A Kind of Magic

{{short description|1986 studio album by Queen}} {{about|the album by Queen|their song of the same name|A Kind of Magic (song)|other uses}} {{Use British English|date=January 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox album | name = A Kind of Magic | type = studio | artist = Queen | cover = Queen A Kind Of Magic.png | alt = | released = 2 June 1986<ref name="queenonline">{{cite web |url=http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/kind-magic/ |title=Discography: A Kind Of Magic |first1=Greg |last1=Brooks |first2=Gary |last2=Taylor |website=Queenonline.com |access-date=26 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320051618/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/kind-magic/ |archive-date=20 March 2016}}</ref> | recorded = September 1985 – April 1986 | studio = *Musicland (Munich, West Germany) *Mountain (Montreux) *Townhouse (London, UK)<ref name="queenonline" /> *Abbey Road (London, UK)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Queen-A-Kind-Of-Magic/release/3527729|title=Queen – A Kind Of Magic (1986, Gatefold, DMM, Vinyl)|website=Discogs.com|year=1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.queenvault.com/linernotes/akomlinernotes.html|title=A Kind Of Magic Liner Notes|website=QueenVault.com}}</ref> | genre = {{hlist|Hard rock|pop rock}} | length = {{duration|m=40|s=42}} | label = {{hlist|EMI|Capitol}} | producer = {{hlist|Queen|Mack|David Richards}} | prev_title = The Complete Works | prev_year = 1985 | next_title = Live Magic | next_year = 1986 | misc = {{Extra chronology | artist = Queen studio album | type = studio | prev_title = The Works | prev_year = 1984 | title = A Kind of Magic | year = 1986 | next_title = The Miracle | next_year = 1989 }} {{Singles | name = A Kind of Magic | type = studio | single1 = One Vision | single1date = 4 November 1985 (UK) | single2 = Princes of the Universe | single2date = 12 March 1986 (US)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Queen&titel=Princes+Of+The+Universe&cat=s|title=Queen – Princes Of The Universe|first=Steffen|last=Hung|website=Hitparade.ch|access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref> | single3 = A Kind of Magic | single3date = 17 March 1986 (UK) | single4 = Friends Will Be Friends | single4date = 9 June 1986 (UK)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Queen&titel=Friends+Will+Be+Friends&cat=s|title=Queen – Friends Will Be Friends|first=Steffen|last=Hung|website=Hitparade.ch|access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref> | single5 = Pain Is So Close to Pleasure | single5date = 20 August 1986 (US)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.queenvault.com/painissoclosetopleasuresingle.html|title=Queen singles|website=Queenvault.com}}</ref> | single6 = Who Wants to Live Forever | single6date = 15 September 1986<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Queen&titel=Who+Wants+To+Live+Forever&cat=s|title=Queen – Who Wants To Live Forever|first=Steffen|last=Hung|website=Hitparade.ch|access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref> | single7 = One Year of Love | single7date = September 1986 (France)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/queen/discography/singles-non-uk-1.htm|title=Queen Non-UK Singles Discography 1973-1993|website=Ultimatequeen.co.uk|access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref> }} }}

'''''A Kind of Magic''''' is the twelfth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 2 June 1986 by EMI Records in the UK and by Capitol Records in the US. It is based on the soundtrack to the film ''Highlander'', directed by Russell Mulcahy.

''A Kind of Magic'' was Queen's first album to be released since they had received acclaim for their performance at Live Aid in 1985. It was an immediate hit in the UK, going straight to number one and selling 100,000 copies in its first week. It remained in the UK charts for 63 weeks,<ref>[https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/A%20Kind%20Of%20Magic A Kind Of Magic] Chart Stats. Retrieved 15 August 2011</ref> selling 600,000 in the UK alone. The album spawned four hit singles: the album's title track "A Kind of Magic", "One Vision", "Friends Will Be Friends",<ref name="TheTimes">[http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=Queen_-_06-21-1986_-_A_Kind_of_Magic_-_The_Times ''A Kind of Magic'' review]. ''The Times''. 21 June 1986. Archived at queenarchives.com</ref> and "Who Wants to Live Forever", which features an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen, while the album's final track, "Princes of the Universe", is the theme song to ''Highlander''.<ref>Bartkowiak, Mathew J. (2010) [https://books.google.com/books?id=i5mKZT5D3TMC&q=princes+of+the+universe+highlander&pg=PA19 Sounds of the Future: Essays on Music in Science Fiction Film] p. 19. Retrieved 15 August 2011</ref>

