Synopsis

At a surreal Beverly Hills pool party, Ric Ocasek becomes the center of attention when he appears to walk across the surface of the water while singing "Magic." A colorful crowd of eccentric guests gathers around him, treating the impossible stunt as a spectacle. When several partygoers try to copy Ocasek and step onto the pool themselves, they fall in one after another. The playful visual gag turns the song's romantic idea of magic into a deadpan, distinctly 1980s piece of pop surrealism.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed at the Hilton family estate in Beverly Hills. Filming records also identify the location as the Paley Residence in Bel Air, Los Angeles.

• Ocasek's water-walking illusion was created with a transparent platform placed just below the pool's surface. The platform reportedly had to be reinforced after failing to support him during the first attempt.

• The Cars do not appear together as a conventional performance band for most of the video. According to drummer David Robinson, the band only becomes noticeably visible around the guitar solo, to the point that his mother initially thought he was absent.

• "Magic" was released as a single from the Cars' 1984 album "Heartbeat City," whose polished production and highly visual campaign helped make the band a major presence during MTV's early peak.

• The video's low-tech central trick contrasts with the more elaborate image manipulation used in the Cars' earlier "You Might Think." Its appeal comes from presenting one simple illusion with a straight-faced crowd reaction.