40+ Famous Musicians That Didn’t Write Their Biggest Hits
Ricky Martin
Let’s kick off our list with Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. Many people don’t know that Ricky first rose to fame in boy band Menudo. Then, he moved from Spanish language music to English pop. Perhaps Ricky’s best known hit is the Latin pop song “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
This song was written by Draco Rosa and Desmond Child. It reached the number one spot in over 20 countries. Since then, Ricky Martin has co-written tracks on his mostly Spanish language album Almas del Silencio.
Reba McEntire
Some of country music’s biggest stars are incredible interpreters of songs. Queen of Country Reba McEntire is one of them. The star has sold over 75 million records worldwide, and has a successful acting career.
Reba McEntire has a host of number one hits under her belt. Her 1986 hit “Whoever’s in New England” was written by Kendal Franceschi and Quentin Powers. “The Last One to Know,” released in 1987, spent 14 weeks on the country chart. It was written by Matraca Berg and Jane Mariash.
Salt-N-Pepa
American hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa was the first female rap act to get gold and platinum status. Their fourth album was the highest-selling album by a female rap act in history at the time. The group — made up of Sandra Denton, Cheryl James and Deidra Roper — are known as The First Ladies of Rap and Hip-Hop.
Salt-N-Pepa’s most well-known hit, “Push It” was written by Hurby Azor and Ray Davies. The song includes lyrics from other well known tracks, including The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”.
Dean Martin
During the 20th century, it was extremely common for singers not to write their own songs. Lots of big stars sang from The Great American Songbook — which includes popular songs, show tunes, and jazz standards. Singer, actor, and comedian Dean Martin established his career singing these American Standards.
The King of Cool, a member of the Rat Pack, became one of the most popular acts in Las Vegas. His iconic “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” was written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn.
It’s a relatively recent thing for musicians to write their own hits. That is, while there’s always been singer-songwriters, it wasn’t a key part of being a famous musician. In years gone by, it was perfectly normal for top stars to sing songs written for them by someone else. Of course, being a singer doesn’t have to mean writing your own hits. After all, music is collaborative, and interpreting a song is its own special skill. Check out this list of famous musicians that didn’t write their biggest hits.