"Say It Again" by Santana

Song#:  2229
Date:  02/23/1985
Debut:  70
Peak:  46
Weeks:  11
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The 80s started off well for Santana with their album Zebop! hitting #9 and going platinum. However, their next LP Shango didn't get much support and it could only manage gold sales. It was the start of a significant slide down for the band, which continued with their next album, Beyond Appearances. Featuring a new band lineup and new producer, Val Garay (Kim Carnes, The Motels), the album tried to get some sales going with this first single. The track did okay at Rock (#15) and Dance (#19), but it stalled short of the Pop Top 40. It was Santana's first album since 1976 to not get a song in the Top 40. A second single couldn't even reach the chart. With little to promote the album, it stalled at #50, which was Santana's worst chart showing to-date. To make things worse, it was also their first album to not achieve at least gold level sales. Things just spiraled after this. The band's next three albums fared even worse and spawned no Pop chart singles. Following 1992's Milagro, the band stopped recording and just toured. However, they would experience a major revival soon after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

ReduxReview:  I remember buying this single not because I liked it (I hadn't heard it) or was even a fan of Santana's (I wasn't), it was due to producer Val Garay. I just loved his style at the time and what he did for Kim Carnes, The Motels, and even Dolly Parton. So I bought the single blindly thinking Santana might sound pretty cool with Garay at the controls. Well, I was sorely disappointed. There was no magic here and what made it even worse was that Garay co-wrote the tune. It just sounded like basic, bland pop. The tune wasn't very good to start with and the production was quite standard. After that, I stopped buying records based solely on the producer. Even now when there is a hot producer doing work with several high-profile artists, I take a listen first. When it comes down to it, no matter how good the production is you still have to have the songs behind it. Unfortunately, at this point in their career, Santana did not.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Following their induction into the Hall of Fame, there was some renewed interest in the band. Clive Davis at Arista Records had an idea to get the band back on track. He wanted to pair them up with several modern, popular artists and create an album that would carry appeal for older fans while bringing new ones on board. The resulting album, Supernatural, would end up being a massive hit thanks to the #1 song "Smooth," which was co-written and sung by Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty). The album would spend twelve non-consecutive weeks at #1, go 15x platinum, and win eight Grammys including Album of the Year. It would be the biggest hit of Santana's career. Three more Top 10 hits would follow along with a second multi-platinum album, Shaman. Although things have cooled since their massive comeback, the four of the five albums they have recorded since Shaman hit the Top 10.

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