From Blondie to Joan Jett: Five artists who didn’t write their biggest hit
It’s no secret that not every musical legend writes their own songs, and even those who are more lyrically inclined sometimes hand the reins over to someone else, and still, many of those who rarely penned their own work, like Linda Ronstadt, Frank Sinatra, and Cher, managed to leave a lasting impact.
That said, there’s a certain badge of integrity that comes with those who write all of their own stuff, and it makes sense. When people are actually the sole or primary curators of the art they’re selling, it increases their sense of authenticity, making you feel more easily connected to the mastermind behind the material.
However, that doesn’t mean that those who step back every once in a while aren’t as deserving of respect, and while many of our favourite musicians grow in popularity with songs they didn’t even write, that doesn’t mean that any value is lost in the lesser-known gems that they did pen.
Some bands often have a handful of hits, most of which came from their own minds, save for one or two that were written either by another musician or songwriter, and most of the following artists fall into the latter category.
These are all iconic figureheads in their own right, and musicians whose impact far exceeds any debates about whether or not they are actually worth their popularity, proving that not every legacy needs a clean streak of self-written hits to be influential. Often, it is these hits that give them the platform to thrive, a boost that makes their endurance even more powerful.
Five artists who didn’t pen their biggest hit:
‘The Tide is High’ – Blondie
Blondie would have no doubt blown up without ‘The Tide is High’, but its popularity most certainly did well to bring their fusion of multiple genres into mainstream spaces, a common throughline throughout much of the band’s milestones and successes since rising to the top of the new wave scene.
Originally performed by Jamaican singer John Holt, ‘The Tide is High’ marked Blondie’s third number one, materialising after Debbie Harry and Chris Stein picked up a copy of the song one day and thought the song was too good for them to not put their own spin on it, and they did, with a reggae-inspired sound that proved all was fair game in mainstream circles.
‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ – Simple Minds
By the time Simple Minds put out ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’, they were already steadily gaining traction as one of the more prominent bands in the UK rock scene, but they were struggling to make a splash overseas in America, so the song was put forward as the perfect remedy to smash the invisible wall they were stuck behind.
At first, they weren’t sure they even wanted to do it, but they eventually met with The Breakfast Club director John Hughes to see if it would be a good fit, and luckily, they ultimately felt it was a good decision, with the song singlehandedly catapulting them onto mainstream radio airwaves in America, landing them newfound recognition and long-term success. And they didn’t even write it themselves.
‘The Flame’ – Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick were poised and ready for the hair metal era in the late 1980s, and all they were missing was a good song to seal the deal. ‘The Flame’ was the perfect link to solidifying this image, written by Bob Mitchell and Nick Graham for singer Elkie Brooks before it eventually found its way to Cheap Trick via Epic Records.
The band’s only number one hit, ‘The Flame’ was met with some resistance at first, as recalled by the band’s drummer Bun E Carlos, who later shared a moment when Rick Nielsen hated the sessions so much that he screamed, “I hate this thing!” and left the studio. Tom Peterson apparently left shortly after, leaving Carlos and Robin Zander to work on the drums and vocals. They finished the track eventually, but they’d still probably prefer people to pay closer attention to the songs they felt more proud of that more accurately represented their artistic vision at the time.
‘Hound Dog’ – Elvis Presley
‘Hound Dog’ first surfaced in the early 1950s and was performed by Big Mama Thornton, but Elvis Presley performed his version based on a reimagination by Freddie Bell and The Bell Boys. Written by teenagers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, ‘Hound Dog’ became one of Presley’s defining hits, epitomising everything he ever represented as a performer, and yet, they didn’t like his version when they heard it.
In fact, the pair thought that Presley’s version was too “nervous-sounding” and that it lacked all the oomph that was in Thornton’s original. They also felt like it came across as too much of an imitation, one that wasn’t really that authentic enough to “turn out well”, but still, it accrued a legacy of its own, cementing Presley’s position as ‘The King‘.
‘I Love Rock and Roll’ – Joan Jett
Originally recorded by The Arrows in 1975, ‘I Love Rock and Roll’ was initially a response to The Rolling Stones’ ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)’, a simple ode to everything it stood for and the raw energy brought by a good, direct rock ‘n’ roll tune.
It was Joan Jett’s re-recording of the song with her band, The Blackhearts, that turned it into a megahit. She’d performed a version a couple of years before, but her 1981 version saw her taking all of those previously established expectations for women in rock and blowing them to pieces, setting herself apart as someone who means business. She always knew this song would be the one, too, later saying that it’s one that will follow you, whether you like it or not.
