Sometimes when you're midway through a song you might wonder "Was this song meant for somebody else?". Well, we do the same. Who knew some of these tunes were so close to sounding completely different?! Here are 17 absolute tunes that were actually meant for someone else:
1. "Telephone" - Lady Gaga
Sung and written by Lady Gaga the song was originally intended for Britney Spears Circus album. Thankfully Brit rejected it - otherwise, we never would've had this iconic music video to get us through these dark days.
2. "How Will I Know" - Whitney Houston
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Janet Jackson turned down "How Will I Know" but we're interested to see what Michaels sister could've done with it...
3. "Call Me" - Blondie
Debbie Harry took "Call Me" and tweaked it after Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) turned it down. Who would Blondie be without this song?
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4. "We Found Love" - Rihanna
Yes, Nicole Scherzinger turned down the banger " We Found Love". The video alone has nearly 7 hundred million views. Scherzy knows she messed up: “I passed on ‘We Found Love’. I got the demo of that song and I was busy at the time...That was my fault. I slept on it.” She also turned down Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". Is you okay Nicole?
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5. "Hit Me Baby One More Time" - Britney Spears
The hit was originally meant for TLC, the band turned it down for their album Fanmail which included tunes like "No Scrubs" and "Unpretty" instead. In fairness, what would Britney have become without this classic tune?
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6. "Rock Your Body" - Justin Timberlake
Certifying his position as the next Michael Jackson JT's first album was mostly made up of songs rejected by Jackson himself. "Rock Your Body" was intended for Jackson's tenth studio album Invincible.
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7. "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
Hillary Duff rejected "Since U Been Gone" because she couldn't reach the songs high notes - Awkward.
8. "Resentment" - Beyoncé
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Yes, this glorious ballad was actually meant for Victoria Beckham. The song was passed around after Victoria's debut album never happened. No offense V but only Queen B could pull this off.
9. "Toxic" - Britney Spears
Kylie Minogue turned her nose up at this absolute tune. What was she thinking?
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10. "Don't Cha" - Pussycat Dolls
Paris Hilton passed up on this song, even though "Stars Are Blind" still gives us the lols. Paris has been quoted as saying "I think I did hear the song, but not in the format we all came to know and love. If I'd heard that, of course, I'd have jumped at the chance." Ah, poor Paris.
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11. "Disturbia" - Rihanna
Chris Brown wrote "Disturbia" but decided to use "Forever" for the re-release of his album Exclusive. Brown gave the song to Rihanna instead. Totes awk.
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12. "Alive" - Sia
For her album, This Is Acting, Sia wrote a number of songs for other artists that didn't make their albums so she added the songs to her own. "Alive" was one of the songs that was originally meant for another artist - Adele.
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13. "All About That Bass" - Meghan Trainor
Trainor was quoted as saying: “I’ll bet some of them didn’t even know the song was being pitched to them...Some artists get thousands of songs pitched and they never know, so Beyoncé herself probably never heard it.” Tbh, we're kinda glad Queen B passed on this one.
14. "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" - Aerosmith
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The song was originally written for Celine Dion by Diane Warren. Aerosmith took it when they fell short on ideas for the soundtrack of Armageddon and turned it into one of the most recognizable songs of all time.
15. "Don't You Forget About Me" - Simple Minds
Nobody, including Billy Idol, wanted the classic song until Simple Minds recorded it after being encouraged by their record label. Billy Idol later did a cover of the song for his 2001 Greatest Hits album.
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16. "Get Right" - Jennifer Lopez
Usher co-wrote "Get Right" for his album Confessions. Apparently, he couldn't get the song right for his own album and J.Lo ended up using it without his consent after the producer offered it to her. Usher reportedly said "I'd better get some of the publishing rights or else...I didn't expect J-Lo to just take it."
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17. "Halo" - Beyoncé
After Beyoncé left "Halo" on the backbench Ryan Tedder, the writer of the song, offered it to Leona Lewis before Beyoncé snatched the song back off her. Sorry, Leona.
Also Read: Vote: What's The Best Irish Eurovision Entry Since The Last Time Ireland Won In 1996?