You Can Do Magic
Written by Russ Ballard, ©1982
Found on View From The Ground, America In Concert (85), Ventura Highway And Other Favorites, The Very Best Of America, Encore: More Greatest Hits, Hourglass, America In Concert (95), You Can Do Magic, Premium Gold Collection, Centenary Collection, Greatest Hits, Live, Highway, Hits You Remember Live, The Definitive America, and The Complete Greatest Hits.

I never believed in things that I couldn't see
I said if I can't feel it then how can it be
No, no magic could happen to me
And then I saw you

I couldn't believe it, you took my heart
I couldn't retrieve it, said to myself
What's it all about
Now I know there can be no doubt

You can do magic
You can have anything that you desire
Magic, and you know
You're the one who can put out the fire

You know darn well
When you cast your spell you will get your way
When you hypnotize with your eyes
A heart of stone can turn to clay
Doo, doo, doo ...

And when the rain is beatin' upon the window pane
And when the night it gets so cold, when I can't sleep
Again you come to me
I hold you tight, the rain disappears
Who would believe it
With a word you dry my tears

You can do magic
You can have anything that you desire
Magic, and you know
You're the one who can put out the fire

You know darn well
When you cast your spell you will get your way
When you hypnotize with your eyes
A heart of stone can turn to clay
Doo, doo, doo ...

And If I wanted to
I could never be free
I never believed it was true
But now it's so clear to me

You can do magic
You can have anything that you desire
Magic, and you know
You're the one who can put out the fire

You know darn well
When you cast your spell you will get your way
When you hypnotize with your eyes
A heart of stone can turn to clay
Doo, doo, doo ...

You're the one who can put out the fire
You're the one who can put out the fire
You're the one who can put out the fire ...

Highway Highlight (from the box set booklet) Enter British singer/songwriter/producer Russ Ballard, formerly the lead vocalist for the band Argent ("Hold Your Head Up"). America had covered one of Ballard's tunes, "I Don't Believe In Miracles," on Alibi. This time he struck paydirt with the group with "You Can Do Magic." "Jim Morey found the song," Bunnell recalls. "When we listened to it, there wasn't even a hiccup; all three of us said, 'Whoa!' It turned out that Russ had written it specifically with us in mind. There wasn't a doubt in our minds that that was the single, and if that didn't make it, then something was really wrong." Beckley adds: "It sounded pretty good to us. He had written it for us, as I recall, and it had all of these Crosby, Stills & Nash-ish doo-doo-doots, which he probably figured were mandatory. Russ basically cut the track, and we flew over to London to sing it." "You Can Do Magic" lived up to America's expectations--its yearning melody and sleek production values showcased Beckley and Bunnell's seamless harmonies perfectly. The tune reached #8 on the Pop chart in October of '82, becoming their highest-charting single since "Sister Golden Hair." The song also did well in Europe and elsewhere, boosting the band's touring abroad. "In most people's minds, it was Comeback of the Year," says Beckley. "We were on the cover of trade magazines and all that stuff. Very exciting. We were happy to have a hit, absolutely."