Some of the most iconic GRAMMY-winning songs almost never came to be — or at least not with the musicians who made them famous.
It's common for songwriters and producers to shop a track around; occasionally, a now-canonical hit will have received multiple "nos" before landing in the hands of a hit-making musician. But when these songs eventually find their rightful home, magic happens. From Tina Turner's career-reviving smash "What's Love Got to Do With It" and Rihanna's iconic "Umbrella," to Pharrell Williams' infectious anthem "Happy," each song proves that one artist's "leftover" can become another's career milestone.
It's a little reminiscent of finding love in a hopeless place — or at least a hit in a hopeless pile of demos. And in the end, as these GRAMMY wins attest, the right artist always knew what to do with the song, and that sometimes, a rejection is just fate wearing a clever disguise.
"What's Love Got To Do With It"
Tina Turner - Private Dancer, 1984
If you've ever found yourself belting out the chorus of "What's Love Got to Do With It," thank a lucky twist of fate that the song found its way to Tina Turner.
In the early 1980s, Turner had seen quite a few personal and professional lows. She ended her relationship and professional partnership with the abusive Ike Turner, and her solo career was stuck in limbo. For about a decade, she was performing on TV variety shows and in Vegas lounges as her career stagnated.
Fortunately for Turner, her manager convinced her to record a demo of the song "What's Love Got to Do With It." (In her autobiography, Turner recalled having "no desire to sing it.")
The song wasn't written with Turner in mind. It had been offered and rejected by artists including Phyllis Hyman and Cliff Richard, as well as the British pop group Bucks Fizz, who even recorded a demo before passing on it. "What's Love Got To Do With It" was meant to be a light pop song, but with Turner's grit, soulful emotion, and edge, it sounded unmistakably and uniquely hers.
Upon its release, it soared to the No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the first and only chart-topper for Turner. The song also earned Turner two GRAMMY Awards at the 1985 Ceremony: one for Record Of The Year and another for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. Private Dancer was nominated for Album Of The Year.
"I Will Always Love You"
Whitney Houston - The Bodyguard OST, 1992
When country superstar and singer/songwriter Dolly Parton realized she wouldn't hear Elvis Presleysing her 1973 song "I Will Always Love You," she "cried all night." Elvis loved the song and genuinely wanted to record it, but Parton couldn't part with it when Elvis' manager famously demanded half of the publishing rights as a condition.
Parton reportedly agonized over the decision but ultimately decided that even though it "broke her heart," she refused the King. Two decades later, Parton's business decision paid off when Whitney Houston requested the track and sang "I Will Always Love You" in the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
Houston's powerhouse vocals in the film helped the song become one of the decade's best-selling singles, and won multiple golden gramophones at the 1994 GRAMMYs, including Record Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. The Bodyguard took home Album Of The Year.
Parton made well over $10 million in royalties from the song in the 1990s alone. With Houston in mind, Parton used part of these royalties to support a Black neighborhood in Nashville.
"Toxic"
Britney Spears - In the Zone, 2003
Before the career-defining "Toxic" became a hit for Britney Spears, it was passed over by two other pop divas. Cathy Dennis co-wrote the song with Janet Jackson in mind, and at one point, it was even offered to Kylie Minogue. Reportedly, Minouge flat-out passed on it, saying: "I don’t know if I want a song called 'Toxic.'"
However, Spears quickly snatched it up, excited by how different the song sounded. Spears recorded the track in Sweden and Los Angeles, and fought to have it featured on her album InThe Zone, according to producer Tricky Stewart. The gamble paid off spectacularly; "Toxic" was released in 2003 and has since become one of the most memorable songs of the 2000s.
The song topped charts worldwide and won Spears her first-ever GRAMMY for Best Dance Recording at the 2005 Ceremony.
"Umbrella"
Rihanna feat. Jay-Z – Good Girl Gone Bad, 2007
There's no denying that the song "Umbrella" was Rihanna's breakout megahit. So many listeners downloaded the song that iTunes crashed, according to Vice. But before Rihanna approached Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart at the 2007 GRAMMYs, declaring "that's my f—in' record," it was shopped around quite a bit.
The duo originally penned the catchy "ella, ella" hook with God and Brittney Spears in mind, but Spears' team shot down the song before the star even had a chance to hear it.
It was then sent to Mary J. Blige, but scheduling conflicts around the GRAMMY Awards prevented the singer from listening to it. Blige's team bid on the song, but they couldn't finalize the deal until she signed off on it.
Enter Rihanna, who was hungry for a career-defining hit. After approaching the Dream and Tricky, the star's intuition paid off because upon release, "Umbrella" dominated global charts and became the song of the summer in 2007. It also earned Rihanna her first GRAMMY Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
"Happy"
Pharrell Williams – Despicable Me 2 OST/G I R L, 2013
In 2012, Pharrell Williams wrote the joyful song "Happy" for CeeLo Green, feeling confident the sunny tune would be perfect for CeeLo's soulful voice. Per a Rolling Stone interview, CeeLo went on to record a version of the song, and it was reportedly outstanding. Yet his label put the brakes on its release in favor of an upcoming holiday record, per Rolling Stone.
The song was returned to Williams, who decided to record it himself. At the 2015 GRAMMYs, he won Best Pop Solo Performance, and his innovative 24-hour music video won Best Music Video. These awards came as no surprise, considering the infectiously upbeat song became a worldwide phenomenon in 2014, spending 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100.