"The Game of Love" is a song by American rock band Santana from their 19th studio album, Shaman (2002). The vocal performance on the song is by Michelle Branch. It was composed by Gregg Alexander (as Alex Ander) and Rick Nowels. The song was released as a single on September 23, 2002, and won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Commercially, "The Game of Love" peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, becoming that ranking's most successful track of 2003. The song additionally reached the top 10 in Canada, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, and seven European countries.

Background The song had originally been recorded with New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander, but album 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, 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."

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." Syndicated as e.g.: In 2026, as part of Branch's Everywhere and Back Again EP celebrating her 25-year music career, she released a duet version of the song with Alexander.

Chart performance "The Game of Love" peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending November 30, 2002. The song stayed on the charts for 37 weeks. The song became Santana's fifth top-10 hit and Branch's second top-10 hit, as well as her highest-peaking single.

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 listings US CD single "The Game of Love" (radio mix) – 4:18 "The Game of Love" (instrumental) – 4:18

European CD and cassette single "The Game of Love" (radio mix) – 4:18 "Come to My World" – 4:11

European and Australian maxi-CD single "The Game of Love" (radio mix) – 4:18 "Come to My World" – 4:11 "Curacion" – 4:47 "The Game of Love" (video)

Credits and personnel Credits are taken from the European CD single liner notes.

Studios Mixed at Larrabee North Studios (North Hollywood, California, US) Engineered at the Big Space (Santa Monica, California, US) and Fantasy Studios (Berkeley, California, US)

Personnel

Alex Ander – writing, production Rick Nowels – writing, background vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, production Carlos Santana – lead guitar, horn arrangements, album production Michelle Branch – lead vocals, background vocals Andy Vargas – additional vocals Tony Lindsay – additional vocals Niki Haris – background vocals Siedah Garrett – background vocals Rusty Anderson – additional electric guitar Chester Thompson – piano, organ Benny Rietveld – bass Brian Collier – drums Wayne Rodrigues – drum programming Raul Rekow – congas Karl Perazzo – percussion Louis Conte – additional percussion Bill Ortiz – trumpet, horn arrangements Julius Melendez – trumpet Jeff Cressman – trombone, horn arrangements Martin Wehner – trombone Ben Conrad – engineering Chris Garcia – engineering Randy Wine – engineering Greg Collins – engineering Michael Rosen – engineering Scott Holderby – engineering Eddie Kramer – engineering Tone – engineering Kieron Menzies – engineering assistance Alan Veucosovic – engineering assistance Manny Marroquin – mixing Kirstin Johnson – project coordination for Ander and Nowels Robert Cappadona – project coordination for Ander and Nowels Clive Davis – album production Antonio "LA" Reid – executive production

Charts

Weekly charts Original version +Chart (2002–2003)PeakpositionCanada (Nielsen SoundScan)4Croatia (HRT)9Czech Republic (IFPI CR)7Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)37Greece (IFPI)10Nicaragua (Notimex)4Panama (Notimex)5Portugal (AFP)4Romania (Romanian Top 100)7

2026 version with New Radicals +Chart (2026)Peakposition

Year-end charts +Chart (2002)PositionBrazil (Crowley)54Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)78US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)39US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)48US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)75

+Chart (2003)PositionRomania (Romanian Top 100)83US Billboard Hot 10027US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)1US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)8US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)52

Certifications

Release history +RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United StatesSeptember 23, 2002AristaAustraliaNovember 11, 2002CDUnited Kingdom

Michelle Branch and New Radicals version

In 2026, Michelle Branch recorded a new version of the song with the song's writer and original vocalist, Gregg Alexander, with Gregg Alexander being credited as "New Radicals". The single was released as part of her "Everywhere and Back Again EP", which celebrates Branch's 25 years in the music industry.

Composition The song deviates from the opening found in the original Santana version and borrows the opening from New Radicals own 1998 composition You Get What You Give by including a "1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4" chant as well as similar instrumentation before Gregg Alexander starts singing. The song also deviates from the Santana version by turning it into a vocal duet with both Alexander and Branch sharing lead vocals.

See also List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 2003

References