(CNN) -- He's 55. She just turned 19. He was born in Mexico. She's American. He played at Woodstock in 1969. She downloads songs on the Internet.
So what exactly do Carlos Santana and Michelle Branch have in common? Aside from a healthy love for guitar and good music, the two recently found common ground in the "Game of Love."
The hit song, which has been scaling the singles charts since its release, is the first off Santana's latest album, "Shaman," and combines dreamy vocals from Branch with Santana's signature guitar playing.
For Santana's last successful joint project, the veteran musician teamed up with Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas for the hit "Smooth." It earned him a song of the year Grammy in 2000, one of eight Grammys Santana won for his 1999 comeback album, "Supernatural."
Of course, Branch is no under-achiever herself. Her debut record, "Spirit Room" has catapulted three hit songs onto the charts: "Everywhere," "All You Wanted" and "Goodbye to you."
Both Branch and Santana recently took time out from promoting "Game of Love" to chat with The Music Room about the single.
Carlos Santana
TMR: Tell us about working with Michelle Branch on "Game of Love."
Santana: When I hear the song and when I hear her singing I am just really honored to share her spirit and her heart and her innocence with us. She's just turned 19, but when she speaks and she sings she's a deep, deep, old, old soul. She's been around the earth many times. I'm just very grateful that she came to the bat, bases were loaded and she hit a home run.
She needs to be validated in her own spirit. She's the future in this so-called arena of so much artificial, superficial plastic. It's great to see someone who's genuine -- a new Tina (Turner), a new Aretha (Franklin), a new Whitney (Houston). It's glorious to see the future in her now.
TMR: How do you think she complemented the Santana sound?
Santana: Michelle Branch complements the Santana sound by singing from her heart. Her spirit is very present and it brings joy. The first time I heard that song on the radio the other day, I said "Oh yeah. That's the stuff that makes your hair stand up." It's glorious to be 55 and share with someone who's 19, and still feel effervescent about it.
TMR: What do you get from collaborating with someone else on a song?
Santana: The song will never be as good unless you work with people. You know, the best things the Beatles did they did collectively.
Michelle Branch
TMR: So how did this collaboration with Carlos Santana come about, and what was the experience like?
Branch: The collaboration with Carlos was really something that I was really unaware of until I got this call one day from my manager. He said, "Next time you're in Los Angeles, would you want to go into the recording studio and put a vocal on a song for Carlos' new album?" And I said, "Wait a minute! You have the wrong number!" That was one of my first reactions.
I was definitely very flattered and very excited, especially because I'm a huge Santana fan. I just knew this would be a great record so I was very honored to be a part of it.
TMR: From a songwriter's point of view, did you know straight away that you'd have a blast with the project?
Branch: When I first heard "Game of Love" I was on tour and I had the CD sent to me. It was different for me because I am a writer and so I am very used to doing all my own songs and having a certain way that I do them, and being able to be the boss. When I went into the studio to do "Game of Love," I had to be open to other people's opinions and listen to other people -- whether it was writers or producers -- for Carlos.
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Obviously I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't a great song. I mean, I might have, but I wouldn't have been able to genuinely enjoy myself. And I think it's a great song and I think the title kind of says it all.
I'm really enthusiastic about the project and the song, and I haven't gotten sick of hearing it or singing it or playing it yet. I just hope that everybody likes it as much as we do.
TMR: What's it like to be at such an early stage in your career and to have already recorded with a legendary musician?
Branch: The way I look at it is, I'm 19 now and I'm working with Carlos Santana, so I can't wait to see what I'm doing at 30! I feel very blessed to have somebody like Carlos take interest, and he's allowing me to be involved in one of his albums and that's a very personal thing. It's not the kind of thing to be taken lightly.
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