A sunny 1960s spell recast as a late-career wink: hope, memory, and the simple joy of a great hook.
In David Cassidy’s catalogue, “Do You Believe in Magic” arrives not as a 1970s single but as a graceful surprise much later—his U.S. edition of the 21st-century compilation Then and Now (released April 30, 2002 in the U.S.; the U.K. edition landed earlier on October 1, 2001). Cassidy’s recording sits as track 3 on the U.S. configuration, a new cut folded among remakes and favorites; it wasn’t pushed as its own charting single, so it didn’t register a separate chart position. What did chart was the album itself: in Britain, Then and Now reached No. 5 and ultimately went Platinum, a reminder that the affection for Cassidy’s voice—bright, warm, undemanding—was still very much alive.
The choice of song is a small story worth savoring. “Do You Believe in Magic” was written by John Sebastian and first made famous by The Lovin’ Spoonful, whose 1965 original peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. By returning to this cornerstone of ’60s pop optimism, Cassidy wasn’t just covering a classic; he was paying tribute to the era that formed him—and speaking directly to listeners who grew up when records were short, melodies were smiling, and radio felt like a friendly neighbor. (For extra family lore, note that his half-brother Shaun Cassidy later turned the same tune into a Top 40 hit of his own in 1978—No. 31 on the Hot 100—underscoring how enduring Sebastian’s charm is across generations.)
On Then and Now, Cassidy’s new version runs a tidy 2:49—exactly the kind of pop postcard you can replay twice before the kettle boils. Producer Ted Carfrae frames the performance with a light hand, keeping Cassidy’s tenor centered and conversational. The effect is not a museum piece but a fresh hello, polished just enough to glow without sanding off the song’s spry shuffle. The album’s U.S. notes even point out that Cassidy had sung it for a Mervyn’s Christmas television commercial, which helps explain the song’s crisp, twinkle-light mood here: it’s “magic” as everyday uplift, a smile you can hear.
What does the song mean in Cassidy’s hands? The lyric has always been a little miracle of directness—music itself as the cure for restlessness, the spark that turns a room into a memory. Cassidy leans into that idea with the wisdom of a performer who had lived both sides of the poster: the frenzy of early stardom and the quieter craft of later years. He doesn’t try to out-youth the Lovin’ Spoonful. Instead, he sings it like someone letting you in on a simple truth: if you keep saying yes to melody and rhythm, life has a way of staying young where it counts. For older listeners—those who remember how a 45 could change an afternoon—his reading lands like a friendly tap on the shoulder. The “magic” isn’t nostalgia alone; it’s recognition.
Placing the track on Then and Now was also smart curation. That album was built as a bridge between eras, mixing freshly recorded versions with signatures from the Partridge Family orbit and Cassidy’s solo heyday. Slotting “Do You Believe in Magic” alongside “I Think I Love You,” “How Can I Be Sure,” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” lets the listener trace a through-line: a singer who always prized clarity, melody, and a kind of open-hearted phrasing that made even a huge hit feel like a conversation. The U.K. and U.S. editions carried different track lists, but the American version’s decision to include this brand-new cover sharpened the record’s thesis: Cassidy wasn’t just looking back; he was interpreting—bringing a familiar light into a different decade.