| Magnet and Steel | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Walter Egan |
| Album: | Not Shy |
| Released: | March 1978[1] |
| Genre: | Soft rock |
| Length: | 3:25 |
| Label: | Columbia (US) Polydor (international) |
| Producer: | Walter Egan, Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut |
"Magnet and Steel" is a hit single written and performed by Walter Egan, released in March 1978. It was the first and biggest hit on Egan's second solo LP, Not Shy. It reached number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number nine in Canada. It spent 22 weeks on the American charts.
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, members of Fleetwood Mac, sang background vocals along with several others; Buckingham was also one of the song's producers, along with Egan and Richard Dashut. Nicks was also Egan's inspiration for the song.[2]
"Magnet and Steel" was featured in Boogie Nights (1997), Overnight Delivery (1998), and (1999). It was also heard in the Season 2 episode "Ohio" of the HBO series Divorce (2018) and in the film This is 40.
The singer Matthew Sweet recorded a version of the song for the Sabrina the Teenage Witch album with Lindsey Buckingham on guitar and backing vocals.
| Chart (1978) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia[3] | 32 | |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[4] | 9 | |
| France (IFOP)[5] | 60 | |
| New Zealand[6] | 7 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7] | 8 | |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[8] | 18 | |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100[9] | 9 |
| Chart (1978) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada[10] | 68 | |
| New Zealand[11] | 46 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[12] | 40 | |
| U.S. Cash Box[13] | 59 |