Santeria (song)

"Santeria" is a song by American ska punk band Sublime from their third, self-titled album. The song was released as a single on January 7, 1997. Although the song was released after the death of lead singer Bradley Nowell, "Santeria" along with "What I Got" are often considered the band's signature songs.[2]

"Santeria"
US promotional single
Single by Sublime
from the album Sublime
ReleasedJanuary 7, 1997
Recorded1996
Genre
Length3:03
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Paul Leary and David Kahne
Sublime singles chronology
"What I Got"
(1996)		 "Santeria"
(1997)		 "Wrong Way"
(1997)

Composition and context

The song includes the bassline and guitar riff from Sublime's earlier song "Lincoln Highway Dub" off the 1994 album Robbin' the Hood.[3] Santería is an Afro-Cuban religion, practiced in Cuba, South Florida, and exported to other areas in the Caribbean.

The song tells the story of a jealous ex-boyfriend who is planning to take revenge on the man who stole his girlfriend. The man then decides to find a new girlfriend, instead. However, the man then mentions using violent force as he describes his plans to "pop a cap in Sancho" and "stick that barrel straight down Sancho's throat" if he ever sees him again. The lead singer of Sublime, Bradley Nowell, refers to the man as "sancho" and his ex-girlfriend as "Heina".[4] In Chicano/a culture, a man who steals another man's girlfriend is often referred to as "Sancho"[5] while a man's woman or girlfriend is referred to as "Heina", which is adapted from the Spanish word reina, meaning "queen" in English.[6]

Music video

A music video was filmed after the death of lead singer Bradley Nowell, who makes a cameo via stock footage. During the video, his beloved Lou Dog is seen along with the other members of Sublime remembering him. The video was a visualization of the story told in the song in the form of a Western, and featured Tom Lister, Jr. as Sancho. Lister was bitten by Lou Dog on the lip in a particular scene where Tiny gets too close to Lou Dog's face.

Commercial performance

"Santeria" was a moderate U.S. crossover hit, cracking the Top 5 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart as well as reaching number 43 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.

Media usage

The song is a playable track on the 2008 video game Guitar Hero World Tour, and was released as a downloadable song for Rock Band 3 in 2012 as well as Rocksmith 2014 in 2014. The song was featured in the films Idle Hands, Knocked Up, Remember the Daze and This is 40.

Charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Canadian Singles Chart 90
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 43
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks 3
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks 38

Notes
  1. BMI database
  2. "Sublime". iTunes. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  3. "Santeria by Sublime Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  4. "Santeria Lyrics Sublime". Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  5. "What does sancho mean? sancho Definition. Meaning of sancho. OnlineSlangDictionary.com". Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  6. "What does heina mean? heina Definition. Meaning of heina. OnlineSlangDictionary.com". Retrieved March 15, 2016.
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