Day 21: It Must Be Magic- Teena Marie
Contributing to the culture
Note: This post is part of a series where I listen to an album each day in December. Past posts can be found on my substack. All hyperlinked songs go to Spotify links, Youtube links can be found at the end of the post.
It Must Be Magic and Starchild were my first two Teena Marie albums. I got them from my neighbor's mom at a garage sale across our shared driveway. I remember it well. It was the summer going into freshman year of high school. As an 8th-grade graduation gift, I received a Crosley suitcase turntable from Urban Outfitters. It was decorated with a floral pattern against a magenta faux leather background. I was so excited to start playing records on it, but I had a broken ankle and was walking around on crutches. Crate digging was difficult without being able to stand for long periods, and I couldn’t go downstairs to my basement to pick a few records to check out because I couldn’t carry them back up the stairs. After being couch-bound for weeks of the summer, I decided to take the 50-foot journey across our driveway to look at what was up for sale. Naturally, I gravitated to the record crates but struggled to squeeze through the narrow pathways situated between folding tables organized with items that would soon be another person’s treasure.
My neighbor at the time, we’ll call her Evelyn, was married and had a son my age. She was incredibly kind and had all of the qualities you’d want in a neighbor. She saw me struggling with the LPs and helped me search through them. I was a bit shy, knowing I was window shopping with zero intention of buying anything, but she made conversation asking what I might be looking for. As a 13-year-old who was used to listening to CDs and an iPod, I was looking for any LP that had one song I liked. Nothing from the crate jumped out to me, but she took care of it. The pile she put in my hand included Captin and Tenille’s Love Will Keep Us Together, Pat Benatar’s Precious Time, and of course the two Teena Marie records. She explained the reasoning for giving me this selection, but the one that stuck with me most was “All cool girls have Teena Marie’s records, you need these.” Evelyn insisted I take the stack without giving her a dime, even if her husband seemed to be annoyed at the idea.
I brought the records back to my living room, dropped the needle, and promptly picked it back up. Like so many people in my generation, I was looking for instant gratification and the first 45 seconds of “It Must Be Magic” didn’t sound familiar. I let those records collect dust for quite sometime after that. The issue I faced was one that a lot of Black listeners do, I didn’t realize the woman on the cover was the woman who sang “Square Biz.” Of course, some patience and reading would’ve revealed that the song I had heard countless times growing up was on this album, but I judged the record by its cover and kept spinning a Jackson 5 anthology I had found in my basement instead.
I was a part of the group of people sleeping on Teena Marie. I’ll blame it on my youth, but I do feel she is an underappreciated voice in R&B. Her close collaborations with Rick James and rich discography as a leader show her talent for Black music was more than just a fad. Teena Marie was a part of Black culture and engaged with it in a meaningful way. Her music was an offering we still celebrate to this day. A talented arranger and composer, It Must Be Magic was fully written and produced by her. Marie also was joined by some of the greatest Black musicians trailblazing new paths in R&B and funk. One of my favorite tracks, “Yes Indeed,” features Patrice Rushen on piano. The two share a beautiful dialog as Marie’s powerful vocals are accompanied by Rushen’s emotional playing.
There are a bunch of memes on TikTok, and I’m sure across other platforms, about “white people” songs. I made a TikTok pointing out the difference between a “white people” song and “a song by a white person.” For example, and this is all in good fun so please take it with a grain of salt, “white people” songs would be “Sweet Caroline,” “Livin on a Prayer,” or “Rock the Boat” by The Hues Corporation. The last example is important because not all “white people” songs are by a white group, it all depends on the context in which the song is being played and perhaps the traditions that come with it. On the other hand “a song by a white person” can of course be a “white people” song, most are, but some of them would never be. Here enters Teena Marie. Teena Marie’s music was largely played and enjoyed by the Black community. It Must Be Magic was number 2 on the Billboard R&B charts and 23 on the Billboard 200. The single “Square Biz” was number 3 on the R&B charts and 50 on the Billboard charts. I think this says a lot about the authenticity, talent, and courtesy Teena Marie had for Black music. She showed up wanting to make good music with some of the greatest voices in R&B and was signed by an iconic Black label, Motown. Her ability to craft funky music that fits right into the rest of the canon is a sign of her diligence as a listener, observer, and lover of Black artists.
Teena Marie’s vocals are unique and unmatched in quality. Her brilliance as a songwriter and arranger shines bright through her discography and on It Must Be Magic, an album I am grateful to have such a positive memory of. If you want to check out a few tracks, these are my favorites.
Until Tomorrow,
Emily x
Listen to It Must Be Magic on YouTube.
P.S. Watch this clip of Teena singing “I Need Your Lovin,” my favorite song by her from Irons In The Fire, on Soul Train.