The group made its television debut in either 1961 or 1962 on a talk show hosted by Mike Wallace and Joyce Davidson, though neither audio nor video footage has yet been found. By 1963, Peter, Paul, and Mary had recorded three albums. All three were in the Top ten the week of President Kennedy's assassination.
That year, the group also released "Puff the Magic Dragon", which Yarrow and fellow Cornell student Leonard Lipton had written in 1959, and performed "If I Had a Hammer" at the 1963 March on Washington, best remembered for Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. One of their biggest hit singles was the Bob Dylan song "Blowin' in the Wind. They also sang other Bob Dylan songs, such as: "The Times They Are a-Changin'"; "Don't Think Twice, it's Alright"; and "When the Ship Comes In".
"Leaving On A Jet Plane" became their only #1 hit (as well as their final Top 40 hit) in December 1969, and was written by John Denver (who already had some success with The Chad Mitchell Trio), and first appeared on their Album 1700 in 1967. "Day Is Done", a #21 hit in June 1969, was the last Hot 100 hit that the trio recorded.
The trio broke up in 1970 to pursue solo careers, but found little of the success which they had experienced as a group--although Stookey's "The Wedding Song (There is Love)" (written for Yarrow's marriage to Marybeth McCarthy, the niece of senator Eugene McCarthy) was a hit and has become a wedding standard since its 1971 release.
In 1978, they reunited for a concert to protest nuclear energy, and have recorded albums together and toured since. They currently play around 45 shows a year.[1]
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
The trio became political activists for their commitment to peace in Central America and for supporting musically and personally the peace and social justice movement in America. Their inveterate support for Israel distinguishes them from other major folk singing groups and implies a uniqueness of consideration and courage in their political choices. They were awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience on September 1, 1990.[2]
In 2004, Travers was diagnosed with leukemia, leading to the cancellation of the remaining tour dates for that year. She received a bone marrow transplant and is recovering. She and the rest of the trio resumed their concert tour on December 9, 2005 with a holiday performance at Carnegie Hall.
Peter, Paul, and Mary received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.
The trio sang in Mitchell, South Dakota, for the George and Eleanor McGovern Library and Center for Leadership dedication concert on October 5, 2006.
The trio canceled several dates of their summer 2007 tour, as Mary took longer than expected to recover from back surgery and later had to undergo a second surgery, further postponing the tour.[1] They will make up at least one of the dates, at the Northfork Theatre (formerly Westbury Music Fair) in June 2008.
It's Magic
Peter Paul & Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a shiny steel saw
He put her all back together
And I was in awe
As rabbits and doves and bandanas appeared
And he pulled a quarter right out of my ear
I turned to my dad, I said, 'How'd he do it?'
It's magic and you don't want to know
Just how it's done, it would ruin the show
You've just got to believe
'Cause believing is what makes it happen
Oh it's nothing but magic
Now I fell in love the first time in 8th grade
And I started shaving the very next day
Just walking her home made me light on my feet
And I promised her things you just wouldn't believe
And when I asked my dad why girls had that effect
He said, 'Go ask your mom, I ain't figured it yet'
It's magic and you don't want to know
Just how it's done, it would ruin the show
You've just got to believe
'Cause believing is what makes it happen
Oh it's nothing but magic
Well the years have been hard, the years have been kind
These last years have taken both parents of mine
Some things you can't change with a wave of your hand
So many things I still don't understand
But, in a hospital gown, standing next to my wife
I'm watching this miracle come into life
It's magic and you don't want to know
Just how it's done, it would ruin the show
You've just got to believe
'Cause believing is what makes it happen
Oh it's nothing but magic and you don't want to know
Just how it's done, it would ruin the show
You've just got to believe
'Cause believing is what makes it happen
Oh it's nothing but magic
Yes, it's magic
The song "It's Magic" by Peter Paul & Mary is a heartfelt tribute to the magic of life. The lyrics use the metaphor of a magic show with a magician who cuts a woman in half, pulls rabbits out of hats, and levitates, to speak about the wonders of life that we often cannot explain. In the first verse, the singer is dazzled by the magician's sleight of hand, wondering how he puts the woman back together. However, the singer's father tells him not to spoil the magic by revealing the secrets of the trick, suggesting that life's wonders are better appreciated and accepted without fully understanding them.
In the second verse, the singer reminisces about falling in love in eighth grade, and how magical it felt. The singer promises his love grand things, and when his father is asked why girls have that effect, he responds that he is still trying to figure it out. The final verse brings the theme to a personal level, with the singer reflecting on the losses and miracles in his own life, culminating in the birth of his child, which he describes as a miracle. The song reinforces the idea that some things in life are best appreciated as magic, rather than explained away.
Line by Line Meaning
He cut her in half
The magician cuts a woman in half as part of the magic show
With a shiny steel saw
The magician uses a silver-colored saw to cut the woman
He put her all back together
After cutting the woman in half, the magician magically reassembles her
And I was in awe
The artist is impressed and amazed by the magician's trick
As rabbits and doves and bandanas appeared
The magician produces various objects, such as animals and pieces of cloth, using sleight of hand
And he pulled a quarter right out of my ear
The magician makes a coin appear out of thin air, seemingly from the singer's ear
I turned to my dad, I said, 'How'd he do it?'
The singer asks their father how the magician performed the trick
And dad, he just smiled, he said, 'There's nothing to it.'
The artist's father suggests that the trick is simply magic and not to be analyzed or understood
It's magic and you don't want to know
The artist notes that magic is a mysterious and unknown force
Just how it's done, it would ruin the show
Understanding the mechanics of a magic trick would detract from its entertainment value
You've just got to believe
To enjoy magic, the audience must suspend their disbelief and assume that the trick is real
'Cause believing is what makes it happen
The power of belief is what enables magic to occur
Now I fell in love the first time in 8th grade
The singer reminisces about their early romantic experiences
And I started shaving the very next day
The singer started grooming themselves more carefully in anticipation of impressing their crush
Just walking her home made me light on my feet
The singer was very happy and excited when spending time with their crush
And I promised her things you just wouldn't believe
The artist made grandiose and perhaps unrealistic promises to their crush
And when I asked my dad why girls had that effect
The artist asks their father why they feel so emotionally engaged with their crush
He said, 'Go ask your mom, I ain't figured it yet'
The singer's father humorously defers to their mother for an explanation of this phenomenon
Well the years have been hard, the years have been kind
The singer reflects on life's ups and downs over the years
These last years have taken both parents of mine
The artist has lost both of their parents in recent years
Some things you can't change with a wave of your hand
There are some things in life that cannot be easily fixed or changed
So many things I still don't understand
The artist admits that there are many things in life that they do not comprehend
But, in a hospital gown, standing next to my wife
The singer describes being in the hospital with their spouse, possibly for the birth of a child
I'm watching this miracle come into life
The arrival of a newborn child is a miraculous event in the artist's eyes
Yes, it's magic
The singer concludes that the wonders of life are akin to magic
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DAVID ALLEN, TIMOTHY BAYS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind