Ben Folds Five – Magic

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  General Comment:Sometimes a song can disappear for years, only to reveal itself later in your life.
  
  I've always liked this song, but could never fully appreciate the imagery in the lyrics until now. There is new input imprinted in my brain, and it will not leave (and I wouldn't want it to).
  
  You don't know how elegant and beautiful you are. But I'm happy you're happy.
  
  Sigh...

  Flag davidecoyoteon July 06, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:At the time I took the suicide interpretion, but nowadays I'd agree that the terminal illness interpretation makes more sense. When an old girlfriend and I broke up, this and "Yuko and Hiro" by Blur were the two songs I listened to for catharsis. LOVE the unresolved ending in this one. It works so well.

  Flag stygimolochon December 03, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:this song is so tragic! personally, i don't feel that it's about suicide but actually about the loss of a loved one after a terminal illness. he is exploring the spiritual side of life after death and feels this person with him often, maybe dreams of them. they meant everything to him.
  i lost my mom to cancer and this song reminds me of the whole experience so much. the first verse of the song describes someone who is too sick to benefit from life any longer. i feel her with me and dream of her often so this song hit me on a very personal level, as i'm sure it does with everyone in their own way.
  "you're the magic that holds the sky up from the ground
  you're the breath that blows these cool winds 'round" is my favourite part.
  so beautiful...

  Flag coolbeans9on July 22, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I cry every time I hear this because when I was 20, my dad passed away and I listened to this song (and album) a lot at the time. To me the lyrics were immediately obvious as a song about a person you loved who has died. I listen to it every year on his birthday. You'd think I would dislike a song that always makes me cry, but it's the good kind of sad where you remember loving the person, not the negative sadness of loss. The song is so sweet and heartfelt and melancholy without being actually being depressing or even that sad, and I really like that about it.

  Flag angrypuppyon July 13, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I think this song is a love song to a girl with brown eyes whos been going thorugh a rough time.

  Flag cole473on January 20, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I've always thought this was such a beautiful song, but the version on his latest 'University A Cappella' CD brought tears to my eyeys

  Flag sunbeamljon May 05, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:i believe its about viewing death as not so much a negative thing, as many see death as, but as the singer [or storyteller if you will] seeing the death of this person they love as inevitable and for the best. they may or may not want them to leave, but they cant stand to see the suffering or the change in them. they know that death would be the only thing that would end the pain.
  the suicide theme is debatable, and i suppose it could be interpreted as such, and thats how i have. but, it could also be about someone whos sick, or dying or even maybe just the metaphorical death of someone [eg: the death of their love, heart, mentality etc..]
  its obviously sad, and mournful, but magic is also celebratory, and maybe thats why its called magic? because its like a miracle, what with the "dance by the light of the moon" "stars in your eyes". maybe perhaps, it is saying that death is magical, or a miracle for some as it is for this loved one.

  Flag the_colour_of_aloneon July 21, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:to me, this reminds me of dropping acid.
  
  from the back of your big brown eyes
  i knew you'd be gone as soon as you could
  and i hoped you would
  we could see that you weren't yourself
  and the lines on your face did tell
  it's just as well
  you'd never be yourself again
  
  -basically sums up acid trip..Which is quite similar to death actually so either or...Cha know?

  Flag let_it_beon September 20, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:This is my all time favourite song ever. As soon as I heard it, Ben Folds Five became my favourite group, and Ben Folds is so clever with his songs (even though Darren wrote this one). I learnt to play it on the piano as soon as I could get the music...
  
  whenever I listen to this song, I dance around the room, its like the sound of Ben Folds' piano is just lifting me. I don't know if I'll ever be able to play it with the amazing sound he gets, but I can dream, right?
  
  I think with this song, its the piano that is what makes me smile every time I hear it, rather than the lyrics. The lyrics are great, and really powerful, but it was only after about 10 or 15 times of dancing around to it that I actually listened to the lyrics carefully. I am such a sucker for good piano music. And when a song is constructed and put together so beautifully, good lyrics are only an added bonus. So this song just takes the cake for me.

  Flag pianoman1723on June 20, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:I don't think it's about death or suicide, for me anyways. For me it's about I person who is going through a change, or tells someone something big and this is going to change their life majorly, and in a bad way. And with the stars dancing -- I think the person got an escape from going outside, near the stars, or something like that.

  Flag samanthabananaon December 13, 2006   Link

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