This Magic Moment
"This Magic Moment" is a song composed by lyricist Doc Pomus and pianist Mort Shuman.[2] It was first recorded by The Drifters, with Ben E. King singing lead.
| "This Magic Moment" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  | ||||
| Single by The Drifters[1] | ||||
| B-side | "Baltimore" | |||
| Released | January 28, 1960 | |||
| Recorded | December 23, 1959 | |||
| Studio | Bell Sound (New York City) | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B | |||
| Length | 2:28 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman | |||
| Producer(s) | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | |||
| The Drifters[1] singles chronology | ||||
| 
 | ||||
| "This Magic Moment" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  | ||||
| Single by Jay and the Americans | ||||
| from the album Sands of Time | ||||
| A-side | "Since I Don't Have You" | |||
| Released | October 28, 1968 | |||
| Recorded | October 16, 1968 | |||
| Studio | O.D.O. Recorders, New York City, N.Y. | |||
| Genre | Blue-eyed soul | |||
| Length | 3:03 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman | |||
| Producer(s) | Jay and the Americans | |||
| Jay and the Americans singles chronology | ||||
| 
 | ||||
Original Drifters version
    
It was recorded first by Ben E. King and the Drifters, at Bell Sound Studios in New York City.[1] The Drifters version spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 16 on April 2, 1960.[3]
Chart history
    
| Chart (1960) | Peak position | 
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 16 | 
| US Billboard R&B | 4 | 
| US Cash Box Top 100[5] | 9 | 
| CAN (CHUM Charts Hit Parade)[6] | 20 | 
Jay and the Americans version
    
In 1968, Jay and the Americans released a version of the song, which became the song's most widely successful release. Their version spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 6 on March 1, 1969,[7] while reaching No. 1 on Canada's "RPM 100"[8] and No. 11 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart.[9] The song also debuted at No. 4 in the first issue of RPM's "Young Adult" adult contemporary chart.[10] The single earned gold record status from the Recording Industry Association of America.[11]
Chart history
    
| Weekly charts
 | Year-end charts
 
 | 
In popular culture
    
The original version of the song was used in the following productions:
- The Sandlot, the 1993 sports comedy film directed by David M. Evans
- "Soprano Home Movies", an episode of The Sopranos
- "This Magic Moment", a documentary film from ESPN's 30 for 30 about the Orlando Magic
- "Selena Gomez/Post Malone", an episode from the 47th season of Saturday Night Live, in a sketch about the invention of the whoopee cushion
Lou Reed's version, from a Doc Pomus tribute album, Till the Night is Gone, was featured in David Lynch's film Lost Highway (1997).
References
    
- Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 14 – Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 4]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
- Doc Pomus – Biography at AllMusic. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- The Drifters – Chart History – The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed May 21, 2016
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 2, 1960
- "CHUM Hit Parade - March 21, 1960".
- Jay & the Americans – Chart History – The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed May 21, 2016
- "R.P.M. 100", RPM Weekly, Volume 11, No. 2, March 10, 1969. Accessed May 21, 2016
- Jay & the Americans – Chart History – Adult Contemporary, Billboard.com. Accessed May 21, 2016
- "Young Adult", RPM Weekly, Volume 11, No. 4, March 24, 1969. Accessed May 21, 2016
- Gold & Platinum, RIAA. Accessed May 21, 2016
- "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, March 15, 1969". Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
-  "Archived copy". www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Musicoutfitters.com
- "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1969". Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
