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Smooth (Santana song)

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"Smooth"
Song

"Smooth" is a collaboration between Latin rock band Santana and Rob Thomas of the rock group Matchbox Twenty. The song was written by Thomas and Itaal Shur, sung by Thomas, produced by Matt Serletic and won three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. It was also the final number-one Hot 100 hit of the 1990s.

Concept and background

"Smooth" was originally conceived by Shur as a song called "Room 17". The lyrics were stripped off and the track was given to Thomas, who re-wrote the lyrics and melody and re-titled it "Smooth", then recorded the song as a demo to play for Santana. This song was originally written to describe an acquaintance of Thomas', John Bizanes, who is... very 'smooth'. However, over time credit for this inspiration has been given to Thomas' wife, Marisol Maldonado. After hearing the song, Santana decided to have Thomas record the final version.[1] Matt Serletic (who produced Matchbox Twenty's debut album Yourself or Someone Like You) produced the song and it was released from Santana's album Supernatural.

Thomas wrote "Smooth" for his wife, Marisol Maldonado. He stated in interviews that the lyric "My Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa" was inspired by the 1972 Elton John song "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters", which includes references to the 1961 Ben E. King song "Spanish Harlem".

Success

"Smooth" became a massive hit in 1999, spending 12 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 beginning with the October 23, 1999 issue. It was the first chart-topping song in Carlos Santana's long-running career (his previous biggest hit being "Black Magic Woman", which peaked at number four in 1971). The song stayed in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 for 30 weeks, a record only broken by "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes.

In the United Kingdom, "Smooth" first charted at number 75 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1999. On a full release in March 2000 it peaked at number 3, spending eight weeks in the top 40.

"Smooth" also spent a record-breaking ten consecutive weeks at the top of the VSpot Top 20 Countdown, a record that held up until the Dixie Chicks broke it in 2006.

The song is featured in a scene in the 2003 film Love Actually.

Legacy

On Billboard magazine's rankings of the top songs of the first 50 years of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, "Smooth" was ranked as the number-two song overall (behind only "The Twist)[2] and the number-one rock song in the history of the chart.[3]

Cover versions

A cover version of the song is included in the Nintendo Wii version of Samba de Amigo. Post-hardcore group Escape the Fate also recorded a cover version of the song for the compilation album Punk Goes Pop 2, released on March 10, 2009.

Remixes

  1. Chris Staropoli Remix 3:53
  2. Club Mix 7:29
  3. Club Mix [instrumental] 7:29

Track listing

  1. "Smooth" (Edit) - 3:55
  2. "El Farol" - 4:59

Extended credits

  • Producer - Matt Serletic
  • Engineer - Andy Grassi, Michael McCoy
  • Recorded and mixed by - David Thoener
  • Vocals and lyrics - Rob Thomas
  • Music by - Itaal Shur, Rob Thomas
  • Video director - Marcus Raboy
  • Video editing - Bruce Ashley

Charts

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rob Thomas: Santana's Smooth Sidekick". VH1. December 2, 2002. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary – The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (10-01)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary – Top Billboard Hot 100 Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d "Smooth - Santana". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Santana Singles". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Top Singles - Volume 70, No. 8, December 13 1999". RPM. Retrieved October 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ "Rock/Alternative - Volume 70, No. 8, December 13 1999". RPM. Retrieved October 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1999". Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  9. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  10. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). "1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The Listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Billboard best of the 2000s Hot 100 songs". Billboard. December 31, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)[dead link]
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