Pop stars get the glory, but the pen is mightier than the microphone. This list reveals the surprising origins of huge hits. Some were written by rival pop stars, while others were rejected demos that found a second life. It turns out that the music industry is a small world where legends often help create other legends. We look at the famous names hiding in the liner notes of your favorite playlists.
1. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
This power ballad is one of the best-selling singles of all time. It was originally written and performed as a country song by Dolly Parton in 1974. Parton wrote it as a farewell letter to her mentor Porter Wagoner when she decided to leave his TV show to pursue a solo career.
The song almost belonged to the King of Rock and Roll. Elvis Presley wanted to cover it, but his manager demanded half of the publishing rights. Parton famously cried all night but refused the deal. That difficult decision paid off when Houston’s version made Parton millions in royalties decades later.
2. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin
This R&B anthem is a powerful expression of womanhood. It was co-written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. The inspiration came from music producer Jerry Wexler. He was driving in a limousine and shouted to them on the street that he wanted a song about a natural woman.
They went home and wrote the music and lyrics that same night. King felt that Aretha claimed the song so thoroughly that she struggled to perform it herself later. She felt her own version was too polite compared to Franklin’s soulful interpretation.
3. Diamonds – Rihanna
This massive global hit was penned by the Australian singer Sia. She wrote the lyrics in just 14 minutes while standing in the recording studio. The beat was produced by Stargate and Benny Blanco, and Sia simply freestyled melodies over it until it stuck.
Rihanna followed the demo so closely that Sia initially thought her own vocals were still on the final track. Rihanna even mimicked Sia’s specific vocal inflections, giving the song a unique texture that was different from her previous radio hits.
4. Forget You – CeeLo Green
Before Bruno Mars was a global solo superstar, he was a working songwriter. He co-wrote this upbeat revenge track as part of his production team, The Smeezingtons. They were jamming in the studio when CeeLo walked in and loved the retro Motown vibe.
The record label was terrified to release the song because of the explicit title. They assumed radio stations would ban it immediately. The team created a viral lyric video on YouTube to build hype, which forced radio stations to play the clean version due to public demand.
5. Manic Monday – The Bangles
Prince was a huge fan of The Bangles and wrote this catchy pop song specifically for them. He used the pseudonym Christopher in the writing credits to keep his involvement low-key. The song was originally intended for his own girl group, Apollonia 6.
He pulled the song from Apollonia 6’s album because he had a crush on Bangles singer Susanna Hoffs. The song reached number two on the charts, blocked from the top spot by Prince’s own song Kiss, making him the top writer in the country.
6. Irreplaceable – Beyoncé
R&B star Ne-Yo wrote this fierce empowerment anthem. He originally intended it as a country song for an artist like Shania Twain or Faith Hill. He thought the acoustic guitar intro sounded too folk-pop for an R&B record.
Beyoncé’s team heard the demo and wanted it immediately. Ne-Yo was initially annoyed because he didn’t think a song about kicking a man out fit his own male persona. The “to the left, to the left” hook became one of the most recognizable opening lines in modern music history.
7. All I Ask – Adele
Bruno Mars joined forces with Adele to write this piano-driven ballad. The session was tense at first. Mars criticized one of Adele’s lyrics, which caused a brief argument in the studio. He felt the word “lovers” was too old-fashioned.
Adele eventually agreed to use the word, and it became a standout moment in the song. Mars pushed for the song to have a big, dramatic key change. He wanted it to feel like a classic Broadway showstopper rather than just a sad breakup song.
8. My Girl – The Temptations
Motown legend Smokey Robinson wrote this enduring classic. He wrote it specifically for the voice of David Ruffin. Before this song, Ruffin was just a background singer in The Temptations and had never sung lead on a single.
Robinson wrote the song as an answer to his own hit song My Guy, which he wrote for Mary Wells. He wanted to flip the perspective to the male point of view. It became the group’s first number-one hit and their signature song.
9. Breakaway – Kelly Clarkson
Avril Lavigne co-wrote this uplifting pop-rock anthem for her debut album Let Go. She decided to cut it from the final tracklist because it sounded too much like a church hymn. It did not fit her skater-punk image at the time.
The song was passed to Kelly Clarkson for the soundtrack of The Princess Diaries 2. It became a massive success that helped Clarkson transition away from her American Idol fame into a respected pop-rock artist in her own right.
10. Pretty Hurts – Beyoncé
Sia originally wrote this powerful track for Katy Perry. Perry famously missed the email containing the song and never heard it. Sia then sent it to Rihanna, who put a hold on it but failed to pay the fees to secure the rights.
Beyoncé heard the song and slid in to buy it immediately. She recorded it quickly to ensure she didn’t lose it. Perry later texted Sia saying she was heartbroken she missed the email because the song was exactly what she wanted to say.
11. Islands in the Stream – Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
The Bee Gees wrote this iconic country-pop duet. They initially intended it for R&B singer Marvin Gaye to record. The song was reworked from a soul track into a country rhythm.
Kenny Rogers actually hated the song after recording it solo for four days. He told Barry Gibb he was going to quit. Gibb suggested bringing Dolly Parton into the studio. Once she added her harmony, Rogers realized the song was a hit.
12. Till the World Ends – Britney Spears
Pop star Kesha was one of the co-writers behind this high-energy dance hit. She wrote it specifically for Britney Spears because she considered Britney the queen of pop. The song features Kesha’s signature style of chanting and heavy synthesizer beats.
Kesha considers herself a songwriter first and a singer second. She told interviewers that writing for Britney was a bigger honor than having her own hits. The song became a staple of the 2010s club scene and a radio favorite.
13. I’m a Believer – The Monkees
Before Neil Diamond became an icon, he was a struggling songwriter. He wrote this smash hit in the Brill Building in New York. The producers of The Monkees TV show bought it from him to give the band a hit single.
Diamond was initially jealous that he gave away a number-one song. However, the royalties from the sales allowed him to buy food and pay rent, launching his own solo career. The Monkees actually sold more records than The Beatles in 1967 thanks to this track.
Last Words
Great songwriting is the invisible engine of the music industry. These stories show that a hit song often travels a long, winding road before it finds the right voice. Whether it was a missed email or a studio argument, these happy accidents gave us some of the most memorable melodies in history.