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Longtime fans of Michelle Branch will remember the euphoria surrounding the 2002 release of “The Game of Love.” It’s not surprising that in 2003, the song won a Grammy in the category of “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals”.  Part of this has to be attributed to the late Clive Davis (who passed on in June 2026) who picked the then 19-year-old (also partly for her guitar skills that suited the song), over other seasoned female voices. Her partner was the guitarist, Santana, who was convinced by Davis to use the track for his 2002 album ‘Shaman’.

Prior to Branch’s rise to fame, she was listening to and covering songs by the now-disbanded New Radicals, formed by Danielle Brisebois and Gregg Alexander. Gregg Alexander, who had written “The Game of Love” alongside Rick Nowels, introduced Michelle Branch to Davis. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to 24 years later, Branch felt the need to pay homage to the original writer, who had also recorded his own version, but Davis felt it was more for a female voice to have a larger impact and appeal.

I guess you could say the synth sound in the newer 2026 version is to reflect the listening diets of today’s young(er) ears. There’s no guitar-shredding, no edgier sound, as created by Santana in the earlier original, instead there’s shared vocals of Branch and Alexander, one of whom had used an alias when writing the song back then. So, you can expect this version to be more laid-back and simply different in that it is rather a duet that captures the original spirit of the song’s demo.

This re-release is meant to be Branch’s first single from her new album “Everywhere and Back Again”, which contains longtime fan favourites, but with the breath of new life. The launch of her new album is also to mark her 25-year journey in the music industry.

Branch is of Dutch-Indonesian and French ancestry on her maternal side, while Irish on her paternal side. Branch’s maternal grandmother is from East Java. Peggy, Branch’s mother was born in Holland, as Branch’s maternal side had decided to relocate from Indonesia post-war.  When Peggy was of a young age, the family moved to the US. Branch was then born in the US.

To date, the audio and lyric video has been up on YouTube since 15 July 2026.

Will there be an accompanying music video though? Who knows?

Branch is set to tour North America, beginning with Seattle, from September to mid-November, coinciding with the release of her album.

The tour shares its name with her latest album.

So, who’s sticking around for Branch’s reworked versions in her new album?