5 Hit Songs That Were Surprisingly Written by Other Artists

We’ve all listened to a song under the impression it was written by the artist who sings it, right? Every so often, our world gets rocked when we discover a completely different artist wrote our favorite tune. Well, we’ve got some harsh news for you, many singers don’t write their songs. Since some pieces are so synonymous with the singers, it’s surprising to learn other artists wrote them. Here are some of the biggest hit songs that were written by other artists!

Party In The U.S.A. – Miley Cyrus

Songwriter: Jessie J

Before she rose to fame as a singer, Jessie J wrote what is perhaps regarded as one of Miley Cyrus’ biggest hits. “Party In The U.S.A” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She had initially written the song for herself with Dr. Luke and Claude Kelly but decided not to record it. She didn’t need to sing it to make it big, and after Cyrus’s song was released, it ended up paying for her rent for three years.

5 Hit Songs That Were Surprisingly Written by Other Artists | Getty Images Photo by Michael Kovac — Getty Images Photo by Michael Kovac

Breakaway – Kelly Clarkson

Songwriter: Avril Lavigne

Interestingly enough, Kelly Clarkson’s 2004 hit was written by emo queen Avril Lavigne. A fun fact about the song is that it was featured in “The Princess Diaries 2.”

Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani

Songwriter: Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams is the mastermind behind just about every iconic song one can think of. The list gets even longer when you add in the pieces he produced. Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” is one of the countless hit songs he wrote, and we’re so happy he did!

Baby – Justin Bieber

Songwriter: Christina Milian

Singer Christina Milian is responsible for Justin Bieber’s first hit. She is the one who wrote “Baby.” Bieber has many people to thank for discovering him, but most of all, he owes a lot to Milian!

Pretty Hurts – Beyoncé

Songwriter: Sia

Other than being one of the most influential voices of our time, Sia has managed to make a lot of money writing songs for huge artists. One of those songs was none other than “Pretty Hurts,” the opening song to Queen B’s 2013 self-titled album.