Rejected Songs That Became Hits: Madonna, Rihanna and More

Sometimes a singer says no to a song, and another singer turns it into a huge hit.

This article tells the stories of famous songs that were rejected before they became classics.

The Beatles wrote Misery for a young singer named Helen Shapiro, but her record label passed on it.

Holiday was played for Mary Wilson before Madonna made it her first international top 10 hit.

...Baby One More Time was turned down by TLC and Robyn before Britney Spears recorded it.

Umbrella was offered to Britney Spears and then Mary J. Blige, but Rihanna insisted the song was hers, and it topped charts worldwide.

The Beach Boys kept Don't Worry Baby after producer Phil Spector rejected it, and it became one of their most loved songs.

Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out of My Head was first offered to S Club 7, whose manager passed on it.

Golden Years was written for Elvis Presley, but he passed, and David Bowie recorded it instead.

So a song one artist turns down can still become a world-famous favourite for someone else.