THEY WROTE THAT?!

This feature originally commissioned for RETROPOP Magazine.

THEY WROTE THAT?

Some songs have been on a heck of a journey before they reach our consciousness. They may have started life as an album track, a b-side, given away by the songwriter, or even ended up in a drawer before being rediscovered, unfolded, and then given to some other artist it was never intended for…

In this list, we explore some of our favourite songs, the journey they took and the surprising songwriters behind the hit.

We could probably fill several pages of this magazine with songs from the Bee Gees. In most cases you wouldn’t be surprised ‘they wrote that’ as the Brother Gibb’s warbly falsetto is embedded in the track like some form of audible hallmark - just listen to Diana Ross’ Chain Reaction, Dionne Warwick’s Heartbreaker and Kenny Rogers’ duet Islands in the Stream with Dolly Parton…. But talking of Dolly;

10. I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. Let’s start with Whitney Houston’s breathtaking version (literally - if you’ve ever tried singing along at full voice!) written by Dolly Parton for her ‘Jolene’ album and released as a single in 1974. However, it was actually Linda Ronstadt's version that caught Whitney’s attention after her ‘Bodyguard’ co-star, Kevin Costner, suggested she sing it for the movie when looking for an additional song for the movie soundtrack.

9. Smile by Michael Jackson. Composed by someone you have probably never heard a sound from, ‘silent’ actor Charlie Chaplin. Written as the theme for his 1936 movie, ‘Modern Times’, it has become a standard since lyrics were added in 1954 by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons. MJ recorded it and was to be a single in 1997 but cancelled with only a few promos being released, making it one of the most sought after releases.

8. Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson. In 2001, whilst working on her debut album, ‘Let Go’, Avril Lavigne wrote Breakaway (with Bridget Benenate and Matthew Gerrard). After recording the song, they decided it didn’t match the other tracks on the album and was finally dropped. So it went to Clarkson who recorded it for the soundtrack of ‘The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement’. Lavigne re-recorded the track for the 20th-anniversary re-release of her debut album last year.

7. Reach by S Club 7. Having been responsible for writing (or co-writing) eight UK no.1’s, the success of this songwriter is no secret, but Cathy Dennis started out as a pop star in her own right. Plenty of 90s hits including Touch Me (All Night Long) and Too Many Walls, Cathy has gone on to co-write hits including Reach, I Kissed A Girl, Can’t Get You Out Of My Head and Britney’s Toxic.

6. The One and Only by Chesney Hawkes. Recently resurrected thanks to Chesney playing the Nik Kershaw penned tune at half-time in a World Cup footie match England won, labelling him a lucky mascot… Kershaw said he never thought it would be a number 1 (it was - in several countries), reportedly saying the publishing bought him 2 houses and that “Chesney is hugely talented, but never got a chance to prove it, because of that song.”

5. Goldeneye by Tina Turner. Depeche Mode were originally in line for the theme tune to Piers Brosnan’s first spin as 007 but scheduling led to the Mode’s missing out. It fell to Tina who wasback in the public eye thanks to the biographical movie, ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’. U2’s Bono and The Edge sent Tina ‘the worst demo’ she’d ever heard, but Bono managed to convince her to record it.

4. It Must Be Love by Madness. That unmistakable piano intro to this 1981 by the Nutty boys totally made it their own and it’s often thought to be a Madness original. However, 10 years earlier it reached no.14 in the UK charts by the original writer, Labi Siffre, who had to wait 15 more years before his mega-hit (Something Inside) So Strong. Labi also makes an appearance in the Madness video for the song.

3. Red Red Wine by UB40. Written and recorded in 1967 by ‘Sweet Caroliner’, Neil Diamond, before Tony Tribe released it in 1969 becoming Trojan Records' first hit. UB40 member Astro confessed they only knew Tony’s version and didn’t know who had written it, adding; “…when we saw the writing credit said 'N Diamond’, we thought it was a Jamaican artist called Negus Diamond.” Neil was also responsible for writing I’m A Believer for The Monkees.

2. Pink Cadillac by Natalie Cole. Part of the ‘Born In The USA’ sessions when writer, Bruce Springsteen originally recorded it. Finally dropped from the album, it appeared as the b-side to Dancing In The Dark. Bruce didn’t feel it suitable for female singers, even preventing Bette Midler adding it to her ‘No Frills’ album. However, neither Natalie nor Bruce seemed to care when it reached number 5 in the UK and US charts in 1988.

1. Manic Monday by The Bangles. We could have chosen several Prince compositions; Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U, Chaka Khan’s I Feel For You and possibly Sheena Easton’s Sugar Walls?…but Manic Monday seems to surprise most. Written for his ‘Apollonia 6' project, the song was shelved and offered later to The Bangles after Prince took a liking to their first album, although it’s thought it was due to his liking for Bangle Susanna Hoffs….

And the best of the rest?… Well, Ed Sheeran was behind One Direction’s Little Things, having written it when he was just 17, and Harry Styles popped into the studio one day to see Ariana Grande and ended up writing Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart for her, and how about Cee Lo Green’s Forget You (or F**k You as it was called pre-radio play), that came from the loins of Bruno Mars… makes you wonder doesn’t it? Next time you hear a track, ask yourself; ‘where did this song begin?’ The answer may be surprising….

Words by Guy James

February 2023

Enjoyed this list? Why not listen to this playlist that features many of the songs listed above: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/55jt4AVDOgkpuMlVBiE9dc?si=F0KU9TicQGCfmD-KBbgizg