20 famous songs originally written by other artists

When Rihanna released her third album Good girl gone bad, She was ready to improve her image and sound. That same year, The-Dream released his debut studio album Love-hate relationship. Rihanna teamed up with The-Dream for her hit song “Umbrella,” which is about lovers supporting each other through whatever comes their way. Some of the cadences and vocal compositions on “Umbrella” are very reminiscent of The-Dream’s solo work.

Before Jessie J released her debut album, she was a songwriter for several artists. Jessie teamed up with Claude Kelly and Dr. Luke to write “Party in the USA” for Miley Cyrus. The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

When BeyHive hears Beyoncé sing “To the left, to the left” in her hit song “Irreplaceable,” they’re actually singing lyrics written by Ne-Yo. At the time, Ne-Yo was a rising solo star and one of the industry’s newest R&B singers, but he was also in high demand as a songwriter for other artists. In “Irreplaceable,” Beyoncé sings about breaking up with a guy, not believing she’ll find someone better, but knowing she can easily and quickly replace him.

In 2011, Britney Spears released her seventh studio album The Woman of Destiny and re-established herself as one of pop music’s biggest stars. At the same time, Ke$ha was an up-and-coming artist with hits of her own, such as “Tik Tok.” For Spears, Ke$ha wrote her hit single “Till the World Ends,” a song about dancing until the end of the world.

Kelly Clarkson made headlines as the first winner of American Idol. In 2004 she released her second album, Breaking out, which was led by the single of the same name. Rock singer Avril Lavigne wrote the first single, which is about someone breaking away from everything they know and spreading their wings.

Although Estelle was about to release her second album Seem, The album’s second single, “American Boy,” gave the singer her breakthrough. She has Kanye West and John Legend to thank for co-writing the hit single. “American Boy” won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Singing Collaboration.

In 2005, the Pūssycat Dolls were well on their way to becoming a major girl group in the pop industry, thanks to their debut single “Don’t Cha.” Singer-songwriter CeeLo Green was the mastermind behind the song, which describes the perspective of a woman taunting a man about his girlfriend, with the woman believing that he wishes his girlfriend was as hot as her.

Australian rapper Iggy Azalea first came to light in 2013 when she released her debut album. The new classic. The last single from the album, “Black Widow,” was a collaboration with singer Rita Ora and co-written by pop singer Katy Perry. Perry originally recorded the song for her prism album, but she passed it on to Azalea after it was excluded from the album’s final track list. The song reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Leona Lewis was already excited after watching the third season of The ex-factor Great Britain. She caught the world’s attention with her debut single “Bleeding Love”. Pop singer Jesse McCartney and OneRepublic lead singer Ryan Tedder wrote the song about a woman who was so closed to love until she met someone who really allowed her to open her heart. “Bleeding Love” became the world’s best-selling single in 2008.

In 2010, CeeLo Green’s hit “Forget You” was a must-listen. Co-written by Bruno Mars, “Forget You” tells the story of a man who is no longer with a money-hungry woman and feels a little animosity toward the woman and her new lover, giving his old flame and their past relationship the middle finger.

When Madonna released her sixth album Good night stories, She wanted to change her image with a softer approach. Babyface co-wrote and co-produced the album’s second single, “Take a Bow,” a gentle ballad in which Madonna reflects on a reciprocated love. It became Madonna’s eleventh chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2004, Usher cemented his cult status in R&B with his masterpiece Confessions. Although the album spawned five singles, “Can U Handle It” was one of the standout tracks. Singer-songwriter Robin Thicke wrote the sensual song, whose lyrics address the seduction of a lover. The way the vocals are composed is reminiscent of Thicke’s solo work.

In 2002, Christina Aguilera released her critically acclaimed album Moved out, which had a more mature sound and look than her debut album. For the second single, “Beautiful,” she collaborated with Linda Perry to write the song that helped listeners deal with insecurities and low self-esteem. The self-love and affirmation in the song are things that will surely stand out to any listener.

Sometimes in the music industry, artists record a song but then realize it is better suited for someone else. That was the case with Little Big Town’s song “Better Man”. Taylor Swift wrote the track with the intention of including it on her Red album, but passed it on to the group instead. “Better Man” tells the story of a person coping with a breakup and reflecting on how much he wishes he could be a better person for her.

Mariah Carey’s 2008 single “Touch My Body” tells the story of sexual fantasies with her partner. Co-written by The-Dream and her frequent collaborator Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, it helped Carey to her 18th chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2013, Ariana Grande released her debut album Best regards. The lead single “The Way” was co-written by singer Jordin Sparks, for whom the track was originally intended. “The Way” became a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

There is no doubt that Babyface has had a remarkable career as a singer, but he has also written countless hits for other artists. One of these is Tevin Campbell’s hit single “Can We Talk”. In the song, Campbell tells the story of a young man who overcomes his shyness to talk to a potential lover who has caught his eye.

Ellie Goulding collaborated with OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder on her hit single “Burn.” Although the track was originally intended for Leona Lewis, the record was cut from her third album and sent to Goulding instead. “Burn” became the first single for Goulding’s second album. Halcyon and became a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2014, Chris Brown released his sixth album, X, led by the first single “Fine China”. While the production and vocal composition are heavily influenced by Michael Jackson, “Fine China” tells a metaphorical story about a woman who is as delicate and precious as porcelain. The song was written by fellow singers Eric Bellinger and Sevyn Streeter.

When P!nk released her second album Missunderstood, She wanted to refocus her sound on pop-rock. This was evident in the single “Get the Party Started,” written by Linda Perry. The catchy song is about going to a party and having fun, making it the perfect weekend song. “Get the Party Started” reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.