Although Queen would release another two albums in Freddie Mercury's lifetime, ''A Kind of Magic'' would turn out to be Queen's last album promoted with a concert tour, due to Mercury's diagnosis with AIDS the following year.

==Background and recording—''A Kind of Magic'' and ''Highlander''== The album enjoys the status of an unofficial soundtrack for the 1986 film ''Highlander'', for which no official soundtrack album was released. The title, "A Kind of Magic", derived from one of the lines character Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) says to describe his immortality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091203/quotes|title=Quotes from "Highlander"|website=IMDb}}</ref> Six out of nine songs on the album appeared in the film, although in different versions. The three songs that did not appear in ''Highlander'' are "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure", "Friends Will Be Friends" and "One Vision", which was featured a year earlier in the film ''Iron Eagle''. Conversely, a recording of "Theme from New York, New York" made specifically for a scene in ''Highlander'' does not appear on ''A Kind of Magic'', and in fact has never been released in album form to date. Band member Brian May, according to a statement he made on the ''Greatest Video Hits 2'' DVD (2003), had, at least at that point, the intention to work on a proper ''Highlander'' soundtrack in the future. In one scene, a snippet of "Hammer to Fall" plays on a radio, a song from the previously released ''The Works'' album.

==Songs== ===Side one=== ===="One Vision"==== {{main|One Vision}} After Queen's contribution to Live Aid, Freddie Mercury was enthusiastic about the band and soon after called them to go to the studio and write a song together which became "One Vision". All four band members were credited as songwriters; however, Roger Taylor stated in an interview with Australian TV that originally it had been his song, with lyrics reflecting Martin Luther King Jr. He joked that "that rotter Freddie" changed all his lyrics with additions like "one shrimp, one prawn, one clam, one chicken", and even name-checked John Deacon. Brian May played the opening synth section using a Yamaha DX-7. The sessions were filmed and later released on the 2003 DVD set ''Greatest Video Hits 2''. The song does not appear in ''Highlander'', but was used in the 1986 movie ''Iron Eagle''.

===="A Kind of Magic"==== {{main|A Kind of Magic (song)}} "A Kind of Magic" was written by Taylor. He has admitted writing down some lyrics, which proved to be the basis for both "One Vision" and "A Kind of Magic", something made obvious by the demo of the song appearing for the first time on the 2011 Universal bonus EP, which mixes some lyrics. Later on, unbeknownst to Taylor who had gone to the US for a few days, Mercury took it over, "polished" the lyrics, added the bassline, some connectors and re-arranged the structure. Regardless, the new, more pop-oriented version was still credited to Taylor. It was this version that was featured on the album, released as a single and included their auxiliary live musician, Spike Edney, playing some keyboards. The heavier, rockier alternate version, also making its official debut on the 2011 Universal bonus EP, played during the end credits of ''Highlander''. The song was covered by Elaine Paige in 1988 on her album called ''The Queen Album''.

===="One Year of Love"==== {{main|One Year of Love}} "One Year of Love" is a song by John Deacon. The album version features him playing Yamaha DX7 synth, a string orchestra conducted by Lynton Naiff and a saxophone played by Steve Gregory. Deacon decided to substitute the guitar components with a saxophone solo after a discussion with May, who does not appear in the song. It was released as a single only in France and Spain, and appeared during a bar scene and an instrumental piano version appeared in a scene where Connor Macleod was in Brenda Wyatt's apartment in ''Highlander''. It was also covered by Elaine Paige on ''The Queen Album'' in 1988 and later by Dutch singer Stevie Ann in 2006.

