15 Songs Written for Another Artist

Promotional Photo of the Pussycat Dolls

There are many great music artists out there that write their own songs. Since the days when record albums started to gain popularity and purchasing music became a massive retail industry, there have been song writers that write songs for other music artists. More music artists write their own music than ever today, but there still have been some hit songs written by these writers that your average music fan has never heard of.

These songs are often written with a music artist in mind, but things don't always go as planned. Sometimes the artist doesn't like the song or it doesn't fit in with the music they are currently working on. At other times the labels get involved and pitch the song to another artist that they think the song fits better.

Here's a list of songs that most people know because they topped the music charts at some point. What you might not know is that these songs were made into hits by artists that they weren't originally written for.

1. "Disturbia" by Rihanna: One of the songs that solidified Rihanna as one of pop music's heavy hitters, it was originally written for her then boyfriend, Chris Brown. With the rumors of how much hell Chris Brown put Rihanna through, this may have been the best thing he gave her in their time together. The song fits her personality more and combined with the music video, it fit her like a glove.

2. "Telephone" by Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce: This was big hit that featured two of the music industry's biggest female pop stars. What people don't know is that Britney Spears was originally tapped to sing this song. There are even copies of her version that could be heard at such websites such as YouTube. Listening to it you'll probably agree that it was better that it was done by Lady Gaga.

3. "I'm a Slave 4 U" by Britney Spears: A pop hit that Britney Spears did end up releasing was "I'm a Slave 4 U" which was written by the Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo). The song that helped Britney shed the teen pop princess image was originally written for Janet Jackson who has released songs in the past with kinky undertones. There have also been rumors that the song was offered to Jennifer Lopez before Britney got her hands on it. It is not known why Janet Jackson passed on this song, but Britney benefitted from this decision.  It is Britney's only song to ever chart on Hot R&B/Hip Hop charts.

4. "Rock Your Body" by Justin Timberlake: Another hit song written by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo was not originally intended for Britney's famous ex. The song was originally given to Michael Jackson for his Invincible album, but the singer passed up on this song along with other tracks that the Neptunes wrote for him. Two years later they sold the song to Timberlake.

5. "Call Me" by Blondie: Blondie's biggest release ever, it wasn't meant for them originally. The theme song for the movie American Gigolo, it was brought to Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac by the song's writer. Due to a contractual conflict, Nicks was unable to work on the song. The producer then to Debbie Harry. The rest is history.

6. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith: The biggest hit by the legendary band Aerosmith was the hit soundtrack song for the 1998 hit movie, Armageddon. It was written by Dianne Warren who originally wrote the song for Celine Dion. It's not known why Dion never performed it, but it turned out to be a windfall for Aerosmith.

7. "Umbrella" by Rihanna: The beneficiary of another song that another A-list music artist passed on, Rihanna took this song and made it one of her most successful releases of her career. This song put her on the music map and put her in the eyes of the mainstream media. People don't realize that the song was never written for her. It was written for Britney Spears with the intention of reviving her career while she was going through a tough time in her personal life.

8. "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls: Originally written by Sir Mix-a-Lot, Busta Rhymes, and CeeLo Green for music artist Tori Alamaze, the song was actually released to little fanfare. Alamaze had conflicts with her record label and signed over the rights to the song to void her contract. The song was then offered to the Sugababes and then to Paris Hilton who was trying to kick off a music career, before it fell into the laps of the Pussycat Dolls.

9. "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson: The lead single on Clarkson's album Breakaway, the song was power-pop song that empowered women all over the country. Little do people know that Clarkson was not the first choice for the song written by Max Martin. It was first offered to Pink, but she turned it down. Then it was offered to Hilary Duff, but Duff was unable to vocally hit the high notes in the song. Finally legendary producer Clive Davis got involved and convinced the writers to offer it to Clarkson. She made it her own when she tailored it to her personality by adding heavier guitars and harder drums.

10. "Holiday" by Madonna: This song was originally written for Phyllis Hyman, then to Mary Wilson of the Supremes fame. Supposed to be an R&B song originally, it was remastered to fit Madonna's debut album, giving the future music legend her first mainstream hit.

