10 hit songs that were turned down by other artists
Sometimes, all it takes is one listen to a song to know that it is bound to be a hit, material so unique that it is simply destined to sell millions of copies. However, that’s not always the case, and you’d be surprised by how many beloved tracks have been turned down by artists before finding a suitable home.
Several ingredients are needed to cook up a hit song, and having the right artist in charge is the most crucial decision by a distance. This explains why a piece of music can initially flop, but when taken on by a different artist years later, it surprisingly becomes a hit and enjoys a second lease of life.
So, what are the requirements needed for a hit song? According to a study by Columbia University researchers Michael Mauskapf and Noah Askin of INSEAD: “Breakout songs – those that reach the very top of the charts – simultaneously conform to prevailing musical feature profiles while exhibiting some degree of individuality or novelty. They sound similar to whatever else is popular at the time, but also have enough of a unique sound to help them stand out as distinctive.”
The study continues: “What that suggests is that a hit song, or any other cultural product – like a film or a novel – can’t simply be reverse-engineered from what’s been popular in the past. Popular success really is more art than science.”
The list below will put their research to the test and see how these artists managed to create a hit out of a piece of music that their peers rejected.
Hit songs rejected by other artists:
Tom Jones – ‘It’s Not Unusual’
Tom Jones’ introduction to the musical landscape with ‘It’s Not Unusual’ was nothing short of iconic. However, the number one single was almost not his song at all and, instead, was originally signalled for Sandie Shaw. Initially, Jones was only asked to record a demo version by the label before sending it to Shaw, but he instantly fell in love with the track.
After just one listen, Jones knew it was destiny for him to sing ‘It’s Not Unusual’, and so did Shaw when she listened to the demo. Despite executives’ best efforts to take it away from Jones, Shaw intervened after hearing his take, and it got his career kickstarted. Almost 60 years later, the Welsh singer’s career is thriving today thanks to Shaw’s kindness.
David Bowie – ‘Golden Years’
David Bowie was fanatical about Elvis Presley and even wrote a song for him, ‘Golden Years’. He penned the track with Elvis in mind after their shared manager at RCA Records tasked Bowie with magically bringing some relevancy to Presley’s decaying career, which he was obliged to do.
Unfortunately, Elvis didn’t think the song suited him, and Bowie eventually placed the track on Station To Station. ‘Golden Years’ has become one of his most treasured efforts, and while it’s hard to imagine anyone but Bowie bellowing it out, one can’t help but imagine what Presley’s version would sound like.
Heart – ‘These Dreams’
Although Heart traditionally wrote their own material, the band made an exception for ‘These Dreams’. The track was penned by longtime Elton John collaborator Bernie Taupin along with Martin Page, and they originally had Stevie Nicks in mind for the song. However, she turned down the opportunity, and Heart instead recorded the track.
Heart had already had two consecutive top ten singles prior to ‘These Dreams’, but the track took them to new heights. It landed them their first-ever number-one single on the US Chart, and they had Nicks’ refusal to thank them for their hit. Frontman Bret Michaels later repaid the favour by writing ‘Love’s a Hard Game to Play’ for the Fleetwood Mac singer.
George Harrison – ‘All Things Must Pass’
Towards the end of The Beatles’ tenure, George Harrison became increasingly frustrated with his role in the band. In their early days, he was fine to leave the songwriting to John Lennon and Paul McCartney. However, when he did start to become a prolific writer, many of his songs were rejected by his bandmates.
The guitarist originally recorded the title track from Harrison’s second solo album as a demo for The Beatles on his 26th birthday. Yet, it never appeared on any of their records. On ‘All Things Must Pass’, Harrison deals with the cyclical nature of life, and although he was still a Beatle when it was written, he knew the end was nigh.
Jay Z & Kanye West – ‘N****** In Paris’
When Jay-Z & Kanye West teamed up for Watch The Throne, they proved themselves to be the two most important rappers in the world, who were even more potent when they combined. ‘N***** In Paris’ was a highlight from the album, but the beat was almost Pusha T’s before it made its way to the duo.
