So let's say you write a song and want to give it to a musician. Only that musician doesn't want it or can't use it and instead, some other artist picks it up. Then that artist turns it into a hit.
The eight songs below are examples of that. They are all really good tracks but not as originally intended. The new performers did something else with them and made them great.
Which of these are your favorites might depend on when you listen to them. They are all earworms. But beware, once you listen, you won't be wanting to go anywhere else.
Eight songs made great by musical artists that the tracks weren't originally intended for
1. "Baby One More Time" - Britney Spears
Baby One More Time was intended for TLC, but they quickly rejected the song due to the lyrics. According to Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, they were under the impression that the lyrics condoned domestic violence. So that was an easy no for them. That assumption led to the song going to Britney Spears; becoming one of her biggest hits in 1998.
2. "How Will I Know" - Whitney Houston
How Will I Know was written by George Merrill & Shannon Rubicam. Allegedly, they quickly approached Janet Jackson's management crew with a demo sample of the song because they wanted her to record it. After declining the song, they continued to shop around. Thanks to Clive Davis, Whitney Houston was gifted the song. The rest is history. Janet also turned down another popular song...I'm A Slave 4 U.
3. "Pretty Hurts" - Beyoncé
The talented Sia and Ammo co-wrote Pretty Hurts in 2011. When the song was complete, Sia already had Katy Perry in mind to record it. She emailed the song to Perry, however, Perry overlooked the email. She then sent the song to Rihanna and Beyonce's management teams. Rihanna's team failed to pay for the track so Beyonce swooped in, paid the fee and it became a popular song on her self-titled album that was released in 2013. Rihanna was able to redeem herself with Sia when she gladly accepted and recorded Diamonds in 2012.
4. "S.O.S." - Rihanna
S.O.S. was a part of Rihanna's sophomore album A Girl Like Me. Thanks to the catchy lyrics and the amazing pop/dance appeal, it went on to become her first #1 single. Of course, the song was not intended for Rihanna. This song was written for Christina Milian; unfortunately, she did turn the song down. It's unfortunate because this could have been the song to revamp her career. Another popular hit by Rihanna, Umbrella, was also turned down by Britney Spears & Mary J. Blige.
5. "Since You've Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
Max Martin wrote Since You've Been Gone in 2004. Once completed, it was sent to Pink immediately. Unfortunately, Pink said no to the track. The next person that was offered the track was Hillary Duff. Hearing that the song would require high notes that she would be unable to sing, her team turned it down. Once again, Clive Davis saved the day when he pushed for the song to go to Kelly Clarkson, who of course was the latest winner of American Idol. The song ended up in the right hands. It became one of Clarkson's biggest hits.
6. "Love Shoulda Brought You Home" - Toni Braxton
Babyface is well known for his pen game. So much so, LaFace was hired to produce and write songs for the Boomerang Soundtrack. One song in particular, Love Shoulda Brought You Home, was written for Anita Baker. Babyface was confident that Baker was the perfect person for the song. Due to a personal commitment, Baker was not available to record the track. Anita being the musical genius she is made the recommendation that the young lady singing the demo should be the one to record the song. That young lady was Toni Braxton; who at the time was a new artist.
7. "Happy" - Pharrell Williams
The world could not escape Pharrell's Happy that was released in 2013 on the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack. Williams wrote the popular song for Cee-Lo Green, who he felt was a good fit for the track. Green's label, Elektra Records declined the song for Green due to the commitment he made to recording a Christmas album. It worked out for the best!
8. "Rock Your Body" - Justin Timberlake
The interesting fact here is that all but one song (Cry Me A River) on Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified was originally written for the one and only King of Pop, Michael Jackson. In 1999, Jackson was recording Invincible. During that time, Pharrell Williams sent those songs over to him. Out of all the songs sent to Jackson, Rock Your Body is the one song Williams really wanted MJ to record. Not only did Jackson reject Rock Your Body, he rejected every single song that was sent over by Williams. Being a blessing in disguise, those songs were eventually recorded by Timberlake and they all made the Justified album. One of the most successful debut albums of all time!
There you have it! Shocked? Surprised? Are there any other songs out there that were intended for other artists? Let us know, AudioPhixers!!!