===="Pain Is So Close to Pleasure"==== {{main|Pain Is So Close to Pleasure}} "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure" was written by Mercury and Deacon. Beginning as a riff idea by May, Deacon and Mercury subsequently turned that into a Motown-style song, with Deacon playing rhythm guitar. A slightly remixed and reworked version was released as a single in 1986, reaching No. 26 on the Dutch charts. The title also appears as a line in "One Year of Love".

===="Friends Will Be Friends"==== {{main|Friends Will Be Friends}} "Friends Will Be Friends" is a song by Mercury and Deacon, with lyrics written by Mercury.<ref>{{cite web |last=May |first=Brian |title=Bri's Soapbox |work=brianmay.com |date=30 July 2006 |url=http://www.brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssb.html |access-date=29 December 2008}}</ref> It is one of the last of Mercury's piano ballads, and bears some similarity to "Play the Game" and "We Are the Champions". It did not feature in ''Highlander''. It was noted as being a modern update of the 1970s Queen rock anthems "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You", and reached No. 14 in the UK. During the Magic Tour, the song was played between "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions", the traditional closing songs of Queen live performances.

===Side two=== ===="Who Wants to Live Forever"==== {{main|Who Wants to Live Forever}} "Who Wants to Live Forever" was composed by May, and sung in the album version as a duet between himself and Mercury. Synthesizer parts are played on a Yamaha DX-7 by May, and the orchestra was arranged and conducted by Michael Kamen. Deacon did not participate, and Taylor played some drum-machine parts and contributed backing vocals. Percussion was taken over by the orchestra as well as double bass, in spite of Taylor and Deacon miming those parts respectively in the video. It serves as somewhat of a "love theme" of ''Highlander'', as it adds to the sub-plot of the movie. In the film, Mercury sings the opening of the song as well, unlike the album version, which has May singing.

===="Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)"==== "Gimme the Prize" was written by May. This song is widely known for its heavy metal features. It is featured in ''Highlander'', and also samples various lines from the film, most notably "I have something to say: It's better to burn out than to fade away" and "There can be only one", spoken by actors Clancy Brown (The Kurgan) and Christopher Lambert (Connor MacLeod) respectively. Director Russell Mulcahy states in the DVD commentary that this was his least favourite of the band's songs used in the film because he does not like heavy metal. May also commented to a Japanese magazine in 1986 that both Mercury and Deacon hated the song.

===="Don't Lose Your Head"==== "Don't Lose Your Head" was composed by Taylor and features singer Joan Armatrading in a vocal cameo. The song takes its name from a line spoken in ''Highlander'', and is played for a short time when Kurgan kidnaps Brenda. The song then segues into a cover of "Theme from ''New York, New York''", though it is only a small clip. It is also featured in an episode of ''Highlander: The Series'' titled "Free Fall". An instrumental version of the track entitled "A Dozen Red Roses for My Darling" is featured as the B-side to "A Kind of Magic".

===="Princes of the Universe"==== {{main|Princes of the Universe}} "Princes of the Universe" is the film's theme song and the only song on the album for which Mercury received sole credit. It is quite a complex and heavy work, showing Queen returning to their hard rock roots. The song is played in the opening credits of ''Highlander''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Freestone |first=Peter |title=Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man who Knew Him Best |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AH8zZsbmB98C&pg=PA96 |location=London |publisher=Omnibus Press |date=2001 |page=96 |access-date=1 September 2011 |isbn=978-0-71198-674-9}}</ref> The music video uses clips and scenery from the movie, as well as a cameo by Christopher Lambert, who fights with Mercury on part of the film set at Elstree Studios, London on 14 February 1986. The song's name comes from the original working title of the film.<ref name="queenonline" />

