[2] The song is said to have been inspired by the American singer Diana Ross, whom Miller had met when they each performed on the same episode of the pop music television show Hullabaloo in the 1960s.

Upon release, Billboard said the song "mixes sly lyric, soulful vocal, and Miller's guitar wizardry.

Surprisingly, 'Abracadabra' crossed over to the Billboard Soul chart and its accompanying music video aired on BET as well as MTV.

The song also showed substantial longevity, spending fourteen weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100 chart.

The music video features magicians in a white room performing tricks and other illusions with a female assistant.

He is seen wearing sunglasses or having his eyes covered with a black bar juxtaposed next to images of a beautiful enchantress, "The Abracadabra Girl".

She appears in different guises and attitudes; stage magician, juggler of scarves, playful sorceress with white mouse on her shoulder, seductress in a top hat and spandex.

At times she is seen reclining, tossing her hair, making fireworks burst from the hat with tap of her wand amid more stills of Steve Miller.

She then turns into an older female sorceress, performed by another actress, who gestures dramatically then dances a tango in hot pants.

"Abracadabra" was used in the season 12 episode "The Witches of Langley" of the animated television series American Dad!