40+ Famous Musicians That Didn’t Write Their Biggest Hits

Let’s kick off our list with Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. Many people don’t know that Ricky first rose to fame in boy band Menudo. Then, he moved from Spanish language music to English pop. Perhaps Ricky’s best known hit is the Latin pop song “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

This song was written by Draco Rosa and Desmond Child. It reached the number one spot in over 20 countries. Since then, Ricky Martin has co-written tracks on his mostly Spanish language album Almas del Silencio.

Some of country music’s biggest stars are incredible interpreters of songs. Queen of Country Reba McEntire is one of them. The star has sold over 75 million records worldwide, and has a successful acting career.

Reba McEntire has a host of number one hits under her belt. Her 1986 hit “Whoever’s in New England” was written by Kendal Franceschi and Quentin Powers. “The Last One to Know,” released in 1987, spent 14 weeks on the country chart. It was written by Matraca Berg and Jane Mariash.

American hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa was the first female rap act to get gold and platinum status. Their fourth album was the highest-selling album by a female rap act in history at the time. The group — made up of Sandra Denton, Cheryl James and Deidra Roper — are known as The First Ladies of Rap and Hip-Hop.

Salt-N-Pepa’s most well-known hit, “Push It” was written by Hurby Azor and Ray Davies. The song includes lyrics from other well known tracks, including The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”.

During the 20th century, it was extremely common for singers not to write their own songs. Lots of big stars sang from The Great American Songbook — which includes popular songs, show tunes, and jazz standards. Singer, actor, and comedian Dean Martin established his career singing these American Standards.

The King of Cool, a member of the Rat Pack, became one of the most popular acts in Las Vegas. His iconic “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” was written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn.

Seven-time Grammy award winner Toni Braxton has sold over 70 million records. This makes her one of the best-selling female artists in history. One of Toni’s best-known songs is undoubtedly the 1996 ballad “Un-Break My Heart”. The track was written by American songwriter Diane Warren.

Toni Braxton’s other hits include “Another Sad Love Song”, written by Daryl Simmons and Babyface, and “Breath Again”, also written by Babyface. The star also appears in her own reality show along with her family.

Many girl groups and boy bands sing songs that were written for them. With choreography, harmonies, and chemistry, these performers turn songs into huge hits. For example, American boy band Backstreet Boys is one of the world’s best-selling artists.

Their hit single “I Want it That Way” was written by Andreas Carlsson and Max Martin. This boy band became the first group since Led Zeppelin to have their first 10 albums in the Billboard 200 Top 10. They’re the only boy band to ever achieve this.

Famously, iconic performer Elvis Presley didn’t write his own hits. However, he did popularize the songs he sang. “Hound Dog” has been recorded over 250 times, but it’s Elvis’ version that most people know. The song was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952.

Big Mama Thornton first recorded the song, which spent 14 weeks on the R&B charts. The version released by Elvis was one of the best-selling singles of all time. It stayed at the top of the pop chart for 11 weeks.

Singer and actor Meat Loaf is celebrated for his powerful and wide-ranging voice. Most of the star’s operatic rock hits were penned by his long time collaborator Jim Steinman. The American composer and lyricist wrote “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)”, “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth”, and “Bat Out of Hell”.

Basically, name a Meat Loaf hit and it’s likely that Jim Steinman wrote it. Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman had a long and very successful musical relationship.

The Queen of Jazz Ella Fitzgerald amassed 14 Grammy awards during her impressive musical career. As with many other performers of her era, the star didn’t write her biggest hits. However, she did pen several hit songs for other artists, including Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole.

Lady Ella’s most well-known tracks include “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, written by Gus Kahn — and “Cheek to Cheek”, written by Irving Berlin. Her interpretation of nursery rhyme “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” helped her become a well-known name.

Miami based girl group Fifth Harmony first found stardom on TV talent show The X Factor in 2012. The group was initially made up of Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, Normani Kordei and Camila Cabello. However, Camila left the group in 2016 to embark on a solo career.

Fifth Harmony’s debut single “Miss Movin’ On” was written by Mitch Allan, Jason Evigan, Lindy Robbins, Julia Michaels and Ali Tamposi. “Sledgehammer” was written by Jonas Jeberg, Meghan Trainor and Sean Douglas.

It’s time for another boy band! While NSYNC members Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick have since developed their songwriting skills, many of the group’s biggest hits weren’t written by them. For example, “It’s Gonna Be Me” was written by Max Martin, Andreas Carlsson, and Rami Yacoub.

