Michelle Branch and Gregg Alexander have reunited for a new recording and video of The Game Of Love, more than two decades after the song became a Grammy-winning hit for Santana featuring Branch and now there is a video.
by Paul Cashmere
Michelle Branch and New Radicals have reunited for a reimagined version of The Game Of Love, bringing Branch together with Gregg Alexander, the song’s original writer and producer, for the first time since its original release in 2002. The new recording combines Branch’s original era with newly recorded vocals from Alexander and is accompanied by a music video marking the first New Radicals video appearance since 1998.
The collaboration provides a direct link between Branch’s early career and her forthcoming project, Everywhere and Back Again, an eight track EP scheduled for November 6 through BMG. The project revisits songs associated with Branch’s catalogue through newly reworked recordings and collaborations with other artists.
For The Game Of Love, that approach has a particularly strong historical connection. The original recording featured Branch on lead vocals with Santana and became one of the defining songs of her early career. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the Adult Contemporary chart and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
The new recording turns the relationship behind the song into a performance between Branch and Alexander. Branch said making the video with Alexander felt “incredibly special”, describing their reunion as a full circle moment after the history they share through the song.
Alexander also recalled the circumstances that brought Branch to the original recording. According to his account, Clive Davis was seeking a young voice for The Game Of Love after versions had been recorded with Tina Turner and Macy Gray. Alexander recommended Branch after hearing that she had been performing songs by New Radicals, and Branch recorded her vocal on her first attempt.
The 2026 version was recorded with Branch’s earlier vocal and Alexander’s new contribution placed together in the mix. Alexander said the pair recently worked on the recording at New York’s Hit Factory, bringing the 2001 and 2026 performances together.
Branch has described Alexander as one of her musical heroes and noted that his authorship of The Game Of Love is not always recognised by listeners. The new recording gives the songwriter a vocal role in a song that has been closely associated with Branch and Santana for more than 20 years.
The original The Game Of Love was released in 2002 as part of Santana’s Shaman album. Written by Alexander and Rick Nowels, the song was produced by Alexander, Nowels, Santana and Davis, with Branch providing the lead vocal and rhythm guitar.
Branch was 19 when she recorded the song. At the time, she was establishing herself as a singer-songwriter following the release of her debut album, The Spirit Room, in 2001. That album included Everywhere, All You Wanted and Goodbye To You and established Branch as one of the prominent young artists of the early 2000s.
New Radicals had a much shorter recording history. The group released its only studio album, Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too, in 1998 and became known internationally for You Get What You Give. The band stopped performing after its initial run, although Alexander’s songwriting continued to surface through other artists.
One of those songs, Murder On The Dancefloor, was written by Alexander for New Radicals and ultimately recorded by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Its renewed prominence following its use in the 2024 film Saltburn brought Alexander’s songwriting back into the wider pop conversation.
New Radicals have also recently released One Night Only, the title song from the romantic comedy starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner and directed by Will Gluck. The recording represents the group’s first new song in decades.
For Branch, The Game Of Love is the opening statement for Everywhere and Back Again. The EP revisits songs she wrote and recorded at a much younger age, including Everywhere, Breathe, Goodbye To You, You Get Me, All You Wanted and Are You Happy Now?, alongside a remix of The Game Of Love. Other collaborators are expected to feature across the project.
The project follows Branch’s 25th anniversary as a recording artist and comes as she prepares to return to the stage with the Everywhere and Back Again Tour. The nearly 20 date North American run sold out within its first week, with performances including The Wiltern in Los Angeles, the Beacon Theatre in New York, The Castro in San Francisco and the House of Blues in Chicago.
The new video gives New Radicals a visual presence more than 25 years after their last music video, while reconnecting Alexander with a recording that helped define Branch’s early career. The November EP will extend that conversation across a broader selection of her catalogue.
Tracklisting
“The Game of Love” by New Radicals and Michelle Branch
“Everywhere”
“Breathe”
“Goodbye to You”
“You Get Me”
“All You Wanted”
“Are You Happy Now?”
“The Game of Love Remix”
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