Smooth (Santana song): Difference between revisions

"Smooth" was originally conceived by [[Itaal Shur]] as a song called "Room 17". The lyrics were stripped off and the track was given to [[Rob Thomas (musician)|Rob Thomas]], who re-wrote the lyrics and melody and re-titled it "Smooth", then recorded the song as a demo to play for Santana. After hearing the song, Santana decided to have Thomas record the final version.<ref name="Browne"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1458955/20021202/matchbox_twenty.jhtml |title=Rob Thomas: Santana's Smooth Sidekick |publisher=[[VH1]] |date=December 2, 2002 |access-date=July 8, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006095417/http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1458955/20021202/matchbox_twenty.jhtml |archive-date=October 6, 2012 }}</ref> [[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 (Santana album)|Supernatural]]''. Thomas originally had [[George Michael]] in mind to sing the song.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/magazine-feature/7647476/rob-thomas-george-michael-smooth-santana |title=Rob Thomas Reveals He Wrote 'Smooth' With George Michael In Mind |website=billboard.com[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021193021/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/magazine-feature/7647476/rob-thomas-george-michael-smooth-santana |archive-date=October 21, 2017}}</ref>

By June 1, 1999, "Smooth" was leaked and played by some radio stations before its official release.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQ0EAAAAMBAJ&q=santana&pg=PA11 |title=Santana Goes 'Supernatural': First Arista Album Features Young Performers as Guests |first=Melinda |last=Newman |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=June 5, 1999 |pages=11, 128}}</ref> The single became a chart-topping hit inthat 1999summer, spending 12 consecutive weeks at number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] beginning with the week of October 23, 1999. It was the first chart-topping songhit in [[Carlos Santana]]'s long-running career, risingpeaking higher than Santana's previoushis previously-biggest hit, "[[Black Magic Woman#Santana version|Black Magic Woman]]", (1971) which had peaked at number four in 1971. "Smooth" stayed in the top 10 of the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for 30 weeks and the top 100 for 58 weeks.<ref name="hot100"/>

In the United Kingdom, "Smooth" first charted at number 75 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in October 1999. After a full release on March 20, 2000,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2000/Music-Week-2000-03-18.pdf|title=New Releases – For Week Starting March 20, 2000: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=31|date=March 18, 2000|access-date=August 2, 2021}}</ref> it peaked at number three, spending eight weeks in the top 40. The song also peaked at number three in Ireland in March 2000, spending ten weeks on the [[Irish Singles Chart]]. It remains Santana's highest-charting single in both the UK and Ireland. The song also peaked at number one in Canada for a week, number two for six weeks, and was on the charts for 51 weeks. It was number two in Greece, number four in Australia, and number nine in Austria. It reached the top 40 in an additional seven countries: Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

On ''[[Billboard (magazine)|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<ref name="top100-titles-10">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-10.shtml |title=Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary – The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (10-01) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 8, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722203222/http://www.billboard.com/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-10.shtml |archive-date=July 22, 2012 }}</ref> and the number-one rock song in the history of the chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top-rock.shtml |title=Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary – Top Billboard Hot 100 Rock Songs |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 8, 2012 |url-status=livedead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627091450/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top-rock.shtml |archive-date=June 27, 2012 }}</ref>

In the 21st century, particularly during the summer of 2016, the song became the subject of several [[internet meme]]s.<ref name="Allsummer">{{cite web |last=Dandashi |first=dahlia |title=All summer 2016, we'll be jamming out to Santana's 'Smooth' |url=https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/santana-smooth-comeback-summer-2016/ |website=The Daily Dot |date=July 15, 2016 |access-date=June 20, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029055714/http://www.dailydot.com/upstream/santana-smooth-comeback-summer-2016/ |archive-date=October 29, 2016}}</ref> Writing for [[MTV.com]], Sasha Geffen compared the situation to similar resurgences of "[[All Star (song)|All Star]]" by [[Smash Mouth]] and "[[One Week (song)|One Week]]" by the [[Barenaked Ladies]], going on to attribute the song's popularity to "the merits of its vocal absurdity." They wrote, "There's something ridiculous about how eagerly Rob Thomas lays his earnest [[alternative rock|alt-rock]] croon over Santana's guitar, sweating out lines about how his 'Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa' is 'just like the ocean under the moon' without a hint of self-consciousness or irony".<ref name="mtv">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2919189/smooth-santana-rob-thomas-matchbox-twenty/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816015201/http://www.mtv.com/news/2919189/smooth-santana-rob-thomas-matchbox-twenty/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |title=The Enduring Power of 'smooth' by Santana Featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty |last=Geffen |first=Sasha |date=August 15, 2016 |website=MTV |access-date=July 16, 2018}}</ref>

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