Whether or not you believe in anything supernatural, there’s nothing wrong with making your life a little bit more magical. Songs about the mystical can open up our imaginations to worlds beyond our own and provide inspiration and escapism. From spells and enchantments to witches and other magical creatures, there are many aspects of the mystical that have been explored in music.
If you’re a lover of all things mystical and magical, then there are plenty of songs out there that can provide your fantastical fix. Here are 21 of our favourite songs about the mystical.
Top Songs About The Mystical
“A Kind Of Magic” – Queen
The melody and chords of this song were originally written by Roger Taylor for the film Highlander. However, after the song was handed over to Freddie Mercury, Taylor was annoyed to discover that Mercury had virtually entirely rewritten the track. Roger’s version appears in Highlander, but it’s Freddie Mercury’s version that appears on Queen’s twelfth album, A Kind Of Magic. The accompanying Magic tour was composed of some of Mercury’s final live shows.
The song is a true fantasy track, based on the premise of the Highlander franchise, about immortals who have their immortality stolen by their killer when they are beheaded.
“Black Magic” – Little Mix
All the girls in Little Mix’s neighbourhood are looking to learn the secrets of their success in love. The group reveal it in this upbeat track – their secret is black magic. “It’s a spell that can’t be broken, it’ll keep you up all night,” they sing. You might sense a double entendre in the lyrics – Little Mix may be using magic to represent something a little more physical.
There was some hesitation from the group about using ‘Black Magic’, because they were so used to being involved in the song writing process for all their songs and they hadn’t written on this track. Luckily the track was a big hit for the group, taking them to number one in the UK.
“I Put A Spell On You” – Nina Simone
“I put a spell on you, ‘cause you’re mine,” sings Nina Simone in this sultry track. The song sees Simone casting a curse on the person she loves to ensure that they are forced to love her for eternity, even if they don’t really feel any genuine love for her. Although the song was originally written and performed by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Simone’s version remains one of the most enduring covers of the song. Simone even named her autobiography after the track.
“just like magic” – Ariana Grande
This track from Grande’s Positions sees her having a good day. From team meetings and meditations in the morning to studio time in the afternoon, Grande is focusing on the good things in her life and doing her best to keep her conscience clear and her karma good.
Despite the hardships she’s gone through, she’s determined to build herself the life she wants and manifest happiness for herself. “Just like magic, I’m attractive, I get everything I want cos I attract it,” she sings.
“Bedspell” – Zolita
Pop star Zolita finds herself under some kind of enchantment when she’s in bed with her lover. The things they do together have her completely under their power. “You can break the bed, just don’t break the bedspell,” she sings. She wants to experience all of the magic they have to show her and she doesn’t care what she has to do to stay there with them.
“Lips Of A Witch” – Austin Giorgio
When Giorgio meets a woman in dark lace with a dangerous energy, he knows he should be cautious, but he can’t help falling under her spell. She’s been brewing a potion to make him fall hard, and that’s exactly what he’s doing “Shuts the door and kills the switch – next thing I know I’m tasting the lips of a witch,” he sings. The witch in Giorgio’s song isn’t the old crone in fairy tales, but a beautiful seductive woman who he finds impossible to resist.
“My Girlfriend Is A Witch” – October County
October County have their suspicions that their girlfriend might be a witch – and to be fair, the evidence is pretty damning. She’s flying high across the sky on a broomstick, she’s casting spells into the air… there really isn’t any denying it. “What a fate, a worshipper of magic for a date,” the group lament. But even though it isn’t ideal, the group are prepared to stay with their witchy love.
“Magic Dance” – David Bowie
When he sees his baby down and low, Bowie wonders what enchantment he can use to cheer her up. “What kind of magic spell to use?” he ponders. Eventually he decides on a magic dance. ‘Magic Dance’ is a jumble of imagery, much of it related to the mystical like this list of potion ingredients: “slime and snail and puppy dog tails.”
But many other lines seem a little on the random side – it’s clear that Bowie wanted the track to be as incomprehensible and hard to pin down as the mystical itself. ‘Magic Dance’ was written for the 1986 film Labyrinth, in which Bowie stars.
“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – The Police
Every move Sting’s lover makes is enchanting to him. “Every little thing she does is magic, everything she do just turns me on,” he sings. It’s clear that the girl he loves has cast quite the spell over him. Although this was the first demo Sting ever played for his bandmates, the group didn’t release it until their fourth album, Ghost In The Machine. It was worth waiting for – the upbeat track won Best Pop Song at the 1982 Ivor Novello Awards.
“W.I.T.C.H.” – Devon Cole
Cole’s alternative pop song is about a powerful single woman that charms everyone she meets – although her exes think she’s vicious – expresses herself freely, and always gets what she wants.
Once upon a time, this woman might have been considered a witch. In this day and age, however, she’s what Cole describes as a “woman in total control of herself.” Cole first teased the song on TikTok, posting a clip of her original concept. When it blew up, she completed the track.