11. "Black Widow" by Iggy Azalea: Originally a song intended to be released on Katy Perry's Prism album, the song was axed because she felt it didn't fit in with the other songs. Perry presented the recorded version of the song she wrote to her friend, Iggy. From here, Iggy recorded her own version of the song with the help of Rita Ora. The song became Iggy's first number one hit single.

12. "Miss Independent" by Kelly Clarkson: Fresh off of winning American Idol, Clarkson had a previous hit that was given to her by the producers of the show. "Miss Independent" was her first single from her first album release which boosted her credibility as a pop star. The song was written for Destiny's Child, but the turned it down. Then the song was reworked by Christina Aguilera and originally intended to be released on her album, Stripped. The song was never completed in time and found its way to Kelly Clarkson.

13. "We Found Love" by Rihanna: The hit song written by Calvin Harris was recorded by Rihanna with the help of Harris and hit number one on the pop charts. Although it was never confirmed by Harris, Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls fame, claimed that she was offered the song first for her solo career.

14. "Happy" by Pharrell Williams: Ever the overachiever, Pharrell wrote another song for another music artist that eventually became a massive hit. He wrote the song for CeeLo Green, but CeeLo's record label nixed it even though Pharrell thought Ceelo's version of the song was better than even his. Pharrell then released his own version of his song which became the main soundtrack song for Despicable Me 2. The song charted for 47 straight weeks and to this date is Pharrell's best performing song.

15. "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry: This was Perry's first mainstream hit. Before this song, Perry was a semi-known Contemporary Christian singer. No one foresaw that she would break out to be one of the biggest A-list pop stars of the past decade and that her image would go from conservative to the latex dress wearing woman who would go on to top every magazine's sexiest list.

Songs that have Different Meanings than You Thought

Screencap from Lady Gaga's music video "Poker Face"

Ever have a favorite song, memorized the lyrics, and sing it out loud while you're in your car or in your shower. Maybe you even sing that song occasionally in front of an inebriated audience at a local bar's karaoke night. Listening to that song countless times, you may think you're an expert about the meaning of that song.

Well, everything may not be as you thought. Here's a list of some hit songs that many people have heard over and over again, but never knew the real meaning of the song. It may make you think twice when you listen to that song the next time.

1. "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan: The song that everyone associates with the sad, abused dogs commercials now was once a hit song that peaked on the charts when the movie City of Angels hit movie theaters in the late '90s. People associated the song with the angel that gave up his immortality to be with a woman that he cared for. Schools played the song at proms and homecoming dances so couples could waddle back and forth slowly in each other's arms.

What if you found out the song the overdose death of musician? The Smashing Pumpkins' Jonathan Melvoin, a touring keyboardist, overdosed on heroin in 1996 and passed away. He died while Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlain tried to revive him, but it didn't work. With ties to Prince, The Wrecking Crew, and the punk band, The Dickies, despite Melvoin passing without much mainstream notice, he was well known within the industry. So much so that McLachlan wrote "Angel" in his memory.

2. "Zombie" by the Cranberries: The hit song released in 1994 was a popular song that helped solidify the Cranberries as one of the top grunge acts. It was so popular that it won "Best Song" at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.

How many times have you listened to this song and thought of the 1916 Easter Rising? The majority of people outside of the United Kingdom probably have no idea what that even was.

In 1916 there were skirmishes between England and those in Northern Ireland who wanted to establish an independent Ireland. Over 500 Irish people were killed and another 2,600 were injured when the British shelled Dublin, leaving the inner part of the major city in ruins.

Almost 90 years later Delores Riordan paid tribute to this historical event by writing "Zombie", not knowing that it would be perhaps the most recognizable song that the successful band released.

3. "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind: This upbeat pop-rock song had tons of teenage girls singing in unison together while hitting parties and driving to the local mall. If those same people knew what the song was really about, they may have thought twice about singing it publicly with their friends.

Stephan Jenkins, the writer of the song and singer for Third Eye Blind told Billboard Magazine, "It's a dirty, filthy song about snorting speed and getting blow jobs." Just the type of song you want your sixteen-year-old singing with her friends.

4. "The One I Love" by R.E.M.: A song that many couples mistook for a love song, Michael Stipe once remarked that it would amaze him when he would perform the song and see couples making out in front of him.

