The Tao of ‘Smooth,’ Rock’s Enduring, Inescapable Earworm

“To really appreciate ‘Smooth,’ you have to embrace how cheesy ‘Smooth’ is,” Rob Thomas said. “It’s right in your face.”

The singer’s voice dropped into a silkybaritone, as if he were channeling an infomercial announcer, or a late-night radio D.J. “Man, it’s a hot one,” he crooned, dramatically reciting the song’s opening lyric.

“Smooth” was a centerpiece of “Supernatural,”the 1999 comeback album by Santana and its leader, Carlos Santana. The Mexico-born guitarist’s band had been revered as an innovative force in music since its 1969 debut and had several rock radio standards in its repertoire, including “Evil Ways,” “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va.” But Santana hadn’t placed a single in the Top 40 since 1982, and with Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and Christina Aguilera dominating the charts, there didn’t seem to be much demand for a 51-year-old guitar hero.

The Arista Records head Clive Davis plotted “Supernatural”for maximum commercial effect, and paired the band with younger artists, including Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews and Thomas, whose pop-rock band, Matchbox Twenty, had just scored a remarkable four smash singles on its first album, “Yourself or Someone Like You.”

Davis’s machinations worked: “Smooth” hit No. 1 in October and held the position for 12 weeks, into 2000. But the track’s zombie afterlife is what most distinguishes “Smooth.” It spawned an inexplicably funny meme via T-shirts that read, in full, “I’d Rather Be Listening to the Grammy Award-Winning 1999 Hit Smooth by Santana Feat. Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty off the Multi-platinum Album Supernatural.” Through the end of last month, it had been played 1.8 million times on U.S. radio, translating to an audience reach of 13.2 billion, according to data from Luminate. On a recent week alone, it was heard on the airwaves by 5.2 million people.

You can buy Thomas and Santana action figures on Etsy or find a video of “Smooth” sung in the style of the B-52’s. When the sun explodes and human life expires, only cockroaches will remain, and those roaches will build a radio station and keep “Smooth” in heavy rotation.