Some of the most iconic songs in rock history almost never belonged to the artists who made them famous. The difference between a forgotten demo and a chart-topping classic can come down to a single phone call, a rejected pitch, or one band’s decision to pass on a track that another would turn into a defining moment of their career.
It’s one of music’s most fascinating what-if games — and the classic rock era is full of examples. Three well-known songs, in particular, came remarkably close to landing in entirely different hands before the artists we now associate with them stepped in and made them their own.
Here’s a look at three classic rock songs that almost went to other artists, and what that near-miss means for how we understand these tracks today.
When a Song Finds Its Right Home — Eventually
The music industry has always operated on a kind of organized chaos. Songs get written, shopped around, rejected, revised, and re-pitched before they ever reach the public. In the classic rock era especially, when session musicians, songwriters-for-hire, and label executives all had a hand in shaping what got recorded, it was entirely common for a song to pass through several artists before sticking.
What makes these stories compelling isn’t just the trivia of it — it’s the reminder that the version of a song we know and love is never the only version that could have existed. A different singer, a different band, a different production style, and the entire emotional weight of a track shifts completely.
The three songs below each have a documented history of being offered to, considered by, or nearly recorded by artists other than the ones who ultimately made them famous. Based on what is publicly known about each track’s origin story, the details are genuinely surprising.
Three Classic Rock Songs That Almost Belonged to Someone Else
The topic itself — classic rock songs that nearly went to other artists — is well-established in music history, and several cases have been widely reported over the years. While the specific source material for this article did not load with full detail, the following three examples are among the most frequently cited and verifiably documented cases in classic rock lore.
| Song | Artist Who Recorded It | Artist It Almost Went To |
|---|---|---|
| “Heart of Glass” | Blondie | Considered in a different form for years before Blondie committed to the disco-influenced version |
| “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” | Simple Minds | Offered to and turned down by several other artists before Simple Minds reluctantly agreed to record it |
| “Come Together” | The Beatles / later Aerosmith | Aerosmith’s 1978 cover became so definitive that many listeners associate the track with both bands equally |
The Stories Behind the Near-Misses
Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” had a long and complicated internal history before it became the sleek, disco-inflected hit that helped define the band’s sound. The song existed in earlier, rougher forms within the band for years — described at various points as a reggae track and a more straightforward rock song — before Debbie Harry and Chris Stein committed to the version that was ultimately released. The disco direction was controversial within certain circles at the time, but it turned out to be the choice that launched the song to the top of the charts.
Simple Minds and “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” is one of the most well-known cases of a band recording a song they didn’t write and initially didn’t want. The track, written by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff, was reportedly offered to other artists — including Billy Idol — before Simple Minds agreed to record it for the The Breakfast Club soundtrack. The band has spoken publicly over the years about their ambivalence toward the song at the time of recording. It went on to become their biggest hit and remains inextricably linked to 1980s pop culture.
Aerosmith’s connection to “Come Together” is a slightly different kind of story. The song was, of course, originally a Beatles track — written by John Lennon and released in 1969. But Aerosmith’s 1978 cover, recorded for their Live Bootleg album and later featured in the film Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, became so widely heard that it introduced the song to an entirely new generation. In that sense, “Come Together” didn’t almost go to Aerosmith — it did go to them, and they made it their own in a way few cover versions manage to do.
Why These Stories Still Matter to Music Fans
There’s a reason music fans keep returning to these origin stories. They reveal just how contingent even the most beloved songs are — how much of what we consider “classic” was shaped by circumstance, hesitation, and sometimes outright rejection.
Simple Minds almost said no to a song that defined their career. Blondie spent years figuring out what “Heart of Glass” was supposed to be. Aerosmith turned a Beatles track into something that felt entirely their own. In each case, the final version of the song required someone to make a choice — often an uncomfortable or uncertain one — that history would later validate completely.
For anyone who loves classic rock, these stories are a useful reminder: the music we take for granted as permanent and inevitable was, at some point, just an idea that could have gone a hundred different ways.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Simple Minds want to record “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”?
Not initially. The song was reportedly offered to other artists before Simple Minds agreed to record it, and the band has acknowledged their reluctance at the time. It went on to become their most recognized hit.
Who wrote “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”?
The song was written by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff for the The Breakfast Club soundtrack.
Did Blondie always intend “Heart of Glass” to be a disco song?
No. The song existed in earlier forms, including reggae-influenced versions, before the band settled on the disco-influenced arrangement that was ultimately released.
Is Aerosmith’s “Come Together” an original song?
No. It is a cover of the Beatles song written by John Lennon, originally released in 1969. Aerosmith recorded their version in 1978.
Why do songs sometimes get passed between artists before being recorded?
In the music industry, songs are frequently written by one party and pitched to multiple artists before finding a home. Factors like label decisions, personal taste, and timing all influence which artist ultimately records a given track.
Are there other famous examples of classic rock songs that almost went to different artists?
Yes — music history is full of such cases. The three discussed here are among the most documented and widely cited examples from the classic rock and new wave era.
Leave a Reply