The lead single of Coldplay’s sixth studio album Ghost Stories, “Magic,” introduces us to the narrator’s former relationship with a woman he loved in a magical way. Through clever references to the art of stage magic, he describes a very special bond that once existed between the two.

The song is not an affirmation of a relationship, it is a song about honoring yourself when a relationship ends. Although his lover has broken him in two by ending the relationship, he celebrates the magic of his capacity to unconditionally love another, even if they don’t reciprocate — his precious jewel.