5 Songs Written by the Last Person You’d Expect
The days of the musical auteur are mostly gone, to the point that it’s surprising when the person singing the song is the same person who wrote it, but the face behind the mask can still be a spit take waiting to happen. After all, talent knows no genre, and the best songwriters understand when they’re not the right person to sell a song — or, in at least one case, even the right species.
Avril Lavigne Co-Wrote Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Breakaway’
“Breakaway” had exactly the right level of corn to carry an American Idol winner’s sophomore effort, which is why Lavigne probably hates that we know that she wrote it. The song was born from the writing sessions that resulted in Lavigne’s first album in 2001, but it “didn’t quite fit” the vibe Lavigne was looking for because she hadn’t, and still has, yet to embrace the basic bitch we can all see lurking below the safety-pinned surface.
Jesse McCartney and the Guy From OneRepublic Wrote Leona Lewis’ ‘Bleeding Love’
If you don’t remember who McCartney or Ryan Tedder are, that’s understandable, as they’re best known for being the voice of the chubbiest Chipmunk and the leader of the first big Myspace band, respectively. Somehow, they managed to get together to write 2008’s second-catchiest Grammy Record of the Year nominee, which was given to Leona Lewis after an executive at McCartney’s label doubted its hit potential, which is probably why he’s best known as the chubbiest Chipmunk.
Semisonic’s Dan Wilson Co-Wrote Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’
When was the last time you thought about Semisonic? Approximately 1999? Well, frontman Wilson has since become a prolific songwriter for other artists from Steve Perry to Taylor Swift but perhaps most notably Adele. He co-wrote and even played piano on her smash 2011 hit “Someone Like You” after being introduced to the singer by producer Rick Rubin. Imagine that blunt rotation.
Father John Misty Co-Wrote Beyonce’s ‘Hold Up’
You probably only know Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, as the “real love, baby” guy who keeps popping up on your TikTok FYP, but Beyonce was a fan years ago. “Our friend Amil played her some of my music,” he said, and she must have liked it because he ended up writing “that first verse and the ‘jealous and crazy’ part” of what became “Hold Up” after she emailed him out of the blue with parts of the song and asked him to do something with it, which is apparently how Beyonce makes songs. What would you do if you got that email from Beyonce? Directly to spam, right?
Chuck Lorre Wrote the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Theme Song
For better or worse, Lorre is a legendary TV producer, responsible for the likes of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, but he also has a surprising musical background. He even wrote a song for Debbie Harry in the ‘80s. By far his biggest musical accomplishment, however, is his songwriting credit for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV show. Not even he can really explain how he ended up with the gig, but those two lines (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles / Heroes in a half shell, turtle power”) are hands-down the best thing he’s ever done, even if that’s not saying a lot.
