3 Legendary Pop Stars Who Quietly Wrote Hit Songs for Their “Rivals”

Most pop stars either write their own music or employ the services of professional pop songwriters. On rare occasions, pop singers will graciously write songs for other musicians or give other pop singers songs that don’t quite fit their vibe. Generosity abounds! Let’s look at a few times famous pop stars wrote songs for other pop icons.

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Prince Wrote “Manic Monday” (1985) for The Bangles

Remember this hit pop rock jam from The Bangles? It was quite a hit back in 1985. It made it to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and UK Singles chart. Believe it or not, this song was actually written by “Purple Rain” hitmaker Prince. He is credited as “Christopher” on the song, a pseudonym. Interestingly enough, the song was originally written for the group Apollonia 6, but the send ended up going to The Bangles instead. The kicker is that Prince’s song “Kiss” was kept from the top spot on the Hot 100 by the song he wrote for The Bangles.

Sia Wrote “Diamonds” (2012) for Rihanna

Sia has written quite a bit of music for herself and other pop icons. One such song is “Diamonds”, which she wrote for Rihanna back in 2012. The electronic pop song has since become Rihanna’s signature track. And at the time, it was a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 and countless other charts. With some help from co-writer and producer Benny Blanco, they delivered the finished tune to Rihanna, who immediately liked it.

Avril Lavigne Wrote “Breakaway” (2004) for Kelly Clarkson

This one was a surprise to learn, as I can’t think of two pop stars more different than Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson. The story goes that pop-punk star Avril Lavigne co-wrote “Breakaway” with Matthew Gerrard and Bridget Benenate to record on her debut album Let Go. However, it became clear that the song didn’t quite fit her style, so they passed it on to Clarkson. However, a few other artists passed on the song before it went to Clarkson, including Samantha Moore. “Breakaway” was a massive hit for post-American Idol Clarkson. The song peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the US.

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