Likewise, “Bye Bye Bye”, released in 2000, was written by Kristian Lundin, Jake Schulze, and Andreas Carlsson. NYSNC wrote and produced several of the tracks on their third album, released in 2001.

Singer, actress, and dancer Aaliyah helped to redefine R&B in the modern era. In fact, she was known as the Princess of R&B. The star was first in the public eye at just 10 years old when she appeared on TV talent show Star Search.

Just two years later, she had a record deal. For her second album, Aaliyah worked with producer performers Missy Elliot and Timbaland. They wrote her hit track, “One in a Million”. Diane Warren wrote, “The One I Gave My Heart To”.

Singer, actress, and TV host Dionne Warwick has a huge amount of musical accomplishments. She’s one of the most charted vocalists of all time, has sold 100 million records, and has six Grammy awards — including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The enduring hit “I Say a Little Prayer” was written for Dionne Warwick by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. This award-winning songwriting duo wrote many of the star’s big hits. These include, “Walk on By”, “Alfie”, and “Don’t Make Me Over”.

No one can deny Nina Simone’s incredible ability to interpret a song. The singer and pianist combined gospel, pop, and classical music, and sang with a beautiful contralto voice. Nina Simone did compose and write her own music, but her biggest hits were written by other people.

The brilliant “My Baby Just Cares for Me” is a jazz standard written by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn. It brought Nina Simone success decades after she first played it when it appeared in a perfume commercial.

Scottish singer Susan Boyle first came to public attention on TV talent show Britain’s Got Talent. Though she didn’t win the series, she went on to have a very successful singing career. The vocalist’s most well-known performance is her moving audition song — “I Dreamed a Dream” from musical Les Miserables.

Susan Boyle has performed a host of covers from well-known artists and popular musicals. These include “Wild Horses”, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and “I Know Him So Well” from musical Chess.

Notably, opera is a genre in which most performers haven’t written their own songs. Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti crossed over from opera into popular music, picking up millions of fans along the way. The King of the High Cs was known for his rendition of the aria “Nessun Dorma”, written by opera composer Giacomo Puccini.

Impressively, Pavarotti didn’t read orchestral scores. Instead, he learned his part by memorizing it. It also helped that he had perfect pitch. The star sold over 100 million records during his incredible career.

As with many of the groups on this list, The Jackson 5 didn’t start writing their own music until much later in their career. Of course, group member Michael Jackson went on to write a huge number of his own record-breaking songs.

In the early days of their career, the group’s hits were written by a songwriting team known as The Corporation. This team wrote 1969’s “I Want You Back”, and 1970’s “ABC”. The band wasa the first to have their first four singles reach number one.

As with some others on this list, Canadian singer Celine Dion has written a handful of her own songs. However, the Priestess of Pop has had absolutely huge hits with songs written for her. Longtime Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman wrote “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”, released in 1996.

Of course, Celine’s biggest hit is power ballad “My Heart Will Go On”, from the blockbuster Titanic. It was written by James Horner and Will Jennings. It topped the charts in over 20 countries.

There are several bands on this list that star in their own TV series. One of these is boy band Big Time Rush — made up of Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Carlos PenaVega. The group’s Nickelodeon TV show aired from 2009 until 2013.

The band’s biggest hits were written by other people, though band member Kendall Schmidt went on to write some of their later tracks. “Boyfriend” was written by Lucas Secon, Wayne Hector, and Francis Zamir. “City is Ours” was written by Eric Sanicola.

Along with Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel made up folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. As a partnership, Simon was the songwriter, while Garfunkel was the vocal arranger for the pair. Together, they were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s.

Paul Simon wrote the group’s hit songs, “The Sound of Silence”, “Mrs. Robinson”, and “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Art Garfunkel originally declined to sing lead vocals on the latter song, though it’s now an iconic and enduring track.

One of the best known of all time, Frank Sinatra didn’t write any of his music. Bart Howard wrote “Fly Me to the Moon” and Paul Anka wrote the English lyrics to “My Way”. Sinatra’s rendition of “My Way” spent an amazing 75 weeks in the UK Top 40.

One of Sinatra’s most well-known songs, “New York, New York”, originally appeared in Martin Scorcese’s 1977 movie of the same name. It was performed by Liza Minnelli in the film, and written by John Kander and Fred Ebb.

Boy band 98 Degrees was made up of four Ohio natives — Jeff Timmons, Justin Jeffre, and brothers Nick and Drew Lachey. This group formed themselves and was then signed, unlike many other boy bands that are put together by a record label.

