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Michelle Branch and New Radicals founder Gregg Alexander have reunited nearly 25 years after the release of their hit song to debut an uplifting reimagining of “The Game of Love” as a duet. The newly recorded track debuted at No. 33 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart for the Aug. 8-dated chart, accompanied by a vibrant music video shot on the streets of Nashville.
Revisiting a Grammy-Winning Smash
In 2002, Michelle Branch and Santana released the original version of “The Game of Love.” It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for best pop collaboration with vocals. Nearly 25 years later, Branch teamed up with the song’s co-writer, Gregg Alexander, to reinvent the track.
Alexander told Billboard that recording with Branch felt like an old-school New York session utilizing real musicians and tube microphones. The collaboration forms part of a broader return for New Radicals, who also recently released the song “One Night Only (Break Loose Break Free!)” for the romantic comedy One Night Only, which opened on August 7.
From Washington Square Park to Nashville Streets
The accompanying music video for the new duet features a man carrying a boombox through a neighborhood, gathering followers like the Pied Piper. According to Alexander, the concept stems from a real-life incident in New York’s Washington Square Park, where he saw a large crowd follow a massive boombox playing dance and electronic tracks.
Directors Stephen Kinigopoulos and Alexa Stone of Running Bear Films brought the concept to life in Nashville.
Correcting the Past With a Multicultural Vision
Alexander noted to Billboard that he aimed for a diverse cast, featuring an array of ages, sizes, and colors, to correct what he felt was a lack of multicultural representation in the 1998 “You Get What You Give” music video.
The Return of the Iconic Bucket Hat
Alexander also dons his famous bucket hat in the new visual.
The hat, which also appeared on the cover of the 1998 New Radicals album Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too, was recovered from a locked storage space containing photos, songwriting reels, and voicemail tapes dating back to the early 1990s.
Worth a look