20 Songs Originally Written for Other Artists
Spinner.com has put together a list of 20 songs that artists originally wrote for someone else, but ended up keeping for THEMSELVES, for one reason or another. In many cases, the song became a big hit with its initial writer.
Here's a few from their the list:
--"The Long and Winding Road", The Beatles . . . Paul McCartney wrote it for Tom Jones, who essentially turned it down.
--"Born in the U.S.A.", Bruce Springsteen . . . He originally wrote it for a movie called "Light of Day", starring Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett. He ended up keeping it and submitting something else.
--"Superstition", Stevie Wonder . . . He wrote it for Jeff Beck, but Motown talked him into recording it himself. Jeff later released a version of it.
--"Cover Me", Bruce Springsteen . . . He wrote it for Donna Summer, but decided to keep it.
--"Dim All the Lights", Donna Summer . . . She wrote it for Rod Stewart, but decided to keep it.
--"Run to You", Bryan Adams . . . He wrote it for Blue Oyster Cult, but they didn't like it. The song was also rejected by .38 Special before Bryan took it for himself.
--"All Those Years Ago", George Harrison . . . He wrote it for Ringo Starr, but it didn't work with Ringo's vocals. When George took it back, he rewrote the lyrics to turn it into a tribute to John Lennon, who had just been murdered. Ringo and Paul McCartney joined him on the track.
--"Hungry Heart", Bruce Springsteen . . . He wrote it for The Ramones, but his manager advised him to keep it.
--"Hurdy Gurdy Man", Donovan . . . He wrote it for a folk group called "Hurdy Gurdy," but it didn't work out, so he recorded it.
--"The First Time", U2 . . . They initially planned to give it to Al Green.
--"Golden Years", Davie Bowie . . . He wrote it for Elvis, but he turned it down.
--"Fire", Bruce Springsteen . . . He originally wrote it for Elvis, who died before he recorded it. Bruce then gave it to The Pointer Sisters, and their version did become a hit. He also recorded it himself.
--"Massachusetts", The Bee Gees . . . They wrote it for an Australian band called The Seekers, who didn't take it. Well after the Bee Gees made it a hit, the Seekers recorded it as a tribute to Maurice Gibb after he passed away in 2003.
"I Can Dream About You", Dan Hartman . . . He wrote it for Hall & Oates.
For more info, go to Spinner.com. The first 10 entries are on the same page, with the rest on a second page. There's also audio of each song.