The Magic Number

For other uses, see Magic number.

"The Magic Number"
Single by De La Soul
from the album 3 Feet High and Rising
A-side"Buddy"
Released1989 (1989)
GenreHip-hop[1]
Length3:16
LabelTommy Boy
Songwriters
Producers
  • De La Soul
  • Prince Paul
De La Soul singles chronology
"Potholes in My Lawn"
(1988) 		"The Magic Number" / "Buddy"
(1989) 		"Eye Know"
(1989)
Official audio
"The Magic Number" on YouTube

"The Magic Number" is a song by American hip-hop group De La Soul. It was released in 1989 as a single from the debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989). It gained popularity after being used in the end credits of the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).[3]

Background

De La Soul is an American hip-hop group from Long Island, New York.[1] It consisted of David Jolicoeur (Trugoy the Dove), Vincent Mason (Maseo), and Kelvin Mercer (Posdnous).[1] The group got signed to Tommy Boy Records.[4] With producer Prince Paul, they went to Calliope Studios to create a record.[4] "The Magic Number" is the second song of the group's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), following "Intro".[4]

Composition

Posdnous and Trugoy provided vocals to "The Magic Number".[5] The song contained a sample from Bob Dorough's "Three Is a Magic Number".[5] In a 2009 interview, Trugoy said, "Obviously three of us in the group, '3 is the magic number' became the philosophy, but mostly, it was just a song that we loved and it became part of the album."[6]

The drums of "The Magic Number" were taken from Double Dee and Steinski's "Lesson 3",[5] a chopped version of John Bonham's drum breaks on Led Zeppelin's "The Crunge".[7] A line from Johnny Cash's "Five Feet High and Rising" ("How high's the water, mama? Three feet high and rising.") was also used in the song.[7] Multiple records were scratched at the end of the song.[5]

In a 2016 interview, Posdnous said, "It's one of those songs that has always had this great energy and freshness, because it brings everything together at the end, and it means a lot – three friends who've stuck through everything and have been through so many ups and downs, and have maintained what people consider a magic bond."[5]

Release

De La Soul released "The Magic Number" in 1989 as a single from the album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989).[8] In the United Kingdom, it remains the group's highest charting single, peaking at number 7.[9]

Due to sample clearances and other legal issues, De La Soul's first six albums were unavailable on digital streaming services for decades.[10] The catalog was acquired by Reservoir Media as part of its acquisition of the Tommy Boy Records catalog.[10] These albums were made available on digital streaming platforms on March 3, 2023.[10]

"The Magic Number" was made available on digital streaming platforms for the first time on January 13, 2023.[11] To celebrate the occasion, De La Soul also released the song as a 7-inch vinyl single, a cassette single, and a digital download.[12]

Critical reception

Jack Needham of Red Bull Music Academy wrote, "The Prince Paul-produced single, taken from De La's landmark rap debut 3 Feet High and Rising, helped usher in a new phase of modern hip-hop alongside records from the Beastie Boys (Paul's Boutique, 1989) and A Tribe Called Quest (The Low End Theory, 1991)."[9]

In 2017, NME placed the song at number 77 on its list of the "100 Best Songs of the 1980s".[13]

In other media

"The Magic Number" was used in the end credits of the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).[14][15]

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[16]

  • De La Soul – production, arrangement
  • Prince Paul – production, mixing
  • Scotty Hard – mixing
  • Michael Fossenkemper – mastering
  • Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearances

Charts

Chart performance for "Buddy" / "The Magic Number"
Chart (1990) Peak
position
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 39
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 7
Chart performance for "The Magic Number"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[19] 71

References

  1. ^ a b c Smyth, David (May 31, 2025). "The Magic Number — how a children's maths song became a hip-hop classic". Financial Times. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  2. ^ De La Soul (1989). 3 Feet High and Rising (CD liner notes). Tommy Boy.
  3. ^ Fekadu, Mesfin (January 3, 2023). "De La Soul's Entire Catalog Coming to Streaming Services". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Cantor, Paul (March 3, 2023). "De La Soul, '3 Feet High and Rising' at 25: Classic Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e Pinnock, Tom (February 13, 2023). "The Making Of "The Magic Number" by De La Soul". Uncut. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  6. ^ Serpick, Evan (June 3, 2009). "'3 Feet High and Rising': De La Soul's Track by Track Guide to Groundbreaking 1989 LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  7. ^ a b Chang, Jeff (September 23, 2018). "De La Soul: 3 Feet High and Rising". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  8. ^ Williams, Jaelani Turner (January 13, 2023). "You Can Now Stream De La Soul's "The Magic Number" on DSPs". Okayplayer. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  9. ^ a b Needham, Jack (August 3, 2017). "The Unlikely Influence of Schoolhouse Rock! on Hip-Hop". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  10. ^ a b c Aswad, Jem (January 3, 2023). "De La Soul's Music Is Finally Coming to Streaming Services in March". Variety. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  11. ^ Eede, Christian (January 13, 2023). "De La Soul's 'The Magic Number' hits streaming services for the first time: Listen". DJ Mag. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  12. ^ Brereton, Greta (January 13, 2023). "De La Soul release 1989 single 'The Magic Number' on streaming platforms". NME. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  13. ^ Hewitt, Ben; Horton, Matthew; Elan, Priya (March 26, 2017). "100 Best Songs Of The 1980s". NME. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  14. ^ Williams, Jaelani Turner (December 28, 2021). "Gen-Z is Learning About De La Soul Due to 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'". Okayplayer. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  15. ^ Aswad, Jem (January 7, 2022). "'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Blew Up De La Soul's 'The Magic Number' — So Why Isn't the Song on Streaming Services?". Variety. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  16. ^ De La Soul (2023). The Magic Number (7-inch vinyl liner notes). A.O.I./Chrysalis Records.
  17. ^ "De La Soul – The Magic Number" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart on 7/1/1990 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart on 10/3/2023 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 4, 2026.

Further reading

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