More Than One Talent At Play
Many amazing hits weren't necessarily written by the artists who performed them. These are the hit songs written by a completely different artist.
“Bleeding Love” By Leona Lewis
For a time, "Bleeding Love" was on the radio all the time. To this day, it's Leona Lewis's biggest hit. However, it was the lead singer of OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder, and Jesse McCartney who penned the song for The Ex Factor UK winner. In 2008, it was the best-selling single internationally.
“Can U Handle It” By Usher
Usher's best-selling album was 2004's Confessions, and it's widely regarded as one of the best R&B albums. One of its standout numbers was the hit "Can U Handle It," written by none other than singer-songwriter Robin Thicke.
"Irreplaceable" By Beyoncé
Ne-Yo was a co-writer of Beyoncé's song "Irreplaceable"—one of the masterminds behind those catchy lyrics, "to the left, to the left". Even as his own career took off, the R&B singer was highly sought after to pen songs for other musicians.
“Till The World Ends” By Britney Spears
Ke$ha wrote a major hit for her fellow pop star Britney Spears' 2011 album Femme Fatale—"Till the World Ends". Ke$ha's own biggest single, "Tik Tok," had come out just two years prior.
Jeff Denberg, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
“Breakaway” By Kelly Clarkson
On Kelly Clarkson's second album Breakaway, its biggest hit, "Breakaway," was actually written by another popular singer, Avril Lavigne.
Rosa Casapullo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
“Don’t Cha” By The Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls took the pop world by storm in 2005, with their first single "Don't Cha" doing a lot of leg work. The girl group has singer-songwriter CeeLo Green to thank for writing it.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
"Forget You" By CeeLo Green
"Forget You" by CeeLo Green was one of those hits that kicked off a new decade in 2010. However, few know that one of its co-writers was actually Bruno Mars.
"Take A Bow" By Madonna
On Madonna's sixth album Bedtime Stories, its biggest hit was its final track, "Take a Bow". This sweet ballad was actually co-written and co-produced by Babyface.
Angela George, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
"Beautiful" By Christina Aguilera
2002's Stripped by Christina Aguilera is one of her most iconic albums, but the hauntingly beautiful single "Beautiful" had some help from another musician. Linda Perry was a co-writer on the popular ballad about self-love.
DiegoVigueras, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
“The Way” By Ariana Grande Featuring Mac Miller
Ariana Grande's very first album came out in 2013—and one of its singles, "The Way," happened to be co-written by the American Idol winner, vocal powerhouse Jordin Sparks.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
“Burn” By Ellie Goulding
Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic struck gold again when he worked on the song "Burn," which was actually supposed to be recorded by Leona Lewis. However, Ellie Goulding wound up with the track in her lap and it became the major single on Halcyon, her second album.
Gabricorrente, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
"This Is What You Came For" By Calvin Harris And Rihanna
"This Is What You Came For" was one of the biggest hits of 2016. Though it was performed by Calvin Harris and Rihanna, few knew that Taylor Swift was a co-writer. It wasn't until her relationship with Harris crumbled that her contributions to the song became public knowledge.
Swift not only penned some of the lyrics, but she also sang some of the harmonies.
“Pretty Hurts” By Beyoncé
When Sia wrote "Pretty Hurts," she was actually thinking that it would be a great fit for Katy Perry. However, Perry missed out on the opportunity when she didn't read Sia's e-mail—something she later referred to as an "awkward situation". Following that debacle, Sia sent it out to Rihanna and Beyoncé, but it ultimately went to Queen B.
Scott Murry, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
“Whataya Want From Me” By Adam Lambert
American Idol darling Adam Lambert hit it big with “Whataya Want From Me," but few realize that it was originally penned by P!nk and was supposed to appear on her album Funhouse. After being cut from the track list, it found its way into Lambert's capable hands.
AirB-AV, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
“Little Things” By One Direction
The precious ballad "Little Things" by One Direction was actually one of Ed Sheeran's forgotten tunes. 17-year-old Sheeran had penned it with the help of Fiona Bevan, but the song never saw the light of day.
One Direction got the chance to record the song after they voiced their desire to work with Sheeran—and it ended up on their second album, Take Me Home.
Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
"Hollaback Girl" By Gwen Stefani
Pharrell Williams is the genius behind many songs, including Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl". This major hit just happened to be a comeback directed at Courtney Love, who had called Stefani a "cheerleader".
Speaking about the insult, Stefani said, "You want me to be a cheerleader? Well, I will be one then. And I'll rule the whole world, just you watch me".
"Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart" By Ariana Grande
In 2014, Harry Styles visited the studio where Ariana Granda was busy recording. According to her, the pop star agreed to pen her a song after her producers asked him if he wanted to. Styles wrote "Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart," and the track appeared on her album My Everything.
"Miss Independent" By Kelly Clarkson
Christina Aguilera wrote "Miss Independent" for her album Stripped, but didn't complete the song. Instead, it eventually went to Kelly Clarkson, who transformed the partial track into a full-fledged song and put it on her debut album.
"Islands In The Stream" By Kenny Rogers And Dolly Parton
The Bee Gees wrote "Islands in the Stream"—but before Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton recorded it, the track was supposed to go to somebody else. Sources say that Diana Ross was meant to be the original singer.
However, during a Good Morning America interview, Robin Gibb shared, "No, we wrote it for Marvin Gaye ... We sent it to him but he was dead, so it was a bit difficult for him to sing it".
“Better Man" By Little Big Town
When Taylor Swift wrote her album Red, she had a song that didn't make the final cut, "Better Man". Instead of recording it herself, she let Little Big Town put out the song on their own album.
WEZL Charleston's Best, Flickr
"Party In The USA" By Miley Cyrus
Jessie J wrote some music for other artists before she became a household name herself. Alongside Claude Kelly and Dr Luke, she wrote one of Miley Cyrus's biggest hits, "Party in the USA".
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