Songfacts®:

• The lyrics to this stirring, string-swaddled vision of a young girl frolicking happily on a beach were written by frontman Guy Garvey during his honeymoon in Sardinia. He recalled to Q magazine that it was inspired by the newlyweds waking every day "in this blissful bubble, to the sound of kids playing by the ocean."
• Garvey penned the song with his wife's permission after the boys sent him "this heroic music" and its joyous tones overcame him. He said the lyrics of the title were "the first thing that came to my lips."
• This won Best Song Musically And Lyrically at the 2018 Ivor Novello Awards.
• Paul McCartney wrote Elbow an email after hearing "Magnificent." Guy Garvey explained to The Guardian the former Beatle had been dropping off his grandkids at school and had to sit in the car until the song finished to find out who it was. Garvey added that getting such praise from McCartney means "my work here is done."