The Cars — Magic

JUL 01 1984 · 12:00

The Cars — Magic (1984) Director: Tim Pope Era: MTV Golden Age / New Wave Peak (1984) - Height of music video as art form; synth-pop and new wave bands dominated MTV programming, with high-concept narrative clips displacing straightforward performance videos. High curatorial value as a confirmed-director, fully documented 1984 artifact from one of MTV's most visually ambitious acts, featuring a memorable practical-effects conceit, a verified Beverly Hills shooting location, and explicit thematic depth around celebrity and idol worship. Represents an ideal case study for the intersection of New Wave aesthetics, MTV programming strategy, and concept-driven music video as emerging art form. Context: Released in May 1984 at the peak of the MTV new wave moment, 'Magic' exists within the Cars' remarkable run of high-concept music videos from the Heartbeat City album cycle — a period when the band became among the most visually sophisticated acts on the channel. The video's walking-on-water imagery functions as a self-aware commentary on the messianic cult of celebrity that MTV itself was helping to construct: fans reaching for, clambering over, and ultimately falling in their attempts to emulate a figure elevated beyond ordinary reach. Shot at a Beverly Hills estate, it visually situates new wave cool within aspirational California leisure culture, while the absurdist ensemble of party guests grounds the piece in the era's taste for surreal, darkly comic video conceits. Director notes: Directed in 1984. Shot on location at the Hilton family estate in Beverly Hills, California. The central visual conceit — lead singer Ric Ocasek walking on the surface of a swimming pool — was achieved using a practical plexiglass platform submerged just below the water line. According to documented production accounts, the platform collapsed during the first take, requiring the crew to spend several hours constructing a replacement rig before filming could resume. The video was produced by Beth Broday. The pool-party setting features an ensemble of eccentric, costumed characters who gather to marvel at and clamor around Ocasek, reinforcing the video's thematic commentary on idol worship and messianic celebrity. Billboard described the clip as 'a pointed commentary on the dangers of idol worship.'