Some artists have an affinity for writing and producing in a short amount of time. Many artists spend days, weeks or even months at a time on one song. These 10 songs were all written in 20 minutes or less and the stories behind them might surprise you.
“Yesterday” by The Beatles – Under One Minute
Yes, you read that correctly. The iconic song that even had a movie named after it was written by Paul McCartney at the age of 21. After hearing the melody in a dream, he stumbled to his piano and played it immediately, creating one of the greatest songs of the 20th century.
“Just Dance” by Lady Gaga – 10 Minutes
Gaga’s debut single in 2008 was written in just a mere 10 minutes. Although written in a short amount of time, this song is sure to get everyone excited and singing along when it comes on.
“Photograph” by Ed Sheeran – 10 Minutes
One of the biggest anthems of 2014, “Photograph” was written by Ed Sheeran alongside Johnny McDaid from Snow Patrol in 10 minutes. The emotional yet pop-influenced single puts us in all our feels and is still great for when you need a good cry or are going through a breakup.
“Sweet Child O’Mine” by Guns N’ Roses – 10 minutes
While listening to Slash play the riff in another room, singer Axl Rose wrote the lyrics to “Sweet Child O’Mine” in a matter of minutes. The love song is about Rose’s girlfriend at the time, and is a guaranteed favorite of our parents’ generation.
“Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes – During a Soundcheck
The song notoriously played at football games with one of the most recognizable intros of all time, “Seven Nation Army” was written by the band The White Stripes at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, Australia. Featured on their 2003 album Elephant, we can confidently say that we will probably be hearing this song for many more years to come.
“Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” by Beyoncé – 17 minutes
Beyoncé is known for her illustrious songs about women empowerment, and the female pop anthem that is “Single Ladies” single-handedly changed the music industry. The go-to karaoke song for many that happens to be accompanied by an infamous dance move, was co-written by The Dream during a single studio session.
“Your Song” by Elton John – 20 minutes
Alongside lyricist Bernie Taupin, the song was written at Elton John’s mother’s house in the suburbs of London while sitting at the kitchen table for breakfast. The original lyric papers even had tea stains on them, but that’s a low cost for the success the hit brought.
“Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj – Under Five Minutes
The 2011 hit that we can all still recount the word-for-word lyrics to was written in just a few minutes. Partially written by Ester Dean who, at the time, had written for Rihanna and David Guetta, said that none of her songs have ever taken more than five minutes to write.
“See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth – 10 minutes
Tasked with crafting the main track for the soundtrack of Furious 7, the seventh movie in the Fast & Furious franchise, Charlie Puth captured an immense sense of emotion following the tragic death of Paul Walker. After writing the song in 10 minutes, Puth sent it to Wiz Khalifa where he also quickly contributed.
“Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie – 5-10 Minutes
While drunk in Switzerland, the duo came together at an unexpected writing session and cranked out the song. Bowie decided to join the band one day while they were at the studio, and after hearing the riff played by bassist John Deacon, the well-known collaboration came to be.
These 10 songs have undoubtedly left an impression on the music industry and what we listen to today. Did any of their stores surprise you?
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