6 Classic Songs That Were Originally Written for Other Musicians

Some of the most well-loved legendary songs of the decades past weren’t written by the musicians who recorded them. And some of those famous musicians weren’t the first pick, either. Let’s take a look at six mega-famous songs that were originally written for other musicians!

1. “Call Me” by Blondie

Blondie absolutely nailed this classic rock hit in 1980. However, it was originally pitched to Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks. Disco master Giorgio Moroder originally wrote the song and wanted it to become the theme song of the 1980 movie American Gigolo. However, Nicks had just launched and signed a contract with Modern Records, and couldn’t take on the track. Debbie Harry wrote the lyrics for “Call Me” along with what Moroder had already written, and the rest is history.

2. “For Your Love” by The Yardbirds

The Yardbirds were quite good at taking any song and making it uniquely theirs. That was the case for the song “For Your Love”. The track was written by a young Graham Gouldman, who was a member of the band The Mockingbirds at the time. He wanted his band to record the song, but their record label wasn’t keen on it. It went to The Yardbirds instead.

3. “These Dreams” by Heart

It’s hard to imagine this stellar Heart song in the hands of anyone other than Ann and Nancy Wilson. However, Bernie Taupin and Martin Page originally wrote “These Dreams” for Stevie Nicks (again). Nicks wasn’t interested in it, and Heart turned it into their very first chart-topper.

4. “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith

This example of songs written for other artists is kind of fascinating. The iconic Aerosmith ballad “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” was originally supposed to go to Canadian songstress Celine Dion, of all people. Diane Warren wanted the song to go to a woman, but Steven Tyler ended up putting quite an interesting spin on the heartfelt love song.

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5. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds

Before Simple Minds released the song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” in 1985, it was passed around to quite a few different musicians. Billy Idol and Bryan Ferry were just a couple of names. Luckily, Jim Kerr took the advice of his wife and recorded it with Simple Minds, and it’s since become a film soundtrack favorite.

6. “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins

Kenny Loggins eventually recorded the song “Danger Zone” in 1986. However, the Giorgio Moroder-penned song had been pitched to a few artists before Loggins snatched it up and made it an iconic part of the Top Gun soundtrack. Jefferson Starship, Corey Hart, and Toto all turned it down. Loggins allegedly said he’d do it before he even heard the demo.

Photo by Paul Natkin

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