These Black Artists’ Hit Songs Were Originally Written With Someone Else in Mind
It’s almost impossible to picture anyone else singing those legendary songs; from the signature cadences and iconic ad-libs—these hits undoubtedly belong to the artists who made them famous. But behind the scenes, the journey of a hit song is rarely simple. Demos are passed around, writers pen tracks with one singer in mind, and somehow, the universe redirects them to someone else.
The Root gathered the most shocking songs by Black artists that were originally written for someone else—and a few of these will completely blow your mind.
“How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston — Janet Jackson
Written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, Whitney Houston’s 1985 hit was written with Janet Jackson in mind. However, Jackson’s team turned the song down because they said it didn’t match the edgy direction her music was going in.
Soon after, the track was heard by Gerry Griffith, Arista Records’ director of R&B, who played it for Clive Davis. Producer Narada Michael Walden adjusted the arrangement and tweaked the melody, and Whitney famously recorded the vocals in a single take.
“Weak” by SWV — Charlie Wilson
Now this one may shock you, as SWV’s signature hit “Weak” was actually written for Charlie Wilson—and the inspiration behind the track is even wilder. Producer Brian Alexander Morgan told Complex he wrote the lyrics about his real-life crush on R&B singer Chanté Moore, who lived in his apartment complex. Ultimately, the song was given to the sistas with voices.
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“I got chills when I heard Coko’s voice,” Morgan told Rolling Stone. “Coko was real cold to me at first and not very nice. She didn’t like the song and gave me real attitude when we recorded it.”
The move ultimately paid off, as “Weak” soared to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993.
“All That I Can Say” by Mary J. Blige — Whitney Houston
Lauryn Hill penned “All That I Can Say” for Whitney Houston’s fourth studio album, “My Love Is Your Love.” In an interview, Whitney confessed she loved the song, but said her busy schedule didn’t allow her to record the vocals in time.
The track was handed over to Mary J. Blige for her 1999 album, “Mary,” and earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2000.
“Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé — Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo admitted that he initially penned the track for his own project, but was apprehensive after he realized that a male singer telling his primarily female fanbase that his lovers are easily replaceable wouldn’t land.
So, co-writer Tor Hermansen convinced him to let Beyoncé hear it. Bey rearranged the vocals, and turned it into a popular empowering anthem about self-worth—that went platinum six times!
“Before You Walk Out of My Life” by Monica — Toni Braxton
Monica’s 1995 ballad was originally written for Toni Braxton’s second album, “Secrets.” But the song was later offered to Monica after Soulshock, from the production duo Soulshock & Karlin, played it for Clive Davis.
“We came back and played him “Before You Walk Out Of My Life” and he was like, ‘I’ll take it!’ We were like, ‘I think Toni Braxton is interested in this song.’ Clive demanded the song and guaranteed a number one hit in the next month. We flew down and put Monica’s vocals on it,” Soulshock explained. “She was amazing. […] We sent it to Clive and he didn’t change anything. It came out and we had a number one record.”
“If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys — Christina Aguilera
Alicia Keys almost gave away her timeless ballad to Christina Aguilera. Aguilera, a fan of Keys’ songwriting, had personally reached out to ask if she would write a track for her next project.
Keys thought Aguilera’s vocal range would sound incredible on the track, until J Records A&R executive Peter Edge stopped Keys from giving the song away because the record was so special. Instead, Keys wrote the track “Impossible” for Aguilera’s “Stripped” album.
“I Wanna Be Down” by Brandy — Vanessa Williams
Kipper Jones previously wrote major hits for Vanessa Williams and intended to pitch “I Wanna Be Down” to her as well—until he was convinced otherwise. Darryl Williams, Atlantic Records director of A&R, and Atlantic head Sylvia Rhone encouraged him to record the song with Brandy instead.
At the time, Brandy was an unknown 15-year-old singer. But Jones changed his mind immediately after hearing Brandy’s vocals.
“Happy” by Pharrell Williams — CeeLo Green
Pharrell Williams had the whole world happy when he released his hit song in 2013. However, he originally wrote the track for CeeLo Green—who recorded a full version of it.
“[Cee Lo] wanted to do it … [and] he did do it,” Williams explained, according to the BBC, when he was asked if he had heard anyone else sing the song. “He sounded amazing on it. I mean, he burns my version. Some folks on his team just felt that the priority should be on [CeeLo’s] album at the time, so they elected not to do that song.”
“Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake — Michael Jackson
Speaking of Pharrell, he and his production partner Chad Hugo wrote and produced “Rock Your Body” with several others for Michael Jackson’s 2001 album, “Invincible.” Jackson ultimately passed on the song, feeling its disco sound was a step backward from where he wanted his music to go at the time.
After the rejection, The Neptunes offered it to Justin Timberlake for his debut solo album. It reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
“Umbrella” by Rihanna — Britney Spears
It could have been Britney Spears singing about keeping her friends safe under her umbrella, ella, ella, however, Rihanna made the song all her own. Producers Tricky Stewart and The-Dream created the track specifically for the “Oops!…I Did It Again” pop star, but Jive Records rejected it due to having too many songs.
Later, the song was offered to Mary J. Blige, who ultimately declined it because she felt like the song’s repetitive hook did not match her style. Blige confirmed she made the right choice to pass on it, admitting the song was meant for Rihanna.
“Don’t Let Go (Love)” by En Vogue — Aerosmith
Straight from the “Set if Off” soundtrack, “Don’t Let Go (Love)” was En Vogue’s last single and music video to feature member Dawn Robinson. Despite becoming their biggest international single, co-writer Ivan Matias revealed that the song was originally intended for the rock band Aerosmith.
Sylvia Rhone, the president of Elektra Records at the time, hired Matias and Andrea Martin to record it with En Vogue after she had heard their demo.
“Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé — Katy Perry
Singer Sia wrote the empowering track in 2011 and originally emailed the demo to Katy Perry. However, Perry missed the email, leading Sia to assume she wasn’t interested. Sia then passed “Pretty Hurts” to Rihanna, whose team held onto the song for eight months. According to E! News, Rihanna’s team ultimately failed to pay the required fee to secure the track, opening the door for Beyoncé to slide “into home base and just closed the deal,” Sia later revealed.
Once Perry heard Bey’s rendition, she texted Sia saying, “I’m pretty hurt you never sent me this song.” Sia replied: “Check your email.”
“You Give Good Love” by Whitney Houston — Roberta Flack
Written by La Forrest “La La” Cope, “You Give Good Love” was Whitney’s 1985 breakout solo single that introduced her to the world. But it almost went to Roberta Flack. Frustrated waiting for a response from Flack’s team, La La performed the song on a piano for Houston and her producer Kashif.
“Before I ended the song, she picked up on the lyrics and was singing it along with me,” LaLa recalled to Billboard. The song became an unexpected crossover pop hit, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and earning the singer the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy Award in 1986.
