- 4 months ago
Some of the biggest hits in music history were created in a flash of inspiration. 🎵✨
In this video, we count down the Top 20 songs that were written quickly—sometimes in just minutes or hours. From chart-topping anthems to timeless classics, these tracks prove that creativity doesn’t always take years to perfect.
📺 Discover which legendary artists turned quick writing sessions into unforgettable hits.
👉 Which song surprised you the most? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
In this video, we count down the Top 20 songs that were written quickly—sometimes in just minutes or hours. From chart-topping anthems to timeless classics, these tracks prove that creativity doesn’t always take years to perfect.
📺 Discover which legendary artists turned quick writing sessions into unforgettable hits.
👉 Which song surprised you the most? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
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🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for songs that were written
00:07or conceived and that the writers were able to finish at least a good chunk of in a relatively
00:14short amount of time.
00:21Number 20. Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden.
00:25We've all had the experience of getting a song stuck in our heads, but most of us probably
00:31have never had the experience of writing a song in our heads.
00:39Then again, most of us aren't Chris Cornell.
00:41Cornell, Soundgarden's frontman at the time, was driving home from the studio when he pretty
00:46much conceived of the whole musical arrangement for the track.
00:50"'Black Hole Sun, won't you come?'
00:54Funnily enough, the genesis of it was based on a TV anchor saying what he misheard as
01:00"'Black Hole Sun.'
01:01"'Wash me the rain.'"
01:05Then the track was put down and the lyrics flowed out of him just the next day.
01:09According to Cornell, the grunge tune was penned in about 15 minutes.
01:13Number 19.
01:22She-Wolf
01:22Shakira.
01:24With its minimal fabric and lack of a full leg and arm, we could easily believe that the
01:30black outfit Shakira wears in the She-Wolf video was made in about 10 minutes.
01:34We're joking, of course, but while we have no information to support that theory, we do
01:48know that the song itself came together in that short amount of time.
01:51There's how she was in the closet
01:55Shakira has spoken out about being in a bad mood when inspiration hit.
02:00Next thing she knew, she was in the corner of the studio writing the words in Melody.
02:04Ten minutes later, what we'd come to know as She-Wolf was pretty much all there.
02:12Let it out so it can be
02:16Number 18.
02:19Damn It
02:20Blink-182
02:22We know some of the best songs of all time come from writing about breakups and heartache.
02:26It's alright to tell me what you think about me
02:30And there's no denying that Damn It by Blink-182 is an epic creation.
02:34And it's happened once again
02:37I'll turn to a friend
02:39Someone that understands
02:41But funnily enough, bassist Mark Hoppus actually wasn't dealing with the fresh sadness of a relationship
02:47ending when he wrote it.
02:48Indeed, Hoppus was reportedly simply chilling and noodling on a guitar when he came up with the music
02:54and the lyrics for this fictional breakup song.
02:57But everybody's gone
02:59And you've been there for too long
03:01Apparently, an idea struck, and it struck hard and fast.
03:04We're not exaggerating.
03:06It apparently necessitated only 10 minutes of his time.
03:09Well, I guess you're still growing up
03:12One fateful day, singer, songwriter, and record producer Terrius the Dream Nash walked into a recording studio to make a song for Beyonce's next album.
03:37When he walked in, he had no idea what he was going to do. About 17 minutes later, he essentially had single ladies put a ring on it.
03:45If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
03:47If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
03:50Well, actually, he wrote something else first. We don't know what it was. But then, in just 17 minutes, he penned one of the most iconic songs of the decade.
03:59Some further work and Queen Bey's delivery would produce the tune that's been dubbed an anthem for single ladies everywhere.
04:08If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
04:11Oh, oh, oh
04:12Number 16. Born This Way
04:16Lady Gaga
04:17Lady Gaga wanted her own This Is Who I Am record. She definitely got it with Born This Way.
04:23My mama told me when I was young We're all one superstars
04:30In fact, the title track of her sophomore album has become an empowering This Is Who I Am song for a whole lot of people.
04:37It helped everyone, from the kids on Glee to Gaga's fans the world over, feel seen.
04:42Give yourself prudence and love your friends Subway can rejoice with truth
04:48And to think the star wrote it in less than it's probably taking you to watch this video.
04:52How beautiful in my way, cause God makes no mistakes
04:56As she put it, the creation of the song was like an immaculate conception. A conception that only took about 10 minutes. Talk about an epic and speedy birth.
05:05I'm on the running track, baby, I was born this way
05:09Number 15. American Woman
05:12The Guess Who
05:14Normally at concerts, bands play songs that they've already written. However, in 1969, the Guess Who did something a little different, but not on purpose.
05:24American woman
05:26Stay away from me
05:29American woman
05:31During a show in Ontario, the band was taking a break so Randy Bachman could change a broken string on his guitar.
05:38I got more important things to do
05:40To spend my time growing old with you
05:43Well, in the course of trying to tune the instrument, Bachman started riffing a tune that caught everyone's attention.
05:48He just kept playing it while the rest of the band took the stage and joined in.
