3 Legendary Pop Songs From the 1990s That Were Rejected Before Becoming Hits

Believe it or not, many of the world’s most beloved and famous pop hits were passed over by bands and singers before they eventually made it to the stars who made the songs famous. That was the case for the following three pop songs of the 1990s, which were all initially rejected before they came to define the musical era of that very decade. Let’s take a look!

Videos by American Songwriter

“…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears (1998)

Even today, nearly 30 years after it first hit the airwaves, “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears is a definitive song in pop culture history. Spears went on to record quite a few memorable hits after this teen pop jam dropped, but she’ll probably always be known for this single from her debut album. And, surprisingly, “…Baby One More Time” was shopped around to other artists before Spears took it on. Max Martin, the song’s writer and producer, offered it to TLC, Backstreet Boys, and Five. All of them turned the song down. Honestly, I can’t imagine another artist taking on this classic. It’s so Britney.

“No Diggity” by Blackstreet (1996)

Nothing transports me back to the mid-1990s quite like the hip-hop soul track “No Diggity” by Blackstreet. They were the perfect group for this song, which also features rappers Queen Pen and Dr. Dre. I’m not surprised at all that it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, either. And yet, it wasn’t originally written for Blackstreet. “No Diggity” was originally offered to the R&B group Guy for their reunion album. Aaron Hall, Guy’s lead singer, also turned the song down as a solo track. It eventually went to Blackstreet, and even they were hesitant to record it.

“None of the guys liked ‘No Diggity’,” said Teddy Riley, the song’s co-writer and producer and Blackstreet member. “None of them. They would even say it. That’s why I’m singing the first verse.”

“My Heart Will Go On” by Céline Dion (1997)

Believe it or not, this hit Titanic theme song from 1997 was originally rejected by Céline Dion herself. James Horner was the composer of “My Heart Will Go On” and the whole of the film’s score. Together with lyricist Will Jennings, the pair put together the famous song and offered it to Dion at the recommendation of composer Simon Franglen. This song makes it to our list of rejected pop songs from the 1990s because Dion was hesitant to record it, as she had already recorded songs for films like Beauty And The Beast and Up Close & Personal. Her producer and husband, René Angélil, convinced her to do it.

Photo via Britney Spears album cover