==Singles== * Queen recorded "One Vision", released in the UK on 4 November 1985, the first after their much-lauded appearance at the Live Aid concert. It did well on the charts, reaching No. 7 in the UK and making the top ten throughout Europe. The song appeared in ''Iron Eagle''. * "A Kind of Magic", released in the UK on 17 March 1986, reached No. 3 on its home chart. While charting well everywhere else, it peaked at No. 42 in the US and has been played on radio mostly in New England (similar to their first single "Keep Yourself Alive"). Russell Mulcahy, director of ''Highlander'', directed the song's accompanying video. * "Friends Will Be Friends", released on 9 June 1986, reached No. 14 in the UK and made the top 40 throughout Europe. * "Who Wants to Live Forever", released on 15 September 1986, reached No. 24 in the UK. The National Philharmonic Orchestra featured in the song's video, along with forty choirboys and 2000 candles. * "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure", released in the US and parts of Europe only. * "One Year of Love", released in France and Spain only. * "Princes of the Universe" was never released as a single in the UK. It was, however, released as a single in Australia, and became a mild hit, reaching No. 28 in the spring of 1986. The song has been a cult favourite, due to ''Highlander'', in the US. It was also used as the theme music for the ''Highlander'' television series, which aired from 1992 to 1998. The music video featured Christopher Lambert and the band on part of the film set at Elstree Studios in London and is cut with scenes from the film. The song also appears on ''Greatest Hits III''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/r443580 |title=Queen – Greatest Hits III |website=Allmusic |access-date=1 September 2011}}</ref> It was released as a single in the Netherlands on 28 February 2000.

==Tour== {{main|Magic Tour (Queen)}}

==Reception== {{Album ratings |rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=a-kind-of-magic-r2263795|tab=review|pure_url=yes}} |title=Queen A Kind of Magic review |access-date=19 November 2010 |last=Prato |first=Greg |publisher=Allmusic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110031252/http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-kind-of-magic-r687303/review |archive-date=10 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |rev2 = ''Chicago Tribune'' |rev2Score = {{Rating|1|4}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot |title=An 18-record, 80 Million-copy Odyssey |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/04/19/an-18-record-80-million-copy-odyssey/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=19 April 1992 |access-date=19 April 2016}}</ref> |rev3 = ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' |rev3Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Larkin |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Larkin (writer) |title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music |publisher=Omnibus Press |edition=5th |year=2011 |page=2248 |isbn=978-0857125958}}</ref> |rev4 = ''Kerrang!'' |rev4score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="kerrang" >{{cite book |last=Henderson |first=Paul |title=Kerrang! |chapter=Queen 'A Kind of Magic' |volume=123 |publisher=United Magazines |date=26 June 1986 |location=London |pages=12}}</ref> | rev5 = ''MusicHound Rock'' | rev5Score = {{rating|2.5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Graff|editor1-first=Gary|editor2-last=Durchholz|editor2-first=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|section=Queen|isbn=1-57859-061-2|pages=909–910}}</ref> |rev6 = ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'' |rev6score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Queen: Album Guide |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/queen/albumguide |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=11 June 2012}}</ref> |rev7 = ''Sounds'' |rev7score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Barron |first=Jack |title=Albums: Slack Magic |magazine=Sounds |date=7 June 1986 |page=27 |issn=0144-5774}}</ref> }}

''Rolling Stone'' described the album as "heavy plastic", concluding: "This band might as well put some pomp back in its rock. Its members are never going to make it as dignified elder statesmen".<ref name="rolling" >{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/a-kind-of-magic-19861009 |title=Queen – A Kind of Magic |access-date=13 September 2011 |last=Coleman |first=Mark |date=9 October 1986 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> ''The Times'' described the album as one of "the most spectacularly successful releases this year", yet questioned its appeal, asking, "why does it not extend to those of us who are given the records to review?"<ref name="TheTimes" /> ''People Weekly'' wrote: "There's hardly a personal expression, let alone an intimate one, in this album... The group can be dazzling. In this case they're just overbearing".<ref name="people" >{{cite magazine |url=http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=Queen_-_08-25-1986_-_A_Kind_of_Magic_-_People_Weekly |title='A Kind of Magic' review |date=25 August 1986 |magazine=People Weekly |via=QueenArchives.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304161732/http://www.queenarchives.com/index.php?title=Queen_-_08-25-1986_-_A_Kind_of_Magic_-_People_Weekly |archive-date=4 March 2012}}</ref> ''Kerrang!''{{'}}s Paul Henderson wondered "how much of the album is the 'real' Queen and how much is the result of the constraints/musical slant imposed upon them by writing material to go with a movie", concluding that "only a band of Queen's stature (...) could put out an album of such diverse songs without disappointing a sizeable portion of their fans".<ref name="kerrang" />

