Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Everything is magic, nothing is magic. The natural world is such a startling place when we give it even a modicum of thought. The sperm fertilizes the egg, then one cell splits into two, then four, then 16–on and on until nine months later you’re holding a screaming, pooping, mini-me. The magic isn’t in the math, but this: Those cells don’t just divide, they know what to become. “I am an eyebrow cell.” “I am a pinky toe cell.” Mind boggling.

I guess the trick is really no more than remembering to look for the magic. It’s around us all the time, and not in a paranormal way but rather in an incredibly normal manner. “We are stardust / We are golden/ We are billion year old carbon” wrote the great Joni Mitchell. If that ain’t magic I don’t know what it is.

As for magic songs, there are so many tunes with “magic” in the title that I limited myself to truly deep cuts. When it’s your turn, don’t hesitate to pile on in the comments section with better known tracks. Ready? Here we go:

“Magic Potion,” Open Mind.

“Magic Garden,” Dusty Springfield.

“Magic Fingers,” Frank Zappa.

“Magic,” Shuggie Otis.

“Magic,” Rainbow.

“I Was Made To Love Magic,” Nick Drake.

“In the Morning of the Magicians,” Flaming Lips.

“This Magic Moment,” Lou Reed.

There you have it–eight songs about magic. What did I miss? I’m listening.