"Black Magic Woman" | ||||
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Single by Fleetwood Mac | ||||
from the album English Rose | ||||
B-side | "The Sun is Shining" | |||
Released | 29 March 1968 | |||
Format | 7" single | |||
Recorded | February 1968 | |||
Genre | Blues rock | |||
Length | 2:48 | |||
Label |
Blue Horizon 57-3138 (UK) Epic 5-10351 (USA) |
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Writer(s) | Peter Green | |||
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology | ||||
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"Black Magic Woman" | ||||||||||
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Artwork for the US vinyl single
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Single by Santana | ||||||||||
from the album Abraxas | ||||||||||
B-side | "Hope You're Feeling Better" | |||||||||
Released | 1970 | |||||||||
Recorded | 1970 | |||||||||
Genre | Blues rock, latin rock, psychedelic rock | |||||||||
Length | 5:24 (album version) 3:16 (single version) |
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Label | Columbia | |||||||||
Writer(s) |
Peter Green ("Black Magic Woman") Gábor Szabó ("Gypsy Queen") |
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Producer(s) | Fred Catero and Carlos Santana | |||||||||
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"Black Magic Woman" is a song written by Peter Green that first appeared as a Fleetwood Mac single in various countries in 1968, subsequently appearing on the 1969 Fleetwood Mac compilation albums English Rose (US) and The Pious Bird of Good Omen (UK), as well as Vintage Years. In 1970, it became a hit by Santana, as sung by Gregg Rolie, reaching No. 4 in the U.S. and Canadian charts, after appearing on their Abraxas album. In 2005 the song was covered by ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Snowy White on his album The Way It Is. In 1996, the song was also covered by Gary Hoey on his album Bug Alley.
Although not as popular as Santana's arrangement two years later, "Black Magic Woman" nevertheless became a fairly popular blues rock hit peaking at No. 37 in the UK Singles Chart. It was featured in Fleetwood Mac live set-lists even after Green had left the band, when it was often sung by Danny Kirwan, and during concerts in the early 1970s it would form the basis for long mid-concert jams. The song would often be preceded by a band member reminding the audience that it was a Fleetwood Mac song before it became such a big hit for Santana.
Set in the key of D minor, the verse follows a twelve bar chord progression alternating between D minor7, A minor7, and G minor7, and the instrumentation consists of vocals, two guitars, bass guitar and drums. It is homophonic, the voice and lead guitar taking the lead roles. The song is set in common time (4/4), with the rhythm "pushing" on the upbeat, then breaking into a shuffle beat root -chord jam after the final verse.