In a retrospective review, Greg Prato of AllMusic wrote: "It may not have been as cohesive as some of their other albums, but ''A Kind of Magic'' was their best work in some time".<ref name="Allmusic" /> Queen biographer Mark Blake wrote: "The album's confused origins made for a somewhat uneven listening experience... only the title cut and 'Who Wants to Live Forever' were songs that would survive the album's natural shelf life. Like every Queen record since ''Jazz'', ''A Kind of Magic'' was a so-so album, cleverly loaded with two or three potential hit singles".<ref>{{cite book |last=Blake |first=Mark |title=Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen |date=2011 |publisher=Aurum Press |isbn=978-1845137137 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jvLAgAAQBAJ&q=mark+blake+is+this+the+real+life+meanwhile+america+slipped+further+away&pg=PT275 |access-date=30 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231043044/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2jvLAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT275&dq=mark+blake+is+this+the+real+life+meanwhile+america+slipped+further+away&ots=1NYGe4lPHV&sig=W15FzPADrcZhaKhca2fw0yTAauE&hl=en&sa=X#v=onepage&q=mark%20blake%20is%20this%20the%20real%20life%20meanwhile%20america%20slipped%20further%20away |archive-date=31 December 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the 1994 edition of ''The Guinness All Time Top 1000 Albums'', the album was voted {{abbr|No.|number}} 171 in the all-time greatest rock and pop albums.<ref name="Guinness">{{cite web |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/larkin1000_94.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060811222851/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/larkin1000_94.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=11 August 2006 |title=The Guinness All Time Top 1000 Albums 1994 |date=14 December 2015 |website=Rocklistmusic.co.uk}}</ref> In 2006, a national BBC poll saw the album voted the 42nd-greatest album of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/uk_radio.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907232937/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/uk_radio.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=7 September 2012 |title=BBC Radio 2 Top 100 Albums |date=28 August 2006 |website=Rocklistmusic.co.uk}}</ref> In 2007, ''Classic Rock'' ranked ''A Kind of Magic'' the 28th-greatest soundtrack album of all time.<ref name="ClassicRock">{{cite web |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/classicrock.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910064614/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/classicrock.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=10 September 2012 |title=Classic Rock's 49 Best Soundtrack Albums |date=October 2007 |website=Rocklistmusic.co.uk}}</ref>

==Track listing== All lead vocals by Freddie Mercury unless noted. {{Track listing | headline = Side one | extra_column = Lead vocals | title1 = One Vision | writer1 = {{flatlist| * Roger Taylor * Freddie Mercury * Brian May * John Deacon}} | length1 = 5:11 | title2 = A Kind of Magic | writer2 = Taylor | length2 = 4:24 | title3 = One Year of Love | writer3 = Deacon | length3 = 4:27 | title4 = Pain Is So Close to Pleasure | writer4 = {{flatlist| * Mercury * Deacon}} | length4 = 4:21 | title5 = Friends Will Be Friends | writer5 = {{flatlist| * Mercury * Deacon}} | length5 = 4:06 }}

{{Track listing | headline = Side two | extra_column = Lead vocals | title6 = Who Wants to Live Forever | writer6 = May | length6 = 5:15 | extra6 = Mercury and May | title7 = Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme) | writer7 = May | length7 = 4:33 | title8 = Don't Lose Your Head | writer8 = Taylor | length8 = 4:38 | extra8 = Mercury with Joan Armatrading | title9 = Princes of the Universe | writer9 = Mercury | length9 = 3:33 | total_length = 40:42 | all_writing = | title1 = | length1 = | title2 = | length2 = | title3 = | length3 = | title4 = | length4 = | title5 = | length5 = | title10 = | length10 = }}

* Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–9 on the CD release.

