Not all hits are created equal, literally. Vh1 has come up with a list of hit songs that were written in just minutes. Some are going to surprise you (we’re looking at you Adele), and some not so much. Check out the list below:
1. Paranoid, Black Sabbath
- Bassist Geezer Butler claims it was thrown together merely as a “three-minute filler for the album.”
2. All Falls Down, Kanye West
- It’s a “re-imagining” of Lauryn Hill’s “Mystery of Iniquity” that he wrote in just under 15 minutes.
3. Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes
- Jack White wrote the riff during a sound-check before a show in Australia.
4. Sweet Child O’ Mine, Guns N’ Roses
- Slash says the riff came together in five minutes, and the rest of the song followed.
5. Yesterday, The Beatles
- Paul McCartney says he woke up one day with the song in his head, and immediately started working it out on the piano. He did spend a good amount of time writing the lyrics, though.
6. Royals, Lorde
- She wrote the song in a half-hour . . . at the age of 15.
7. Single Ladies, Beyoncé
- The-Dream produced it, and says it was completed in just 20 minutes.
8. Rock ‘N’ Roll, Led Zeppelin
- It was written in 15 minutes, after drummer John Bonham launched into the intro for Little Richard’s “Keep a Knockin.'”
9. Losing My Religion, R.E.M.
- The hook came from guitarist Peter Buck messing around while he was giving himself mandolin lessons.
10. What’d I Say, Ray Charles
- He came up with the groove while screwing around at the end of a late night set.
11. We Are Never Getting Back Together, Taylor Swift
- She recorded it in just 25 minutes, after whining to a friend about a break-up.
12. Cherry Pie, Warrant
- Columbia Records President Don Ienner approached lead singer Jani Lane, asking him to include a more radio/MTV-friendly rock hit. Lane put pent to paper and in under 15 minutes he had written the biggest song of his career. Unfortunately, he kind of hated it. “I hate that song. I had no intention of writing that song,” he told VH1 in a 2006 interview.
13. (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party), The Beastie Boys
- They’ve said they wrote the lyrics on a napkin in FIVE minutes.
14. Life on Mars?, David Bowie
- He says he wrote it in one afternoon.
15. Skyfall, Adele
- She wrote the lyrics in 10 minutes . . . and it won her a Grammy, a Golden Globe and an Oscar.
16. Loser, Beck
- It was written AND recorded in his producer’s kitchen, in less than six hours.
17. My Sharona, The Knack
- Guitarist Berton Averre had been kicking the riff around for years, but singer Doug Fiegerinsisted that the rest was written in under 15 minutes.
18. Under Pressure, Queen & David Bowie
- They supposedly wrote it in one night . . . although some say the classic bass line was added later.
19. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
- Keith Richards laid down the hook on a bedside tape recorder just before falling asleep.
20. Song 2, Blur
- They reportedly wrote it in 10 minutes.