“Unicorn” – Noa Kirel
Israeli singer-songwriter Noa Kirel compares herself to a unique, powerful and magical creature in this piece of power pop. “I’ve got the power of a unicorn,” she tells a man who repeatedly trues to dull her shine. Kirel knows that he’s scared of her mystical energy and resolves not to compromise herself for him.
‘Unicorn’ was Israel’s entry into the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. It finished third overall after receiving a huge number of audience votes.
“Magic” – Coldplay
The second track on 2014’s Ghost Stories, ‘Magic’ sees Chris Martin struggling to explain the hold that his lover has over him, and the pull he feels to their side. “Call it magic,” he decides eventually. He knows he’ll never be able to get over these feelings, despite the hardships they’ve endured. “And if you were to ask me, after all that we’ve been through,” he sings, “Still believe in magic? Oh, yes, I do.”
Martin explained to BBC Radio 1 that the song was about the powerful, mystical force that occurs between two people, that no one else can really understand or have an opinion on. It’s just simply magic.
“Spellbound” – Siouxsie and the Banshees
This eerie indie rock track from London punk group Siouxsie and the Banshees paints a vague and unsettling picture of some mystical enchantment. The speaker seems to be slipping further into madness as the song continues, spoken to by a “beckoning voice” that encourages them to slip further into a world of chaos. “We’re entranced, spellbound, following the footsteps of a rag doll dance,” they sing.
“Witchcraft” – Frank Sinatra
Sinatra is convinced the hold that the girl he likes has over him is witchcraft, from her fingers in her hair to the “come hither” look she gives him. Even though he knows that she might be leading him down a ruinous path, he can’t help but follow her and fall further under her enchantment.
The 50s standard was composed by Cy Coleman with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. Sinatra released the track as a single in 1957, later recording a duet version in 1963 with Anita Baker.
“Hex Girl” – Moon Sisters ft The Nostalgia Girls
This alternative rock track from Moon Sisters’ 2015 album Embers Of Beauty sees them vowing to cast an enchantment on the person they’re seeing to ensure they fall into “dark devotion.” They’re confident in their mystical abilities and know that they’ll be able to keep the object of their desire by their side for as long as they want. “I’m a hex girl, and I’m gonna put a spell on you,” they sing.
“Abracadabra” – Steve Miller Band
This pop song from the Steve Miller Band sees Miller wholly under the spell of a particular girl. “Abra-abracadabra, I wanna reach out and grab ya,” he sings. The magic of this particular girl seems to lie a lot in her physical beauty – something which has left quite an impression on Miller. The song was a big hit for Miller, sending him to number one in the US.
“Female Of The Species” – Space
Space sing about a deadly “female of the species” in this eerie track. Lead singer Tommy Scott worries for his soul when he begins to worry that his fascination with a certain woman might be the result of witchcraft.
“How can heaven hold a place for me when a girl like you has cast a spell on me?” he laments. After one kiss, Scott fears it’s too late for him. This girl is scarier than Frankenstein, Dracula and Jekyll and Hyde purely due to her power over him.
“Magic” – One Direction
One Direction keep hearing from everyone that it’s never going to work out between them and the girl they love and they aren’t sure what to believe. Some of what people are telling them might make sense, but the girl has cast some kind of spell over them and there’s no way that they can leave her.
“Everything you do is magic,” they sing. Eventually they decide to let people say what they’ll say, take the pictures they want to take and spread the news around the world – they’d rather stay under the spell than pay attention to other people’s negative opinions.
“Under Your Spell” – Desire
Electronic duo are so far under their lover’s spell that they can’t eat or sleep or doing anything except think about them. They aren’t even sure if what they’re feeling is love or obsession any more, but they know that it’s a powerful, all-consuming enchantment that they couldn’t escape even if they wanted to. “Do you think this feeling could last forever?” they ask each other. “God, I hope so.”
“Curses” – The Crane Waves
This witchy tune from folk rock group The Crane Waves sees them asking their lover to stay even as everything burns. Their involvements in the mystical are catching up to them. “The devil’s after both of us,” they sing. “Lay my curses out to rest.”
“The Mermaid’s Revenge” – Jessica Law
“One of us will be alive by the breaking of the dawn,” sings Law. “I’m resolved that person will be me.” The eerie, mystical tune depicts a mermaid taking revenge on her lover after he leaves her for another woman.
The mermaid resolves to return to the sea without him, but not before she drowns him in the waves as payment for what he did to her. After all, she’s the one who first saved him for drowning, so his life is hers to control.
Final thoughts
The mystical can take many forms, whether that’s a force for light or dark, or simply some unfamiliar and ambiguous energy. Whatever aspect of the mystical interests you, there’s a song on this list to help spark your imagination.
Caitlin Devlin is a music, entertainment and lifestyle writer based in London. When she’s not creating playlists for Repeat Replay, she’s reviewing gigs and interviewing artists for Ticketmaster UK and thinking about what her Spotify Wrapped will look like this year.