Europa

Santana, 1976. Solo by Carlos Santana.

Long sustained notes and slow Latin romance.

Europa is essentially one long guitar solo, with Carlos Santana carrying the melody from start to finish and no vocal. He opens with a slow, lyrical statement of the theme over descending circle-of-fifths changes, stretching single notes and bending into them, then builds intensity through a major-key section toward faster, more urgent phrases before returning to the main theme. The sustain is the star, allowing each note to sing and linger. It showed how much emotion a rock guitarist could express with very few notes. Listen for the long held notes that Santana lets bloom before he starts to move; the feeling comes from patience rather than speed.

Europa by Santana is ranked #59 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Carlos Santana and the song was released in 1976. It appears on 10 lists, placing as high as #15 (Tower Records Japan (TOWER RECORDS ONLINE)).

The story of Europa

The seed of Europa was an earlier Carlos Santana tune called The Mushroom Lady's Coming to Town, which he wrote after watching a friend go through a bad experience on mescaline. Songfacts describes the piece as having been written for a young woman who was under strain and struggling with drugs. That first sketch already contained the core melodic idea that would later become one of Santana's best-loved instrumentals.

The piece took its final shape on the road. While Santana were touring with Earth, Wind & Fire, Carlos revisited the melody backstage with keyboardist Tom Coster, who developed the harmony around it; Wikipedia places this in Manchester, England, and Songfacts notes that Earth, Wind & Fire urged them to record it. Coster later explained that he and Carlos often wrote together at home, and that he saw his job as supplying material that suited the band's sound and showcased Carlos' guitar.

Musically, Europa is a slow instrumental in C minor built on a 16-bar progression that moves around the circle of fifths in the manner of the jazz standard Autumn Leaves, with alternate passes resolving to a major chord in a Picardy cadence. It then lifts into C major for a contrasting section. Coster's bank of keyboards, from Rhodes and Hammond to Moog and ARP synths, supplies the backdrop while Carlos plays guitar and adds percussion.

The track was recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco for Amigos, produced by David Rubinson and released by Columbia in March 1976. In Europe it was issued as a single and became a major hit, topping the Spanish chart in July 1976 and reaching No. 2 in Italy. Its full title, Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile, is paired with a name drawn from the Greek myth of Europa, the mortal carried off by Zeus.

The solo

Europa is essentially one long guitar solo: Carlos Santana carries the entire melody from start to finish with no vocal, so the whole performance is a showcase for his singing, sustained tone. He opens with a slow, lyrical statement of the theme over the descending circle-of-fifths changes, stretching single notes and bending into them, then builds intensity through the major-key section toward faster, more urgent phrases before returning to the main theme. Documented details of the exact studio rig on Amigos are scarce. Ultimate Santana notes that his Yamaha SG guitars, developed with him for greater sustain, are heard from Moonflower onward, and that he was among the earliest users of Mesa/Boogie amplifiers, the combination behind many later live versions of the tune.

Legacy

Europa became one of Santana's signature pieces and a permanent part of his concerts, and fans often point to the 1993 Sacred Fire performance as its definitive version. In Europe it was so popular that Songfacts claims it was a near-constant at weddings through the 1970s and 1980s. Its melody has attracted jazz and smooth-jazz players from Gato Barbieri to Candy Dulfer. One controversy trails it: Armenian composer Arno Babajanian reportedly said its opening bars resembled his 1959 piece Bridges.

Top 10 facts about Europa

The melody grew out of an earlier Santana tune, The Mushroom Lady's Coming to Town, written after a friend's bad mescaline trip.
Wikipedia
Santana and Tom Coster finished the piece while touring with Earth, Wind & Fire, who encouraged them to record it.
Songfacts
Its 16-bar progression follows the circle of fifths like the standard Autumn Leaves, with every other verse ending on a Picardy cadence.
Wikipedia
Tom Coster plays a wide keyboard arsenal on the track, including Rhodes, Hammond organ, Moog, ARP synths and a Hohner Clavinet.
Wikipedia
The single topped the Spanish singles chart in July 1976 and reached No. 2 in Italy.
Wikipedia
The Amigos album itself reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 in Italy and Spain.
Wikipedia
The title nods to Europa, the mortal woman whom Zeus, disguised as a white bull, carried away to Crete.
Songfacts
Santana played Europa on Saturday Night Live on March 26, 1977.
Songfacts
Santana's Yamaha SG, refined with his input to boost sustain, appears on Moonflower and later albums; he was also an early Mesa/Boogie user.
Ultimate Santana
Armenian composer Arno Babajanian reportedly claimed in 1987 that the opening measures matched his 1959 composition Bridges.
Wikipedia

Live versions

Moonflower (1977) Recorded on the European Amigos tour in December 1976; the song's first live release and a fan favorite.
Saturday Night Live (1977) Television performance broadcast March 26, 1977.
Viva Santana! (Osaka) (1988) Compilation includes a live Europa recorded in Osaka, Japan, in 1979.
Sacred Fire: Live in South America (1993) Recorded May 1993 in Mexico City; often called the definitive live reading after years of refinement.

Notable covers

Gato Barbieri (1976) Saxophone version on his album Caliente!, released the same year as the original.
Dyango with Paco de Lucía (1990) Spanish vocal adaptation featuring flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía.
Vital Information with Frank Gambale (1991) Fusion version on the live album Vitalive!.
Masayoshi Takanaka (1993) Japanese guitarist's version on his album Aquaplanet.
Candy Dulfer (2019) Dutch saxophonist performed it live on September 6, 2019.

In our lists

See Them Live — #15
Deep Cuts — #26
The 25 Greatest Fusion Guitar Solos — #25
The 25 Greatest Guitar Instrumentals — #10
The 25 Greatest Latin Rock Guitar Solos — #3
The 1970s — #22
Instrumentals — #9
Ballad Solos — #11
SGs & Telecasters — #6

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Europa?

Carlos Santana played the solo on Santana's Europa (1976).

What guitar was used on the Europa solo?

A yamaha sg2000 through a Mesa/Boogie amp, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Europa rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#59 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 10 of them.

Who wrote Europa by Santana?

Carlos Santana and keyboardist Tom Coster co-wrote it.

What album is Europa on?

It first appeared on Santana's 1976 album Amigos, and a celebrated live version followed on Moonflower in 1977.

What does Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile) mean?

The instrumental's name references Europa of Greek myth, and the subtitle reflects its mournful yet uplifting mood; it grew from a piece Santana wrote about a friend's struggles with drugs.

What key is Europa in?

It is in C minor, with a circle-of-fifths progression, before moving into C major for a contrasting section.

What guitar did Carlos Santana use for Europa?

The studio rig is not well documented; from Moonflower onward he played Yamaha SG guitars through Mesa/Boogie amps, which shaped the live versions.