How Nancy Wilson Got Ann to Put ‘Magic Man’ Back in Heart’s Set

“Magic Man” is one of Heart’s most popular songs, yet for years the group abandoned the tune.

“We used to kind of dread ‘Magic Man’ because it just seemed dated for a few years there,” Nancy Wilson noted during a recent conversation with UCR’s Matt Wardlaw. According to the guitarist, her sister, singer Ann Wilson, viewed the tune as a “teenage girl story.” “She’s such a cool, authentic singer that she has an issue with lyrics. She has to believe what she’s talking about when she’s singing these songs.”

According to Setlist.fm, Heart only performed “Magic Man” a total of 15 times between 1989 and 2001 — a remarkably low number considering the song’s popularity. They gradually began bringing the song back at Nancy’s suggestion.

Why Did Heart Start Playing ‘Magic Man’ Again?

“For a while, [Ann] just had a problem with ‘Magic Man.’ And I had to talk her into it again,” the guitarist recalled. “I said, ‘Look, this is every young girl’s experience. You don’t have to pretend you’re a teenage girl. You just have to sing it to every girl.’”

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The perspective resonated with Ann. “So we brought ‘Magic Man’ back into the set,” Nancy explained. “And now we do the entire long version with all the sections, all the diverse sections that go by.”

“It’s a journey to get through that song. And it’s a fun journey to go on,” the rocker continued. “That’s a very ’70s, authentic ’70s rock song. Because bands like Rush and all kinds of bands would [have] epic songs that go on all these little departures throughout the song itself. Long songs that really tax your attention span.”