Who Did It Better?
The Game Of Love
Sometimes it's the powers that be pulling all the strings. Such is the case with today's Who Did It Better? selection. Clive Davis is a powerful record executive responsible for the discovery and nurturing of countless musical legends, so the man, generally, gets what he wants. If he says the sky is pink? Suddenly it's raining cotton candy!
The Game Of Love is a song composed by Gregg Alexander (under the psuedonymn Alex Ander) and Rick Nowels. Gregg Alexander is best known as the former frontman for The New Radicals, who enjoyed an international hit with You Get What You Give (produced by Rick Nowels) in 1998. Rick Nowels is a songwriter/producer who has created hits for the likes of Stevie Nicks, Anita Baker, Belinda Carlisle, Dido, Jewel, Madonna, Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa, etc. (it's a long, long list.)
Gregg Alexander would record a demo version of the song, circa 1998-99. A version of the demo is available on YouTube, but not part of this competition because it was never commercially released.
For Santana's 18th album, 2002's Shaman, Clive Davis of Arista Records wanted pull out all stops and make it an all-star affair. It would ultimately include collaborations with Chad Kroeger (Nickleback,) Dido, Macy Gray, P.O.D., Seal, Ozomati, Citizen Cope and Plácido Domingo.
The song, The Game of Love, was originally recorded with Gregg Alexander on vocals. However, Clive felt that the song needed a female touch and had one superstar in mind: Tina Turner. Turner recorded the song and everyone was very pleased with the results. However, when it came time to do a video to support the song, Turner balked, and then refused.
Convinced that the song had to have a video, Clive turned to Macy Gray to sub for Turner. It was not a good fit, but don't worry... Gray ended up being the featured vocalist on track five of the album, Amoré (Sexo).
Enter Michelle Branch. Branch added her vocals and rhythm guitar on top of the tracks already laid down. She never even met Carlos Santana! "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 (him.) 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."
Seems Branch's luck held... as did the song: for 37 weeks on Billboard's music charts!
As for Tina Turner's version, it was issued on the 2007 retrospective, Ultimate Santana. And I think he revealed his preference between the two versions when he said, "There's only one Tina Turner. No one can hit a note like Tina Turner. I love Michelle 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."
And that's the whole story.
Now? On to the competition!
The Song: The Game Of Love
The Competitors: Santana feat. Tina Turner vs. Santana feat. Michelle Branch
The Game Of Love - Santana feat. Tina Turner
The Game Of Love - Santana feat. Michelle Branch
Santana feat. Tina Turner
Nice synth bed opening. Carlos Santana has a very unique style. It's the way he bends the notes and blends one into the next. Sort of like pouring melted chocolate ice cream your breakfast cereal. This is a very busy solo, but it sure grabs the listener.
The song has a very sexy swagger to it.
I also like all the ambient crowd talk. It creates an excitement, which is exactly what Tina Turner brings to the mix immediately. She's in full-smile mode; you can hear it in her voice. It's a very uplifting quality.
The multi-tracked vocal on 'why' is a little shrill. But it probably would have helped it breakthrough to listeners on the radio.
Hard to argue with either Turner's or Santana's performance. This seems a natural fit.
The horns come on a little strong. That's Santana on all the percussion, by the way.
Like the backing vocals on the second verse.
Again, we get shrill launching that chorus. Very bratty. But then, the vocals are competing with a lot going on in the background. Not only Santana's guitars, but all that percussion, the ambient sounds and those horns.
To be honest? The arrangement is way too busy for my comfort level.
That aside? I can't believe this wasn't THE version of this song we came to know.
Turner is in great form throughout.
Santana feat. Michelle Branch
A brief aside: I like the song, if not the arrangement. Gregg Alexander is extremely talented, gifted with a buoyant musical point of view. His Get What You Give is one of my favorite pop songs and definitely my pick as song of the year for 1998 (which, if I remember, was a pretty good year for pop music.)
Her vocals are fine. No grit. A little hooded and thin sounding. There's a nasal whine which has limited appeal, although I do enjoy what I can term as her mumbly Jagger pout. That will get more interesting as she ages. I enjoy her slyness. There's a knowing there which shines through. That will serve her well throughout her career.
Wow, that went by in the blink of an eye.
The Verdict
Turner takes it for me.
Nothing really wrong with Branch's vocals, I simply prefer Turner's gutsy, earthy, grittiness. She brings a fire and light to the song. My only complaint - the arrangement is so busy, I feel like she has to fight to be heard. Oddly, that was not my experience with Branch's version. Maybe Tina's vocals simply take up more aural space?
In any event, if I listened to this again? I'd choose Turner.
Kind of a mystery, huh? If only...
Who knows what would have happened?
---- ---
That's enough of me.
Okay, your turn. Leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. I love to hear from you.
That's all for now.
Until next time...
Thanks for reading... and listening!
The Game Of Love - Gregg Alexander (Demo)
The Game Of Love - Santana feat. Michelle Branch
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4 comments:
At first I thought you were going to be about Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders - right out of the 60s!
Listening to both? Tina, hands down.
I had that CD! Oh, the memories.
And I cannot believe I didn't know Tina had sung that song! And you are right, you can almost see that smile. Goddess, she's like Aretha: once she sings a song, it's hers. Clive Davis has got the most uncanny ability to spot hits.
And Gregg (double g??) Alexander wrote it? He got his money with all those songs for those A-list artists, cause his one hit wonder (kind of bratty) was in and out of the lists. That demo is cute, though.
I agree with Carlos: in with the woman.
XOXO
The Santana video is very similar to his 'Smooth' video.
I couldn't agree more. Turner takes this!!
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