{{Track listing | headline = Extra tracks (CD release only) | extra_column = Lead vocals | title10 = A Kind of 'A Kind of Magic'  | writer10 = Taylor | length10 = 3:38 | title11 = Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends... | writer11 = Mercury, Deacon | length11 = 5:58 | title12 = Forever | note12 = Piano version of "Who Wants to Live Forever"<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen "A Kind Of Magic" album and song lyrics |url=http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/queen/songs/a-kind-of-magic.htm#Forever |website=UltimateQueen.co.uk}}</ref> | writer12 = May | length12 = 3:20 | extra12 = ''Instrumental'' | total_length = 52:58 | note10 = Second half of the extended version of "A Kind of Magic"<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen "A Kind Of Magic" album and song lyrics |url=http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/queen/songs/a-kind-of-magic.htm#A%20Kind%20Of%20'A%20Kind%20Of%20Magic |website=UltimateQueen.co.uk}}</ref> | note11 = Extended version of "Friends Will Be Friends"<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen "A Kind Of Magic" album and song lyrics |url=http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/queen/songs/a-kind-of-magic.htm#Friends%20Will%20Be%20Friends%20Will%20Be%20Friends |website=UltimateQueen.co.uk}}</ref> }}

{{Track listing | headline = Bonus tracks (1991 Hollywood Records CD reissue) | title10 = Forever | length10 = 3:20 | title11 = One Vision | note11 = Extended Version | length11 = 6:23 | total_length = 50:25 }}

{{Track listing | headline = Disc 2: Bonus EP (2011 Universal Music CD reissue) | title1 = A Kind of Magic | note1 = ''Highlander'' version | length1 = 4:22 | title2 = One Vision | note2 = Single Version | length2 = 4:00 | title3 = Pain Is So Close to Pleasure | note3 = Single Remix | length3 = 3:57 | title4 = Forever | length4 = 3:20 | title5 = A Kind of Vision | note5 = Demo, August 1985 | length5 = 3:23 | title6 = One Vision | note6 = live at Wembley Stadium, 11 July 1986 | length6 = 5:12 | title7 = Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends... | length7 = 5:59 | all_writing = | title8 = | length8 = | title9 = | length9 = | title10 = | length10 = | total_length = 30:13 }}

{{Track listing | headline = Bonus videos (2011 iTunes deluxe edition) | title8 = One Vision | note8 = Extended promo video<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen Extended Version lyrics |url=http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/queen/songs/extended-versions.htm#One%20Vision |website=UltimateQueen.co.uk}}</ref> | title9 = Princes of the Universe | note9 = Promo video<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen "A Kind Of Magic" album and song lyrics |url=http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/queen/songs/a-kind-of-magic.htm#Princes%20Of%20The%20Universe |website=UltimateQueen.co.uk}}</ref> | title10 = A Kind of Magic | note10 = live at Wembley Stadium, July 11, 1986<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/queen/videos/live-at-wembley-stadium-2011-reissue.htm#A+Kind+Of+Magic|title=Queen "Live At Wembley Stadium" 2011 reissue DVD and song lyrics|website=UltimateQueen.co.uk}}</ref> | length8 = 6:28 | length9 = 3:31 | length10 = 6:46 | total_length = 46:18 }}

==Personnel== Personnel taken from ''A Kind of Magic'' liner notes.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=A Kind of Magic |others=Queen |date=1986 |type=Album liner notes}}</ref>

