"Black Magic Woman" is a song written by Peter Green that first appeared as a Fleetwood Mac single (hooktube.com) in various countries in 1968. It was featured in Fleetwood Mac live set-lists even after Green had left the band, when it was often sung by Danny Kirwan, and during concerts in the early 1970s it would form the basis for long mid-concert jams. The song has the same chord structure, guitar breaks, and even a similar melody to Green’s “I Loved Another Woman (hooktube.com)” from the band’s 1968 debut album, and may have evolved out of the earlier song. The 1:49 instrumental at the end is called "Gypsy Queen (hooktube.com)," and was written by Hungarian Jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo. It was omitted from the 1974 Greatest Hits album, even though radio stations usually play "Black Magic Woman" and "Gypsy Queen" as one song. There is also a single edit that runs for 3:15. On some radio versions the piano solo is omitted, and "Gypsy Queen" is sometimes omitted. Other longer versions have since been released, including one which runs for 8:56.
The royalties generated by Santana's cover of this song helped sustain the song's writer, Peter Green, after he left Fleetwood Mac. Green gave most of his money away when he left the band, and would have found himself destitute later in the '70s if he didn't get checks from his old hits. After this was released, Peter Green befriended some people who were into black magic. In an interview, Christine McVie said these were the people who turned him on to acid, which led to Green leaving Fleetwood Mac.
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