5 Famous Songs Written by Famous Artists for Other Famous Artists

Singing and writing music are artistic talents not many of us have. But to be able to do both? That’s when you know that a person is truly a master at their craft. But sometimes, the synergy that goes on in the musical world becomes even more impressive when songs written by famous artists are given to other musicians for them to make it their own.

Here are a few songs you might’ve not known were composed by a musician’s equally talented fellow musician:

Songs Written by Famous Artists For Other Musicians to Sing

1. Wanted Man: Written by Bob Dylan, Recorded by Johnny Cash

What do you get when the Mr. Tambourine Man singer and The Man in Black collaborate? A masterpiece, of course! Because that’s what exactly happened when Bob Dylan wrote Wanted Man for Johnny Cash. However, because it was written and released in 1969 (for Johnny Cash’s At San Quentin album), not much is known about the story of how the song was made or the story behind it. But this was said to be one of the reasons why the two Hall of Famers formed a friendship.

Diamonds: Written by Sia, Recorded by Rihanna

One of the most famous songs that Rihanna sang was her hit, Diamonds. And you can tell that it is because she not only performed the song at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show a few years back, but she also sang it at the Super Bowl 2023. It was also a song that made people realize how versatile of a singer the Bajan bombshell truly is — as the song has a very different tune from her reggae and pop beginnings. But Diamonds was initially written by the Australian singer Sia. What’s even more impressive is, according to Sia’s co-writer and producer, Benny Blanco, Sia composed the song in 14 minutes!

Nothing Compares 2 U: Written by Prince, Recorded by Sinéad O’Connor

There’s something tantalizing about how Sinéad O’Connor sings one of her greatest hits, Nothing Compares 2 U. But if you watch Prince perform the same song, it could very well pass off as an amazing take on the Irishwoman’s hit. However, Prince definitely did not just “cover” the song. As it was his song that he wrote as a side project called The Family.

Irreplaceable: Written by Ne-Yo, Recorded by Beyoncé

Back when Queen Bey was frequently releasing song after song, she also gave the early 2000s an empowering breakup anthem — Irreplaceable. The song may have Beyoncé’s melodic touch but picture Ne-Yo singing it instead! If it sounds like it could be his, that’s because it was his! His decision to give the song away, according to him in his Billboard interview, was that the song would’ve sounded misogynistic had he sung it back then.

Woman in Love: Written by Barry & Robin Gibb, Recorded by Barbra Streisand

At this point, Barbra Streisand doesn’t need an introduction anymore. She’ll go down in history as one of the greatest female vocalists of all time. But the Broadway darling’s Woman in Love — which ended up becoming one of many fans’ favorites in her Guilty album — was originally written by Bee Gees’ Barry and Robin Gibb. But if these brothers’ creative songwriting abilities aren’t evident enough, they’ve also written for many other female powerhouse singers like Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, and Olivia Newton-John.

All Things Considered,

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said that “music is the language of mankind.” And the educator and poet couldn’t be any more correct with that statement — that’s why we can thank musicians for giving us song after song that we can get lost in. Oftentimes, even they are aware that music shouldn’t be kept from being listened to. Even if they’re not singing it themselves, the essence of the song is still there because they wrote it. That said, there are many songs written by famous artists that are being performed by other musicians — because these artworks need to be heard.

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