: Justin Strauss & Murray Elias) - 6:10
- B2. "Aware of You" (Producer: Steve Thompson & Michael Barbiero) - 3:42
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Dance/Club Play Songs (Billboard)[7] | 6 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Index". Record Mirror. 5 September 1987. p. 3. ISSN 0144-5804.
- ^ Belouis Some - Animal Magic (Vinyl) at Discogs
- ^ Morton, Roger (3 October 1987). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 14. ISSN 0144-5804.
- ^ Corbett, Norman (12 September 1987). "Music: Reviews". Aberdeen Press and Journal.
- ^ "Single Reviews". Billboard. 19 September 1987.
- ^ Benarde, Scott (11 October 1987). "Enz of an era never too old to hit Y-NOT". The Palm Beach Post.
- ^ "Belouis Some". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-01-17.