The old saying about one person's trash being another person's treasure is doubly true in the music world, as plenty of smash hit songs were once passed over by big-name artists.
But don't feel too sorry for the stars on this list: It's unlikely they spend a lot of time moping around about what might have been.
Check out which stars passed up great songs >
Britney Spears Turned Down 'Umbrella'...
When one Googles "Britney umbrella," some unfortunate paparazzi shots of a bald pop princess show up. But things could have been different. Terius "The Dream" Nash explained Rihanna's critical and commercial triumph "Umbrella" was written with Britney Spears in mind, but the demo never got to her (this was, of course, around the time of the head-shaving incident).
... and Lady Gaga hit 'Telephone'
The anti-clingy boyfriend anthem "Telephone" was originally written for Britney Spears. Though Spears recorded a heavily autotuned demo of the song, she eventually passed, paving the way for songwriter Lady Gaga's collaboration with Beyonce Knowles. Gaga has since admitted, "I hate ‘Telephone’. Is that terrible to say? It’s the song I have the most difficult time listening to."
Rihanna Passed on 'We Can't Stop'
Mike Will Made It penned Miley Cyrus' single "We Can't Stop" with another pop princess in mind: Rihanna. But Rihanna ended up recording "Pour It Up" instead, so Miley took the song and made it her own. No word on whether the drug references ("lines in the bathroom,""dancing with Molly") were in the original lyrics.
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