Carlos Santana wasn’t the first guitar virtuoso. But of all of them, bar, perhaps, Jimmy Page, he was the only one who seemed to have been brought to the world by some magical voodoo ritual.

Of course, Santana was also a group first, one that played dramatic, epic, highly entertaining Latin rock. At its best, Santana, one of the greatest bands of all time, could rival any musical artist, especially in a live setting.

Counting down the greatest 10 songs of a musical figure beloved by pop fans and demented record collectors alike is not easy. I will do my best. Here’s Santana’s best!

The Greatest Ten Songs by Santana

10. “Floor d’Luna (Moonflower)”

There are singers, of course, that you can easily recognize from the moment they open their mouths. But there are few guitar players whose style is as easy to pick out from a crowd.

Carlos Santana possesses such a style. The Latin-rock ballads on which he lets his lyrical lead guitar playing are some of the best representations of his talent. And “Floor d’Luna (Moonflower)” is one of Santana’s best, most underrated songs.

9. “Corazon Espinado” (feat Maná)

It seemed only fitting that “Supernatural,” with its many hits, would also help promote another Latin rock band, Maná.

“Corazon Espinado” is one of the songs that has aged best from that period. It’s the closest that the hits had to Santana’s original band sound.

8. “Smooth” (feat. Rob Thomas)

“Smooth” is an internet meme by now. But that’s mostly because, for so many years, you could not avoid hearing it.

Sure, eventually, it may wear out its welcome. However, the fact remains that this was an expertly crafted pop-rock song for the 1990s.

The key to this is that Santana is, essentially, the support act in his own show. Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty delivers it confidently and turns it into a tune that radio and MTV could not get sick of.

7. “Soul Sacrifice”

Santana was an overnight sensation. That night, however, was the one on which the Woodstock festival was held.

Santana got the gig when the jazz-pop group Chicago pulled out at the last moment. The Latin rock band barely had enough tunes to fill a set.

Full of passion, playing by the skin of their teeth and with Carlos high as a kite, they delivered a version of “Soul Sacrifice” that is undeniable. Fun fact: Carlos Santana claims that he thought his guitar was a living, slithering snake because of all the acid that he was on.

6. “Evil Ways”

“Evil Ways” and the band’s debut album, announced Santana as one of the most exciting bands in North America. The title of the song, the presentation, and the fact that most members were Latin American also provided the band with a mystique that they’d need to live up to in the years that followed.

5. “Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)”

There was always a spiritual dimension to Santana’s music. Originally, this was a code word for calling it “exotic.”

But as Santana became more of a solo project for guitarist Carlos, and as he deepened his own spiritual leanings, these came out in the music.

“Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven Smile)” is the best distillation of the artist’s jazz and R&B phase. What really sells it, of course, is Santana’s lyrical guitar. This, as always, was the best tool in his arsenal.

4. “Put Your Lights On” (feat Everlast)

The best song of the monumentally successful “Supernatural” album, “Put Your Lights On”, was an unlikely pairing. The excellent singing is the work of Everlast, famous in the early 1990s for froning Celtic-rap band House of Pain.

The secret to this is that Everlast delivers a heartfelt tale of survival with the vocal performance of a lifetime. The other ingredient is, of course, Santana matching the intensity with his never-overbearing lead guitar work.

It was a recipe that Santana would try to replicate several times. Usually, this would be done to diminish artistic results. But the follow-up records kept being great for a long time.

3. “Oye Como Va”

Santana sure mined the potential of Latin grooves. But, to the band’s credit, the musicians could even deliver a Tito Puente cha-cha song to crowds of stoned rockers.

By the time that Carlos is allowed to play his customary solo, the song goes stratospheric. It had such a powerful effect, in fact that it would be the formula the guitarist would most often use throughout his career.

2. “Samba Pa Ti”

There are more technical guitar players out there. And there are even guitarists who win more awards. But few, if any, guitarists can really make their instrument talk the way that Carlos Santana does.

“Samba Pa Ti” is one of the most beautiful love songs to feature no lyrics. It matters very little! The guitar does say everything that needs to be said. It’s a marvellous musical achievement.

1. “Black Magic Woman”

Technically, Santana did not write “Black Magic Woman.” That honour goes to the great Peter Green of the original incarnation of Fleetwood Mac.

In reality, though, Santana re-wrote the song for all intents and purposes. What they brought to it was a seductive, evil feel that fit the band’s image.

A track that never leaves classic rock playlists, Black Magic Woman” is very much a group effort. Gregg Rolie’s singing is magnetic. The three-drummer setup, led by Michael Shrieve, works wonders. And, live, Neal Schon provided Carlos with the perfect rhythm guitar backing.

“Black Magic Woman” is one of rock’s best-ever songs and Santana’s finest moment.