Songwriting

9 Of The Most Famous Collaborations In Music History

by Clay Mills
Oct 1, 2016

Recently, I’ve read a lot of articles and social media posts about songs that have multiple songwriters. Asserting that co-writing creates bad art.  Seemingly ignoring some of the most famous collaborations throught histroy. What journalist and headline seeking trash-talkers don’t understand is music by nature is a collaborative art … Has nothing to do with quality or talent level or lack there of.

Can you imagine music history without these famous collaborations?

Lennon and McCartney,
John and Taupin,
Bacharach and Sager,
Richards and Jagger,
Gamble and Huff,
Gerry Goffin and Carole King,
Isaac Hayes and David Porter,
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller,
Max Martin and the many artists he’s worked with,
and the list goes on for miles and miles.

Just as guitarists, drummers, and singers want to be part of a band, many songwriters like to collaborate.

The truth is, the vast majority of important music in history was co-written. And mastering the art of co-writing is one of the most important skills a songwriter can have in today’s musical landscape.

No. not every great song is a collaboration, nor am i saying they should be. In music and life, it takes all kinds of kinds. The point it, music is beautifully created owned by people who make it and change the world with it- not journalist or frustrated listeners.

Write on! ~CM

Clay Mills

Clay Mills

Clay Mills is a 16-time ASCAP hit songwriter, producer, and performer. He is the co-founder of SongTown and has 2 Grammy nominations for “Beautiful Mess” by Diamond Rio and “Heaven Heartache” by Trisha Yearwood. Clay is also the co-author of Mastering Melody Writing and The Songwriter’s Guide To Mastering Co-writing.

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