05:52Don't put my hanging around my door
05:54Don't wanna see your face no more
05:57Needing some lyrics, and having recently had the American government try to draft them, Burton Cummings improvised
06:03American woman
06:04Stay away from me
06:05Goodbye, American woman
06:08Number 14. Supersonic
06:11Oasis
06:12One day, while the rest of the band was taking a break and enjoying some takeout, Noel Gallagher stayed back to perfect his guitar riff and write some lyrics.
06:20I need to be myself
06:23The story goes that within half an hour, he walked back over to everyone and played what we know as Supersonic.
06:29Right with you in your BMW
06:34From there, Oasis went into the studio to record the hit, and by the end of the day, they had a completed track.
06:39You need to be yourself
06:42You can't be no one else
06:47While their work on that occasion was meant to be a demo, it was never changed. The version you hear on the album is the same one they recorded, That Fateful Day.
06:56Nobody could ever hear him call
07:00Number 13. Chandelier
07:03Sia
07:04Sia is no stranger to writing songs quickly
07:07Party girls
07:08Don't get hurt
07:09Can't feel anything
07:10When will I learn
07:12In 2012, she was given the music too and wrote the lyrics for Rihanna's Diamonds in just 14 minutes. But there's more. It turns out the lyrics for her 2014 hit Chandelier sprang onto the page just about as quickly.
07:26As she told NPR, Chandelier took like four minutes to write the chords, then like 12 to 15 minutes to write the lyrics. Probably 10 or 15 minutes to cut the vocals.
07:39That's not a whole lot of time to create a bonafide hit.
07:45That's not a whole lot of time to create a bona fide hit.
07:56Interestingly, Sia originally penned the tune with either Rihanna or Beyonce in mind, but
08:00as we know, it ended up in her own hands.
08:03Oh, I'm just holding on for tonight, on for tonight, on for tonight.
08:10Number 12.
08:11Free Fallen, Tom Petty.
08:13Like the great Irving Berlin, Tom Petty didn't need professional training to develop a knack
08:19for songwriting.
08:20Take Free Fallen, one of the Heartbreaker's biggest hits.
08:23She's a good girl, loves her mama.
08:29Petty came up with the song spontaneously while jamming with fellow musician Jeff Lin.
08:34Though Lin's initial response seemed playful, he offered notes that quickly tightened up
08:38the chord structure and encouraged Petty to lift the chorus to higher octaves.
08:42There's a free way, running through the arms.
08:48The words spilled out as if the track had already been written, and both men immediately knew
08:53it was a hit.
08:54Yeah, I'm free!
08:56Similarly, Petty would later compose Wildflowers in mere minutes.
09:01That one materialized so easily that he was actually concerned there was something not
09:05right going on.
09:06We fallin'
09:08Number 11.
09:10Crazy Little Thing Called Love
09:12Queen.
09:13Freddie Mercury was a great singer, an excellent songwriter, but just an average guitar player.
09:19Indeed, he didn't know more than a few chords.
09:28However, that and roughly five to ten minutes were all he needed to pen one of Queen's catchiest
09:34tunes.
09:35Mercury actually talked about how his limited proficiency on the instrument helped him write
09:41Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
09:42He said, in one way, it was quite a good thing because I was restricted.
09:47I couldn't work through too many chords, and because of that restriction, I wrote a good
09:52song, I think.
09:53We think so, too.
09:54Number 10.
10:07Royals.
10:08Lorde.
10:09I've never seen a diamond in the flesh.
10:15This hard-hitting pop number blasted onto our radio waves and owned the summer of 2013,
10:21allowing the young New Zealand artist Lorde to take the music industry by storm.
10:31The lyrics were written by the young star in only half an hour, and offer a criticism
10:36of the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
10:45This chart-topper later went on to receive widespread acclaim, as well as Grammy Awards
10:49for Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year.
10:52And baby, oh, oh, oh, let me live that fantasy.
11:00Number 9.
11:01Paranoid.
11:02Black Sabbath.
11:03Being the title track of one of Black Sabbath's most popular albums might make you think it was
11:15written by the Devil himself and sent to the band via a bolt of lightning.
11:19Think I lose my mind if I don't find something to find.
11:25Although it may have been that easy to write this influential metal classic, this legendary
11:29single was actually an afterthought for the rest of the album, and was rushed together in
11:34order to be a filler song for it.
11:36Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I will cry.
11:42Call it fate or sheer dumb luck, but one thing is for sure, this song rocks.
11:47Tell him to enjoy life, I wish I could burn too late.
11:53Number 8.
11:54All the Young Dudes.
11:56Mott the Hoople.
11:57In the early 70s, Mott the Hoople was ready to split due to the lack of success.
12:03Television man is crazy, sent with juvenile delinquent wrecks.
12:09This 1972 hit came from none other than David Bowie, who penned the track on the spot for
12:14the band after hearing of the group's potential disbanding.
12:17Hey!
12:18News!
12:19Carry the news!
12:21Where are ya?
12:22The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame considers it one of the songs that shaped, well, rock and
12:27roll.
