Rhino Factoids: The Drifters, “This Magic Moment”

55 years ago today, The Drifters stepped into the studio to record a track which would go on to become one of their signature songs…and one of Jay and the Americans' signature songs, too, for that matter.

Composed by the classic songwriting duo of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, “This Magic Moment” was produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who certainly knew their way around rock 'n' roll and R&B. When The Drifters - then fronted by Ben E. King - released their version of the song, they added another top-20 hit to their catalog. As it happens, though, Jay and the Americans actually found even greater success with the song, hitting #6 in 1969. (The Drifters only made it to #16.)

Given its classic status, you won't be surprised to learn that plenty of other artists have covered the song over the year, including Lou Reed (whose version can be heard in David Lynch's Lost Highway), the Misfits (who teamed with Ronnie Spector for their take on the track, believe it or not), Diana Ross, Aaron Neville, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Billy Joe Royal, and even Rick James. All things being equal, though, we'll stick with The Drifters. You just can't go wrong with a classic.