During the \u201970s, America was one of the most successful bands around. With four Top 10 albums and six Top 10 singles, including 1972\u2019s iconic \u201cHorse With No Name,\u201d the trio was riding high (through the desert and beyond).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, after bassist Dan Peek<\/strong> left the band, remaining members Dewey Bunnell <\/strong>and Gerry Beckley<\/strong> entered a period of\u2026well, not as much success. So, with an eye towards landing themselves back on the charts, Bunnell and Beckley hired songwriter Russ Ballard<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ballard knew how to write a popular song. When he was with the band Argent, he penned \u201cLiar,\u201d which was a hit for Three Dog Night; he was also the creative force behind classics like \u201cGod Gave Rock and Roll to You\u201d (Kiss), \u201cNew York Groove\u201d (Ace Frehley<\/strong>) and many others. Ballard provided Bunnell and Beckley with the comeback hit they so desperately needed: \u201cYou Can Do Magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRuss had written \u2018Winning\u2019 for Santana, and he was now quite successful as a sort of songwriter for hire,\u201d Beckley explained in an interview with Songfacts<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo we heard it and thought, \u2018That\u2019s really good,’\u201d he continued. \u201cHe\u2019d obviously put the \u2018Do-Do-Do-Dit-Do\u2019s\u2019 into the song, which I would have given a nod to CSN [Crosby, Stills & Nash], because we certainly didn\u2019t have any claim to that kind of a vocal thing. But that was put in there to appeal to us.\u201d According to Beckley, \u201cwe made a couple of chord changes, but basically took it as he wrote it. And it was very successful \u2014 it fit right into our body of work. It was a huge hit and a turning point for us, because it was a hit for Dewey and I, after Danny departed. It was our first hit as a duo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n