12:28I drunk a lot of wine and I'm feeling fine, gotta raise some cap to bed.
12:33David Bowie would later record a cover of the song only months later.
12:36In other words, it's a glam rock classic, and Mott the Hoople would go on to have a successful
12:42career, all thanks to Bowie's penmanship.
12:44I've wanted to do this for years.
12:47There you go!
12:50Number 7 Sweet Child O' Mine Guns N' Roses
12:55Slash may have called it practicing, but the rest of the band called it a hit in the making.
13:04The opening riff of this 1988 classic started as Slash's string-skipping exercise, which
13:10the rest of the group saw an opportunity to write a killer hard rock tune.
13:14And if I stare too long, I'd probably break down and cry.
13:20Within an hour of the band hearing Slash's signature riff, they had the rest of the instrumentation
13:25down and by the next afternoon, the song had lyrics.
13:29Where do we go?
13:30Where do we go now?
13:32The track was obviously refined in the studio, however, it was initially ready to go in only
13:38an hour, which is extremely impressive by our standards.
13:43Number 6 I Can't Get No Satisfaction
13:48The Rolling Stones
13:50Who says divine inspiration is a myth?
13:52Certainly not us after hearing the story behind this tune.
13:56I can't get no satisfaction
14:02Indeed, Keith Richards states the epic riff of this 1965 rock song came to him in a
14:07dream.
14:08Waking up in the middle of the night, he grabbed his bedside guitar and a tape recorder and
14:20played what he heard, followed by what he described as 40 minutes of snoring.
14:26After showing the riff to Mick Jagger, he laid down the lyrics in only 10 minutes.
14:30Cause I tried, and I tried, and I tried, and I tried.
14:35The rest, as they say, was rock and roll history.
14:39Number 5 Loser
14:42Beck
14:43From the jangly guitar to the addictive chorus and the laid-back attitude, this one gets
14:48stuck in our heads from the first notes.
14:51Beck, a rising artist, was self-conscious about the song, hence the melancholy chorus and monotone
15:03vocals.
15:04Although Beck had the idea for the tune for years, it wasn't until he sat down in record
15:14producer Carl Stevenson's kitchen that it came to life.
15:17In just over 6 hours, no less.
15:25And with the result hitting number 1 on the modern rock tracks chart, who's the loser now?
15:30I'm a loser, baby.
15:33Number 4 You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party
15:37The Beastie Boys
15:39A parody of the party lifestyle, Fight For Your Right is often misinterpreted and taken too
15:44seriously by most listeners.
15:50We couldn't care less, seeing it as one hell of a tune.
15:56According to the band, they penned the lyrics on napkins in just five minutes along with
16:01the help of producer Rick Rubin and friend Tom Cushman.
16:11The end product would create a music video so good, it needed a star-studded sequel 15
16:16years later.
16:17Number 3
16:18Night Moves
16:20Bob Seger
16:21I was a little too tall, coulda used a few pounds, tight pants points hollering down.
16:28Reliving youth and the joys of young love can be as tragic as it is exhilarating.
16:33And Seger's majestic look back at his first romance is one hell of a trip down memory lane.
16:39Working on mysteries without any clues
16:42While at a recording session in Toronto, on the last day before he had to leave, Seger
16:47composed and recorded Night Moves.
16:49Working on the Night Moves
16:52Seger's sax player had already headed home, so to finish the song, he quickly brought in
16:57some local musicians to enhance the track.
17:00To say they hit the nail on the head would be a massive understatement.
17:05Number 2
17:07Under Pressure
17:09Queen and David Bowie
17:11How many stories do you know that start with the words, while Queen and David Bowie were
17:23jamming in Switzerland?
17:24Funnily enough, that's just how Under Pressure came to be.
17:32Yes, you heard us right.
17:34While the song is credited equally between the four band members and Bowie, Freddie Mercury
17:39is known to have composed most of the music, with Bowie taking most of the lyrical credit.
17:44Can we give ourselves one more chance?
17:48Why can't we give love that one more chance?
17:52Interestingly, Mercury's scat singing is actually a leftover result of the musicians
17:57improvising in the song's early imaginings.
18:00Under Pressure
18:05Pressure
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18:19Number 1
18:23What I Say
18:25Ray Charles
18:27Not only does this two-part song mark Ray Charles' break into mainstream pop, but it's also just about as groovy
18:33as groovy as groovy can be.
18:35And it was written in just one evening.
18:37Mama don't you treat me wrong
18:39Come and love you daddy all night long
18:42All right now
18:43After racking hit after hit of rhythm and blues tracks, Charles composed this track accidentally
18:49while improvising to fill the time before a live audience.
18:52See the girl with the diamond ring
18:55She knows how to shake that thing
18:58All right now
18:59The result speaks for itself.
19:01For one thing, what I say made it onto Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
19:07Tell your mama, tell your pa, I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas.
19:12As if that wasn't enough, it's also credited as being one of the first soul tunes ever recorded.
19:18Which of these quickly written tunes is your favorite?
19:26Let us know in the comments.
19:28All I wanna do is find a way back into love
19:35Did you enjoy this video?
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