5 Songs Written at the Last Minute That Became Huge Hits

Musicians can spend lots of time in writing sessions to get ready to record a new album. It’s easy to assume that they spend a lot of time crafting their songs. But some of the biggest hit songs have come at the 11th hour, when the album was nearly finished but producers, managers, and label executives decided something was missing.

“Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard

Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott was playing with some riffs as the band was finishing up recording Hysteria. One riff caught the attention of producer Mutt Lange, who had wanted more songs. He praised it as “the best chorus I’ve heard for five or ten years,” and it turned into “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” “It was the quickest song we did on the album and arguably was the most important,” Elliott said.

“Paranoid” by Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath’s iconic track “Paranoid” was “an afterthought,” according to bassist Geezer Butler. Tony Iommi has said it “was written as filler.” The band needed an additional three minutes of material for the album they were working on at the time, and producer Rodger Bain suggested something more “commercial.” The song came together fairly quickly and was recorded over just a few days.

“When Doves Cry” by Prince

During the creation of the semi-autobiographical film Purple Rain, director Albert Magnoli asked Prince for a song to fit a specific scene. He came back with two, one of which was “When Doves Cry,” inspired by his relationship with Susan Moonsie of Vanity 6. It was the last song recorded for the album and movie.

“Dancing In The Dark” by Bruce Springsteen

While Bruce Springsteen was close to finishing Born in the U.S.A., producer Jon Landau felt the album was still lacking a single. Springsteen wrote “Dancing In The Dark” as a response, making it the final song recorded for the album. Ironically, the song is about Springsteen’s struggles to write a hit single, and it ultimately became the biggest hit of his career.

“Harder To Breathe” by Maroon 5

Maroon 5 grew frustrated with their record label while working on their debut, Songs About Jane—the band felt they had enough songs, but the label wanted more. “That song comes sheerly from wanting to throw something,” frontman Adam Levine later told MTV. “It was the 11th hour, and the label wanted more songs. It was the last crack. I was just pissed.”