He told Sneeze Magazine in 2013: “Ye gave me beats and that was in the bunch. ‘Niggas in Paris’ was playful to me and I was in demonic rap mode. I was like, ‘Yo, I don’t want this right now,’ he was like, ‘Man, this will be a club smash’, and I’m like, ‘Maybe, but don’t ask me to wrap my brain around that when I’m writing stuff like ‘My God,’ which is another Hit Boy beat.'”
The Yardbirds – ‘For Your Love’
By the time the summer of 1965 came around, The Beatles had taken over the world. Graham Gouldman was just a young 18-yer-old lad working in an outfitter. “The Beatles had started and I thought, well, I’m gonna really have a crack at song-writing,” Gouldman recalled. “I had dabbled a bit, but they were really my inspiration and gave me and I think a lot of other people the courage to actually do it.”
One of the first two songs he ever wrote was ‘For Your Love’. With not a single entry in his back catalogue, The Animals were cautious of taking on work from the outfitting protégé, so they snubbed it, but The Yardbirds gave it a listen and picked it up. It became one of their biggest hits.
Simple Minds – ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’
Some things seem written in the stars, I’m just not sure The Breakfast Club would’ve been as iconic if it was Bryan Ferry belting it out. Now don’t get me wrong, Ferry is one of our cherished great artists, a heroic pioneer, and an eternal gentleman. But that’s just the thing, he transcends the eras, whereas Simple Minds encapsulate new wave perfectly.
Ferry later commented: “It was just bad timing … Keith Forsey sent me a demo of the song and it sounded like a hit to me. Simple Minds did a great version of it.” Little did he know, Billy Idol also passed up on the track. Thankfully, the song fit Simple Minds like a sonic glass slipper. The rest is a perfectly preserved piece of history.
Madonna – ‘Holiday’
Now, here is a what-if story for the ages. Prior to John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez beginning his songwriting partnership with Madonna, he first offered ‘Holiday’ to the soul sensation Mary Wilson. After some consideration, she knocked it back. Scorned, Benitez went for a change of tact and began a fruitful creative relationship with Madonna. ‘Holiday’ was her breakthrough hit.
Thereafter, he wrote countless hits for the star and ensured that she became a household name. If Wilson sang ‘Holiday’, made it into a hit, and continued collaborating with Benitez, would an alternate history have unfurled?
John Lennon – ‘Jealous Guy’
It’s one of Lennon’s finest, an anthem of pure vulnerability that he sings with a nakedness that hits tear ducts before it even tingles your ears. In fact, it is one of the finest pop songs imaginable. But songwriting competition was fierce in The Beatles, and his bandmates tossed it to the ash heap of history.
Inspired by his time with the Maharishi, the song has since become a pastiche of Lennon’s life at the time, candidly lifting the curtain on his painful maturation. Speaking with David Sheff in 1980, he revealed: “The lyrics explain themselves clearly: I was a very jealous, possessive guy. Toward everything. A very insecure male. A guy who wants to put his woman in a little box, lock her up, and just bring her out when he feels like playing with her. She’s not allowed to communicate with the outside world – outside of me – because it makes me feel insecure.”
The Weather Girls – ‘It’s Raining Men’
Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer, two heterosexual songwriters, sat down and wrote the song over the course of one single afternoon in 1979. Whether it unspooled so quickly because of some sort of erupted suppression is open to speculation, but it is clear that it was destined to become a big hit. It might be a touch novelty, but it has the sense of an infectious song that will dominate the radio.
Nevertheless, Donna Summer didn’t want it because she had recently found Jesus Christ and thought the track was blasphemous. Next up, Diana Ross, Cher and Barbara Streisand all turned it down. Thus, the lesser-known Weather Girls picked it up and has been a public mainstay ever since. However, you can’t help but think that Ross would’ve belted out a truly brilliant version.
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