Together, 98 Degrees sold over 10 million records worldwide. Their hit song “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)” was written by Anders Bagge, Arnthor Birgisson, and Claudia Ogalde. They also did guest vocals on Mariah Carey’s number one hit “Thank God I Found You”.

Speaking about finding songs to record, country singer Tim McGraw has said, “I just try to find songs that move me. Then I go into the studio and we all try to be inventive.” While the star has written a handful of songs, his big hits were all written by other people.

The multi-award winner has had 25 number-one hits on the Hot Country Songs Charts. His single, “It’s Your Love”, featuring Faith Hill, was written by Stephony Smith.

Next up we turn to one of the most successful groups in music history. The Temptations was a Motown act made up of Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, and Paul Williams.

The group was the first Motown act to win a Grammy award, and went on to win two more. Many of The Temptations’ hits were written by famed songwriter-singer Smokey Robinson. Along with Ronald White, he wrote 1964’s “My Girl” for the band.

When it comes to boy bands, Irish group Westlife has a host of accolades. For example, they have the most consecutive number one albums in a decade in the UK and Ireland since the Beatles. The Guinness World Record holders are one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.

Westlife’s biggest hits were all written by other people. Of course, they’ve also had great success covering other hit tracks. For example, their version of Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” was number one on the UK chart.

Another band that had great success with cover songs are English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud. They released hugely successful versions of “Jump” by The Pointer Sisters, and “I’ll Stand by You” by the Pretenders.

Most of Girls Aloud’s other hits were written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and their production team called Xenomania. Guinness World Records lists the band as the “Most Successful Reality TV Group.” Kimberly Walsh, Sarah Harding, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts, and Cheryl Tweedy started out on Popstars: The Rivals.

And now for another TV talent show success story! British singer Leona Lewis won the third series of The X Factor back in 2006. Her winner’s single was a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This”, written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid.

Leona’s first album, Spirit, was the best-selling debut album by a female artist in the 21st century. Its biggest hit, “Bleeding Love” was written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder. It reached number one in 35 countries.

Welsh crooner Tom Jones is also involved in TV talent shows, but as a judge rather than a contestant. He’s been a fixture on the UK’s version of The Voice since it started in 2012.

The star’s career started back in the 1960s when he had a string of Top 10 hits. As with many musicians of this era, he didn’t write his own songs. Tom Jones’ first single, “It’s Not Unusual” was written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills.

While The Monkees did go on to write their own music, their most recognizable hits were written by other people. The 1960s band were created for a TV show of the same name, and sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Their mega hit “I’m a Believer” was written by Neil Diamond and was number one in the US for seven weeks. “Daydream Believer” was written by John Stewart and also became a number one hit. It topped the US charts for four weeks.

Back in the 1960s, Diana Ross dominated the charts with girl group The Supremes. One of the best-selling groups of all time, the band is still the best-charting female group in history. Many of their biggest hits were written by songwriting team Lamont Dozier, and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland.

When Diana Ross became a solo star, she also relied on talented songwriters. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” was written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, while “Chain Reaction” was written by the Gibb brothers.

Many of the performers on this list come from a musical theater background. For these stars, it’s very common to sing songs written by other people. Over her five-decade-long career, actress and singer Bette Midler has had success singing incredible renditions of pre-existing tunes.

Bette Midler’s version of “The Rose”, written by Amanda McBroom, earned her a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She picked up another Grammy for her rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings”, written by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley.

We’ve already seen some members of the Rat Pack, and here we have another key member. Along with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, the multi-talented Sammy Davis Jr. often performed songs from the Great American Songbook.

One of the star’s most well-known hits is 1969’s “I’ve Gotta Be Me”, from musical Golden Rainbow. The popular song was written by Walter Marks. Sammy Davis Jr. also sang covers of songs, including “In the Ghetto”, popularized by Elvis and written by Mac Davis.

Bass-baritone American country singer Trace Adkins has had three number-one hits during his music career. All of these were written by other people. First up, “This Ain’t No Thinkin’ Thing” was written by Tim Nichols and Mark Sanders.

It hit the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts in 1997. Some years later, in 2006, Trace Adkins had his next number one with “Ladies Love Country Boys”. This track was written by Jamey Johnson, Rivers Rutherford, and George Tere.

Sticking with country music, we now turn to Faith Hill. The American singer is one of the most successful country stars of all time, with five Grammys to prove it. Undoubtedly, one of the singer’s most well-known songs is 1998’s “This Kiss”.

