10 Hated '90s Rock Songs That Are Actually Really Good

10. Santana feat. Rob Thomas - Smooth

Look, no one’s denying that this song is very funny indeed. Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty fame singing about the barrio and being smooth - you’d need a heart of stone not to chuckle. But a song can be two things; both a deeply silly piece of work, and an undeniable summer jam.

The majority of the heavy lifting is done by Carlos Santana himself. He’s not here to wait around for the solos - though he rips off a killer solo in due time - and his guitar leads wail all over the song, whether Thomas is singing or not.

The Latin shuffle is genuinely irresistible. You can hate this song and you’ll still shake your hips to it, so you might as well go along with it. And if you don’t listen to what Rob Thomas is actually saying, his voice actually gels well with Carlos’ guitar heroics, a smooth, deep purr to compliment the shrieking six string.

Is it a song that drove contemporaneous listeners mad through overexposure? Oh, absolutely. But on a nice sunny day, there’s really nothing better.