3 Hit No. 1 Pop Songs That Were Written by Teenagers

Pop music is for all people, but it is especially fun when you’re young. There is often something youthful about pop music, something that gives you a boost of energy when you hear it because it was written by a young, youthful artist full of vim and vigor. But while pop music is often sold to teenagers just getting to know their tastes, sometimes the genre’s biggest hits were also written by teenagers.

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We wanted to explore three examples of just that. This trio of songs was written by teenagers that went on to become giant tracks with millions of fans. Indeed, these are three iconic pop songs written by artists in their teens.

“Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo from ‘Sour’ (2021)

Written when the former Disney star was just 17 years old, Olivia Rodrigo says she wept after penning the tune on her piano. In fact, the song was bubbling up in her to such a degree that she wrote it in about an hour in her living room.

Since then, the track went on to hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and propel Rodrigo to superstardom. The track is about a romantic relationship gone wrong, and it demonstrates Rodrigo’s voice and her knack for writing lyrics that resonate with a young audience.

“Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish from ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ (2019)

Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas began work on her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? when Eilish was just 15 years old. They wrote most of it in her bedroom. The breakthrough single from the album, “Bad Guy”, was one of those tracks the two put together in those early days.

The subversive pop hit reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It came out when Eilish was still in her teens. And it really showcases her snarling attitude and her sharp sense of humor. Villain? Maybe? Bad guy? Sure! Genius. Yes.

“Royals” by Lorde from ‘The Love Club’ EP (2011)

The New Zealand-born songwriter and performer Lorde wrote her breakout hit single “Royals” when she was just 15 years old. Teenagers really can write some emotive stuff. Lorde also wrote “it “Royals” (incredibly) in just a half hour, according to the artist herself.

The track, which highlights that youthful feeling of both striving for more and knowing somehow you may never leave the station in life you’re born into, sums up that stuck feeling so many of us know well. But while we may never be royalty, we can sure make the most of who and what we are, right? That’s the ethos of this sticky song, which hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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