Plenty of songs end up on the radio because someone said no. A songwriter pitches a track, a singer passes, and another voice turns it into a classic. In pop music, the name on the finished record often isn’t the first name on the list.
The twelve songs below all started life with someone else in mind. Some were written as gifts, some were turned down, and a few were pulled back by the writer. Each one shows how much a hit depends on timing, taste, and who happens to pick up the phone.
Nothing Compares 2 U
Prince wrote this song for The Family, a group he put together in the mid 1980s. It appeared on their 1985 album, and it barely registered as a hit at the time. Prince’s own version stayed in the vault for years.
Sinéad O’Connor recorded it for her 1990 album, and her version reached number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Her video, built around a close shot of her face, turned the song into a defining record of that year. A song that began as a side project for a protégé group became one of the best known ballads of its decade.
Manic Monday
Prince wrote this one too, though he credited it to a pseudonym, Christopher. It was reportedly meant for Apollonia 6, one of the acts in his circle. It ended up with The Bangles, who recorded it for their 1986 album Different Light.
The single climbed to number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. The record that held it off the top spot was Prince’s own “Kiss.” So he wrote the song that was stuck at number two, and he also wrote the song that blocked it.
Kiss
Speaking of “Kiss,” it wasn’t originally meant for Prince’s own album either. He wrote it as a funk track for Mazarati, another act from his Minneapolis orbit. He gave them a stripped demo, and they worked on it in the studio.
Prince then reclaimed the song, rebuilt it in a sparse, almost skeletal style, and put it on the 1986 album Parade. It went to number one on the US Hot 100. Mazarati still got a version on their own debut, but it’s Prince’s take that people remember.
Because the Night
Bruce Springsteen started this song during the sessions for his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town. He couldn’t finish it and left it off the record. Jimmy Iovine, who was working with both Springsteen and Patti Smith at the time, passed a demo to Smith.
Smith wrote her own lyrics and recorded it for her 1978 album Easter. It became her biggest US chart hit, reaching the top fifteen on the Hot 100. Springsteen later performed it live himself, but Smith’s version is the one that charted.
How Will I Know
Songwriters George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam wrote this track with Janet Jackson in mind. Jackson passed on it, and the demo found its way to Whitney Houston. She recorded it for her 1985 debut album.
The single reached number one on the US Hot 100 in 1986. It gave Houston her third chart topper in a row from that first album. Jackson, for her part, went on to build her own run of hits with the producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis soon after.
Toxic
The songwriting team behind “Toxic” included Cathy Dennis, along with the Swedish production duo Bloodshy and Avant. Reports at the time said it was first offered to Kylie Minogue, who turned it down. Britney Spears took it for her 2003 album In the Zone.
The track’s twitchy strings and surf guitar sample made it sound unlike most pop of the period. It won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording at the ceremony held in 2005. It’s now one of the songs most closely tied to Spears.
Umbrella
This one was written by The-Dream and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, with Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z also credited. It was first pitched toward Britney Spears, whose camp reportedly didn’t pursue it. Rihanna took it for her 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad.
The single reached number one in the United States and the United Kingdom, and it stayed at the top in the UK for many weeks. It also won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. For Rihanna, it was the breakthrough that moved her from promising teen act to a major global star.
Telephone
Lady Gaga has said she wrote “Telephone” with Britney Spears in mind. Spears recorded a version, but it didn’t make her 2008 album Circus. Gaga then kept the song for herself and brought in Beyoncé as a duet partner.
It appeared on Gaga’s 2009 EP The Fame Monster. The video, a long, film style piece directed by Jonas Åkerlund, became as talked about as the song. The Spears version has circulated informally, though it never had an official release.
Cheap Thrills
Sia and producer Greg Kurstin wrote “Cheap Thrills,” and it was reportedly written with Rihanna in mind. Rihanna didn’t take it, so Sia recorded it herself for her 2016 album This Is Acting. The album was made up of songs she’d written for other singers who then declined them.
The song became a bigger hit after a version with Sean Paul was released. That edition reached number one on the US Hot 100. It was Sia’s first chart topper as a lead artist, and it came from a song she’d intended to give away.
Beautiful
Linda Perry wrote “Beautiful,” and accounts of its history say she first offered it to Pink, who didn’t record it. Christina Aguilera cut it for her 2002 album Stripped. It became a ballad that the public tied closely to her image at that point in her career.
The song reached the top five of the US Hot 100. It earned Aguilera a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Perry, a former frontwoman of 4 Non Blondes, went on to a long career as a writer and producer for other artists.
Hungry Heart
Bruce Springsteen wrote “Hungry Heart” with the Ramones in mind. His manager, Jon Landau, reportedly told him it was too strong to give away and that he should keep it. He did, and it opened a new door for him.
The song appeared on his 1980 double album The River. It reached number five on the US Hot 100, which was his first top ten single. It still stands as one of the clearest examples of a songwriter nearly gifting away his own breakthrough.
Breakaway
Avril Lavigne co wrote “Breakaway” with Matthew Gerrard and Bridget Benenate, and it was initially written for her own use. She didn’t release it, and it went to Kelly Clarkson instead. Clarkson recorded it for her 2004 album of the same name.
It was also featured in the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement that year. The single reached the top ten of the US Hot 100. Clarkson’s version became the best known one, and it’s still a fixture in her live shows.