'''Queen''' *Freddie Mercury – vocals, keyboards *Brian May – guitar, vocals, keyboards *Roger Taylor – drums, vocals, keyboards *John Deacon – bass guitar, keyboards, additional guitar

'''Additional musicians''' *Spike Edney – additional keyboards *Chris Rea – fingerclicks on "A Kind of Magic" *Steve Gregory – saxophone on "One Year of Love" *Joan Armatrading – incidental vocals on "Don't Lose Your Head" *Lynton Naiff – arranged and conducted string section on "One Year of Love" *National Philharmonic Orchestra – arranged by Michael Kamen and May and conducted by Kamen on "Who Wants to Live Forever"

'''Production''' *Queen – production (all tracks) *Mack – production, engineering (all except "A Kind of Magic", "Who Wants to Live Forever", "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)", and "Don't Lose Your Head") *David Richards – production, engineering on "A Kind of Magic", "Who Wants to Live Forever", "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)", and "Don't Lose Your Head" *Croydon – assistant engineer *Eric Tomlinson – orchestra recording on "Who Wants to Live Forever" (at Abbey Road) *Kevin Metcalf – mastering

'''Design''' *Richard Gray – sleeve design *Roger Chiasson – album cover illustration, other illustrations *Mike Smith – other illustrations *Chuck Gramage – other illustrations *Jenny Robinson – colour *Peter Hince – photograph

==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! Chart (1986) ! Peak position |- ! scope="row"|Argentinian Albums Chart<ref>Steffen Hung. [http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Queen&titel=A+Kind+Of+Magic&cat=a "Queen – A Kind of Magic"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109212946/http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Queen&titel=A%20Kind%20Of%20Magic&cat=a |date=9 November 2010 }}. capif.org.ar Retrieved 1 September 2011</ref> | align="center"| 1 |- ! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref> | align="center"| 12 |- {{Album chart|Austria|3|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- {{Album chart|Canada|50|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|chartid=0715|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- {{Album chart|Netherlands|2|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- ! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)<ref name=FINI>{{cite book |last=Pennanen |first=Timo |title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 |publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava |location=Helsinki |edition=1st |year=2006 |page=166 |isbn=978-951-1-21053-5 |language=fi}}</ref> | align="center"| 10 |- !scope="row"| French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_Q.php |website =Infodisc.fr |language=fr |access-date=9 June 2012 |title=Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – Q |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022124902/http://infodisc.fr/Album_Q.php |archive-date=22 October 2014}} ''Select ''Queen'' from the menu, then press ''OK''.''</ref> | align="center"| 6 |- {{Album chart|Germany|4|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|id=409|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- ! scope="row"|Italian Albums (''Musica e Dischi'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=Musica e Dischi|language=it|access-date=27 May 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Queen".</ref> | align="center"| 13 |- !scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref name="JPN">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9|language=ja}}</ref> | align="center"| 25 |- {{Album chart|New Zealand|9|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- {{Album chart|Norway|5|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- {{Album chart|Sweden|9|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- {{Album chart|Switzerland|4|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- {{Album chart|UK|1|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- {{Album chart|Billboard200|46|artist=Queen|refname=Billboard 200|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" ! Chart (2005) ! Peak position |- {{Album chart|Italy|94|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! Chart (2011) ! Peak position |- {{Album chart|Wallonia|88|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |- {{Album chart|Spain|91|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" ! Chart (2022) ! Peak position |- {{Album chart|Poland|42|artist=Queen|album=A Kind of Magic|id=1412|rowheader=true|access-date=22 April 2022}} |}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" ! Chart (2025) ! Peak position |- ! scope="row"| Greek Albums (IFPI)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html|title=Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 49/2025|publisher=IFPI Greece|access-date=10 December 2025|language=el|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251210065928/https://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html|archive-date=10 December 2025|url-status=dead}}</ref> | 18 |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" !Chart (1986) !Position |- |align="left"|Australian Albums Chart | 68 |- |align="left"|Austrian Albums Chart<ref name="atyearend">{{cite web |url=http://austriancharts.at/1986_album.asp |title=Austriancharts.st – Jahreshitparade 1984 |publisher=Hung Medien |access-date=1 August 2010}}</ref> | 16 |- | align="left" | New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-albums/1986-12-31|title=Top Selling Albums of 1986 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart|publisher=Recorded Music New Zealand|access-date=5 February 2022}}</ref> | 36 |- |align="left"| Swiss Albums Chart<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hitparade.ch/year.asp?key=1986 |title=Hitparade.ch – Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986 |publisher=Hung Medien |access-date=17 October 2011}}</ref> | 18 |- |align="left"|UK Albums Chart<ref name="UKYearend">{{cite web|url=http://chartheaven.9.forumer.com/a/complete-uk-yearend-album-charts_post21.html |title=Complete UK Year-End Album Charts |access-date=3 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111074744/http://chartheaven.9.forumer.com/a/complete-uk-yearend-album-charts_post21.html |archive-date=11 January 2012 }}</ref> | 8 |} {{col-end}}

