The Game of Love (Santana song)

"The Game of Love" is a song performed by Latin rock band Santana from their eighteenth studio album Shaman. The vocal performance on the song is by Michelle Branch. It was composed by Gregg Alexander and Rick Nowels. The song was released as a single in 2002, and won a Grammy Award for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals",[1] as well as peaking at No. 5 in on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song also reached number one in Poland and was a top-ten hit in Canada, Hungary, New Zealand, Romania and Spain.

"The Game of Love"
Single by Santana featuring Michelle Branch
from the album Shaman and Hotel Paper (international version)
B-side
  • "Come to My World"
  • "Curacion"
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2002
Format
Recorded2001
Length4:18
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Santana singles chronology
"Primavera"
(2001)		 "The Game of Love"
(2002)		 "Nothing at All"
(2003)
Michelle Branch singles chronology
"All You Wanted"
(2001)		 "The Game of Love"
(2002)		 "Goodbye to You"
(2002)

Background

The song had originally been recorded with New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander, but producer Clive Davis felt a female voice would maximize the song's appeal and a recording of Santana performing "The Game of Love" with Tina Turner as vocalist was completed. When Turner declined to participate in making a video for the track, Davis recruited Macy Gray to record a replacement vocal. When Davis was not satisfied with that version, Michelle Branch was asked to record the song,[2] with Branch's rhythm guitar playing also added to the track. Branch said, "It was the first time for me to sing somebody else's song. Usually I'm like: 'Oh I want it this way' and I'm in charge...I didn't meet [Carlos Santana at the recording session], I didn't know what was going on...It felt to me like wow it seems like there's so much at stake, I'm going to go in there and just sing my heart out and just cross my fingers."[3]

The Tina Turner version of "The Game of Love" was issued on the 2007 retrospective Ultimate Santana. Santana said "There's only one Tina Turner...No one can hit a note like Tina Turner...I love Michelle [Branch] and she did a great interpretation of it. It's just that with all honor and respect to Michelle, there's the girl and there's the woman, and Michelle is unfolding into a woman...but it takes time to go from a girl into a woman."[4]

Music video

The music video depicts Santana and Branch in an alley with couples around them, each expressing their love for one another. The director was Paul Fedor and the video was filmed in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, with cameo appearances by Wesley Snipes, Helen Hunt and Jennifer Garner.

Track listing
  1. "The Game of Love" [radio mix] – Santana, Michelle Branch
  2. "Come to My World" – Santana
  3. "Curacion" (Sunlight on Water) – Santana
  4. "The Game of Love" [multimedia track] – Santana, Michelle Branch

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2002–2003) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[5] 21
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] 51
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[7] 2
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[8] 5
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[9] 4
Czech Republic (IFPI CR)[10] 7
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 37
Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 46
Greece (IFPI)[13] 10
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[14] 8
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 19
Italy (FIMI)[16] 11
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 23
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 40
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 7
Norway (VG-lista)[20] 17
Poland (Nielsen Music Control)[21] 1
Portugal (AFP)[22] 4
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[23] 7
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[24] 12
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[25] 6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 54
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 20
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[28] 16
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 5
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[30] 16
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[31] 1
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[32] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[33] 5

Year-end charts
Chart (2003) Position
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[34] 83
US (Billboard Hot 100)[35] 27

References
  1. "2003 Grammy Award Winners". The New York Times. February 25, 2003. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  2. You Sing, I Write: A Night With Clive Davis
  3. The Hour November 20, 2002 p.A2
  4. Victoria Advocate August 3, 2007 p. m3
  5. "Australian-charts.com – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  6. "Austriancharts.at – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  7. "Ultratop.be – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  8. "Ultratop.be – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love" (in French). Ultratip.
  9. "Santana Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  10. "Oficiální Česká Hitparáda – Pro týden 4/2003" (in Czech). IFPI ČR. Archived from the original on February 1, 2003. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  11. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20 no. 49. November 30, 2002. p. 11. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  13. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20 no. 47. November 16, 2002. p. 11. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  14. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Game of Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  16. "Italiancharts.com – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love". Top Digital Download. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 45, 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  19. "Charts.nz – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love". VG-lista. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  21. "Nielsen Music Control". Archived from the original on October 15, 2007.
  22. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20 no. 49. November 30, 2002. p. 13. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  23. "Romanian peak". Archived from the original on December 28, 2004. Retrieved December 28, 2004.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  25. "Spanishcharts.com – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  26. "Swedishcharts.com – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  27. "Swisscharts.com – Santana feat. Michelle Branch – The Game of Love". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  29. "Santana Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  30. "Santana Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  31. "Santana Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  32. "Santana Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  33. "Santana Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  34. "Topul anului 2003" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on January 22, 2005. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  35. "2003 The Year in Music: Hot 100 Singles & Tracks". Billboard. December 27, 2003. pp. YE-30, YE-32. Retrieved February 11, 2017.

See also
  • List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 2003
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