“Playing With Magic” was created in response to an assignment at the BMI workshop in late 1991 to write a “Charm Song” for a musical theatre version of the movie “Big”.

At that time, “Big” was only three years old, having been released in 1988.  I enjoyed the film when I saw it in the theater.  Of course Tom Hanks was great, but the rest of the cast was right there with him.  In particular, Hanks and Elizabeth Perkins had great chemistry. 

They were charming together.

So, what is a “Charm Song”?  I had no idea at the time, aside from the obvious – presumably the song was intended to be charming, and therefore to “charm” the audience.  The google now tells me that in the BMI lexicon charm songs are “up-tempo, basically optimistic songs that aren’t about a laugh.” 

OK.  I can do that. 

I must have had to rent a VHS tape of “Big” to see it again.  I played the tape and found a perfect, obvious spot for a charm song.  Hanks’ character Josh has just gotten beaten up by Perkins’ character Susan’s boyfriend, and she’s patching him up.  Josh tells Susan she’s “nice” - and she KNOWS he’s telling the truth – she’s “nice” – and it’s a revelation. 

Susan sings about what she’s experiencing in Josh’s presence.  She’s “Playing With Magic.” 

It’s charming.

I wrote the tune.  I’d have to go back and look in my notebooks to see when I first found the title “Playing With Magic.”  It’s a GREAT title.  Jimmy Webb says that “Title” and “idea for the song” are pretty much synonymous, and I’m inclined to agree.  I worked my ass off on this thing.  I really wanted to do well, as my most recent BMI outing, my Blanche song “Monsters”, had pretty much failed (please see my page about my REAL Blanche song, Evening Star). 

At my first presentation of Playing With Magic nobody could hear the groove, as most of the downbeats were being played only by ghostly instruments sounding in my head.  Failure.  My rewrite mostly consisted of adding downbeats to the piano part.

For my rewrite presentation I was extremely fortunate to have Lisa _____, a talented composer – lyricist who also sang very well, sing Susan for me.  On Monday afternoon I took the Metro North from New Haven to Grand Central and a subway somewhere downtown for a quick rehearsal with Lisa. That night at BMI, I played my downbeats, Lisa totally nailed the vocal and brought the song home, and Playing With Magic was a triumph. 

Thank you Lisa!!!

My sister Dana Culligan lived in Avon Connecticut at the time, and drove down to New Haven to sing and record Playing With Magic with me in my music room on Foster Street.  We recorded on my little 4-Track cassette deck.  Live.  No overdubs.

Dana knows a charm song when she hears one, and gave me exactly what the song needed. 

Thank you Dana!!!

The recording I’m posting today is what Dana and I played together in either late 1991 or very early 1992.  I’ll also post a recording of the BMI presentation if I can find it and the mini-cassette’s quality is passable.

Playing With Magic is a very strong song.  Somebody should record it again. It will work. 

I know it.