Stipe has said that the song has a darker theme about people using other people and then ditching them when they were no longer needed. The song even uses the line, "a simple prop to occupy my time," which refers to the people that were used.

Stipe told Rollingstone Magazine, "I've always left myself pretty open to interpretation. It's probably better that they just think it's a love song at this point."

5. "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen: Many mistake this as being a patriotic rock song to the point that even President Ronald Reagan requested to use the song during his 1984 campaign.

What many people fail to notice is that the song is about a Vietnam veteran and there mistreatment once they came back home from the war. Many of Springsteen's songs are about the average Joe and in this case, a soldier that did his job and came back home to a country full of people that didn't respect the man.

6. "Like a Virgin" by Madonna: The song that was made infamous when Madonna sung it at the first MTV Music Awards while writing on the floor in a wedding dress, has been most often associated about a woman losing their virginity. Lyrics such as, "touched for the very first time," contributed to this belief.

The song in fact was written by a man named Billy Steinberg who has said that the song is about coming off a bad breakup and starting a new relationship. He also stated that the song was not even originally written for a female singer.

Madonna even added later on, "...how can you be like a virgin?"

7. "Royals" by Lorde: While most people believe the hit song is inspired by British royalty. References to driving Cadillacs and jewelry only solidify this image.

What most people don't know is that the inspiration of the song is a photo that Lorde saw in National Geographic Magazine of Kansas City Royals Hall-of-Famer, George Brett. In this picture he is surrounded by a mass of fans that are holding out items for him to autograph. This image of being adored by the masses inspired Lorde to write her hit song.

8. "Ticket to Ride" by the Beatles: In a seemingly innocent song, people often believe this Beatles hit was about riding on trains in Europe.

Before the Beatles became world famous they toured Germany, practicing their craft and refining their sound. One of the German cities they spent a lot of time in was Hamburg. In the city of Hamburg, prostitutes carry "tickets" or otherwise known as health cards to show that they were STD-free.

9. "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd: A pop song by the man whose hair might go down in the history books along with the Flock of Seagulls haircut, most people believe it's a love song. The lyric, "I can't feel my face when I'm with you, and I love it," leads people to believe this.

In reality, the song is about a cocaine addiction in where the person who is the subject of the song can't feel his face because he's feeling the effects the cocaine is having on his body.

10. "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga: With the catchy, cool title, lyrically it misleads people to believe that it's a song about Gaga hooking up with a guy.

Later Gaga came out and admitted that the song is about her fantasizing about being with a woman while she's hooking up with a guy. The "poker face" reference is about how she hides her true feelings in the middle of having sex with the unsuspecting man. He never knows what she's thinking about because she's hidden it well.

Rise of Raunchy Music

For those of you that read this, you know that I don't normally refer to myself directly in this blog. Usually my posts resemble an article rather than the typical blog, but with this subject, I've decided to use a direct experience I had this morning...

While driving this morning and scanning for something to listen to on AM radio, I came across a man talking about music in a talk format style show. I stopped there for a moment because he was talking about Kurt Cobain. I didn't realize until I listened to it for a few more seconds and realized it was a man complaining about music in the last twenty years. His theory was that music changed fundamentally around 1993-1996 and became raunchier. He believed that music since then has been nothing, but filth, sex, and adultery related because of the music artists Kurt Cobain, Madonna, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, and Shirley Manson of Garbage. He listed an example from each artist, Kurt Cobain (Nirvana's "Rape Me"), Madonna (her albums Erotica and Bedtime Stories along with the movie Body of Evidence and her book called Sex), Nine Inch Nails ("Closer" and "Happiness In Slavery"), Marilyn Manson (for his appearance and the song "The Beautiful People"), and Shirley Manson (Garbage's "#1 Crush").

In this guy's opinion these artists were to blame for the rise of what he called "sex hungry" music artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Drake. Frankly, I was sort of shocked that he left out Miley Cyrus, but how many artists he named, he probably just accidentally left her out. He said that the topic of sex in music is tearing apart the minds of the youth and he would rather that if given a choice between music that focuses on sex and music that focuses on violence, he prefers violence. In his opinion music about violent topics, is not enough to inspire a kid to commit acts of violence. If this is true, then how would a song about sex be able to do the same thing? As far as he was concerned, music about sex was to blame for everything from popular raunchy books such as Fifty Shades of Gray, raunchier movies (he named Don Jon as one of them, although I'm sure Joseph Gordon-Levitt would like to forget about that one), and the way that women like "those Kardashians" dress today in materials such as leather and latex like they were dominatrixes.