The track was written by Beth Nielsen Chapman, Robin Lerner and Annie Roboff. Later, in 2001, Faith Hill had a further global hit with “There You’ll Be”. This ballad was written by Diane Warren and appeared on the soundtrack for Pearl Harbor.

We’ve had The Monkees, we’ve had Big Time Rush, and now we have The Cheetah Girls. Similar to the boy bands already mentioned, this group were created for a Disney movie series. The group was made up of Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, Sabrina Bryan, and Raven-Symoné.

The soundtrack to their first movie is one of the biggest selling Walt Disney Records albums ever. The debut single from the group’s first album was “Cinderella”, written by Lindy Robbins and Kevin Savigar.

So far we’ve seen lots of amazing girl bands on this list. The Ronettes — made up of Ronnie Spector, Estelle Bennett, and Nedra Talley — was known for their soulful pop tunes. Impressively, The Rolling Stones supported the group when they toured around the UK.

The Ronettes’ biggest hit is definitely 1963’s “Be My Baby”. The track was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector. It’s still considered one of the best songs of the ’60s, and one of the greatest pop songs of all time.

Like other stars from her era, Judy Garland sang songs written by other people. As most people know, the performer had an incredible ability to infuse music with great emotion and depth. The actress and singer was the first woman ever to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Judy Garland’s award-winning live album from Carnegie Hall stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for an astonishing 73 weeks. On it, she sang songs from her celebrated movies — The Wizard of Oz and Meet Me in St. Louis.

Known as the Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis was one of the most influential pianists of the 20th century. While the performer did write some of his songs, his biggest hits were penned by other people.

Jerry Lee Lewis’ rockabilly rendition of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” was number one on several charts. It was written by Dave “Curlee” Williams. His hit “Great Balls of Fire” was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. It was one of the best-selling singles in the US at the time.

The fabulous Barbra Streisand has some of show business’s biggest accolades. With an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, she’s a member of the elite EGOT club. As if that wasn’t enough, she’s also one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.

Like Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand has a background in theater. Among her number one hits is “The Way We Were”, written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and Marvin Hamlisch. “Woman in Love”, released in 1980, was written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees.

From one vocal powerhouse to another, Whitney Houston is up next. Aptly nicknamed “The Voice,” the singer and actress sold over 200 million records worldwide. Additionally, Whitney is the only artist to have seven consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

Of course, one of Whitney’s best-known songs is her stirring rendition of “I Will Always Love You”, written by Dolly Parton. Her first number one hit, “Saving All My Love for You” was written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin.

Perhaps best known for her acting roles, Olivia Newton-John was also a four-time Grammy award winner. The British-Australian singer and actress had five number one hits, including several tracks from her most famous work, the musical Grease.

Olivia Newton-John won a Grammy for 1974’s “I Honestly Love You”, written by Jeff Barry. Almost a decade later, she released smash hit “Physical”, which was written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick. Interestingly, the song was also offered to Rod Stewart and Tina Turner.

Actress, singer, and dancer Liza Minnelli is another member of the elite EGOT club. She’s also another star that started out in musical theater. Plus, she frequently drew from the Great American Songbook.

Several of Liza Minnelli’s most popular performances are from her movie roles. Both “Maybe This Time”, and “Cabaret” from the Cabaret musical and film, were written by John Kander and Fred Ebb. Liza is also known for her version of “New York, New York”, which was written for her by the same songwriters.

Classical singer Andrew Bocelli is also a super successful musician that hasn’t written any of his own music. Of course, the singer’s moving interpretations of songs have brought him great acclaim. The Italian tenor’s first compilation album is the biggest selling classical album by any solo artist in history.

Along with Sarah Brightman, Andrew Bocelli released “Time To Say Goodbye” in 1996. The song was originally written in Italian by Lucio Quarantotto. In their hugely popular duet, Bocelli sang in Italian and Brightman in German.

There’s just enough space on our list to fit in one more iconic girl group. Disco group Sister Sledge was made up of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. Their most enduring hit is the fittingly titled “We Are Family”, which was written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.

Sister Sledge also had great success with their version of “My Guy”, which was written by Smokey Robinson. This song was first sung by Motown artist Mary Wells in 1964.

And here’s yet another Broadway performer who has had great success singing songs written by other people. Singer and actress Idina Menzel has released eight albums and written her own music, but she’s best known for belting musical favorites.

Firstly, Idina’s song “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent was written by Jonathan Larson. Then, Idina is associated with “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, written by Stephen Schwartz. Lastly, she’s celebrated for “Let it Go” from Frozen, written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.