==Certifications== {{certification Table Top}} {{certification Table Entry|title=A Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=1986|region=Austria|award=Platinum}} {{Certification Table Entry |region=Brazil |title=A Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|award=Gold|type=album |certref=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://acervo.folha.com.br/leitor.do?numero=9892&anchor=4117454&origem=busca&originURL=&pd=6d928b62609986e1090953412841bb0d|newspaper = Acervo Digital - Folha de S.Paulo|title=Entregas de disco de platino não têm controle confiável-Os Premiados|page=6}}</ref> |relyear=1986}} {{certification Table Entry|title=A Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=1986|region=France|award=Gold|source=infodisc|certyear=1986}} {{certification Table Entry|title=A Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=1986|region=Germany|award=Gold|number=3}} {{certification Table Entry|title=A Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=2021|region=Italy|award=Gold|note=sales since 2009}} {{certification Table Entry|title=A Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=1986|id=1986-10-24|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|region=New Zealand|award=Gold}} {{certification Table Entry|title=A Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=2008|certyear=2009|region=Poland|award=Platinum|number=3|note=2008 Agora SA album reissue|date=8 July 2009}} {{certification Table Entry|title=Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=1986|certyear=1987|region=Spain|award=Platinum|certref=<ref name="Spanish certifications 1979-1990">{{cite book|url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/x263f6daopkswo8|title=Solo Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979-1990|year=2005|publisher=Iberautor Promociones Culturales|isbn=8480486392}}</ref>}} {{certification Table Entry|title=A Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=1986|region=Switzerland|award=Platinum|number=2}} {{certification Table Entry|title=It's a Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=1986|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|number=2|id=12202-1614-2|access-date=25 April 2021}} {{certification Table Entry|title=A Kind of Magic|artist=Queen|type=album|relyear=1986|region=United States|award=Gold}} {{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1986|region=Yugoslavia|artist=Queen|title=A Kind of Magic|certyear=1986|award=Gold|certref=<ref name=YUG>{{cite web |url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/freddie-mercury-a-world-of-his-own-crazy-little-things-2/queen-freddie-mercurys-european-in-house-sales|date=20 February 2023|title=Freddie Mercury's European in-house sales awards for A Kind Of Magic}}</ref>|salesamount=50,000|salesref=<ref name=YUG></ref>}} {{certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/kind-magic/ Queen official website: Discography: A Kind of Magic]: includes lyrics of all non-bonus tracks and 1986 EMI CD bonus tracks. *[http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/singles-collection-vol-3/#lyrics Lyrics of "Pain is So Close to Pleasure (Remix)" at Queen official website] (from ''The Singles Collection Volume 3'')

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kind of Magic, A}} Category:1986 albums Category:Albums produced by David Richards (record producer) Category:Albums produced by Reinhold Mack Category:Capitol Records albums Category:EMI Records albums Category:Hollywood Records albums Category:Parlophone albums Category:Queen (band) albums Category:Queen (band) soundtracks Category:Albums recorded at Townhouse Studios