He went on to say that before the mid-90s, that he was hard pressed to find a single hit song about sex and definitely not one that was raunchy in nature. Really? You can't think of one "raunchy" hit song before then? Well, I now present a list to you of examples of raunchy songs pre-mid-90s. Maybe this guy will find this blog while Googling for "raunchy" music...

"Darling Nikki" by Prince: Released on the Grammy Award-winning album Purple Rain, this song was released in 1984. The opening lyrics are, "I knew a girl named Nikki/I guess u could say she was a sex fiend/I met her in a hotel lobby/Masturbating with a magazine". Although raunchy, much of Prince's music is about sex. Maybe it was an excuse to surround himself with all those women that started as dancers and backup singers for him and would eventually find themselves hooking up with him.

"Venus in Furs" by Velvet Underground: Written by Lou Reed and released in 1967, this song was about a relationship between a sex slave and a dominatrix. With lyrics such as, "Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather/Whiplash girlchild in the dark/Comes in bells, your servant, don't forsake him/Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart" as the opening of the song, it doesn't take long for the listener to know that this song is far from G-rated.

"Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" by Joan Jett: Joan is the queen of rock and very well known for hooks that are often repeated many times throughout the song. She asks over and over whether or not if you want to touch her "there" in this 1983 hit. Always dressed in skintight leather, Joan Jett looked like she could kick your butt and be a sex goddess at the same time.

"Master and Servant" by Depeche Mode: Released in 1984 on Depeche Mode's second album Some Great Reward, this song doesn't hide the subject matter. It's right in the title and almost thirty years before artists like Rihanna were so open about writing a song on S&M.

"Like a Virgin" by Madonna: The guy I referred to earlier in this blog suggested that 90s Madonna helped kick off the raunchy music explosion. Perhaps he forgot about Madonna's 1984 hit in which she sings about losing her virginity. It was her performance of this song at the very first MTV Music Video Awards that changed the public's perception of Madonna from pretty girl in spandex to sexpot who will writhe around in lingerie. Other music videos of Madonna's pre-mid-90s such as "Express Yourself" feature her in her famous bullet bra, in a latex dress crawling on her hands and knees to lick up something from a bowl (Christina Aguilera would recreate this moment in her music video "Not Myself Tonight"), and collared and chained while laying in a bed. While the lyrics of "Express Yourself weren't horribly raunchy, the video was.

"Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band: This song, released in 1976, might be the most famous song about "nooners". It asks the listener to consider why they should wait until night time to hook up with their love. Starland Vocal Band's first single, it was also be their only hit single.

"Calling Dr. Love" by KISS: Despite their costumes and makeup, they were one of the most sexually charged bands during their prime. "Calling Dr. Love" is a perfect example of that with lyrics trying to convince a woman to give him oral sex. It's no surprise that band leader Gene Simmons claims to have slept with over 10,000 women.

"I Wanna Be Your Dog" by The Stooges: Led by Iggy Pop, this song is another about a man wanting to be the sex slave of a woman. Not filled with many lyrics, it also didn't hide the "hidden" meaning very well in this 1969 hit song.

"Cherry Pie" by Warrant: Basically their only song that has survived to this day, "Cherry Pie" is a favorite of strip clubs. Full of sexual innuendo, the music video of "Cherry Pie" features a blonde model who dresses up as a sexy baseball player, a waitress, then finally in a getup that would be a more modern version (at the time) of Daisy Duke's outfit. The band even hoses her down using a fireman's hose.

"Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard: Another strip club favorite, this hair band released this single in 1987. Despite the innuendo in the lyrics and the places the song can still be heard, the music video was far from sexy and only featured Def Leppard concert and rehearsal footage.

"Hot For Teacher" by Van Halen: Released in 1984, this song is about a student that falls hard for his teacher. The student is trying everything he can to garner her attention and even debates about staying after school for detention just to be with the hot teacher for a little bit longer. In the music video the teachers strip off their clothes and start dancing on school desks.

Photo: Screencap from the Madonna music video for "Human Nature"