25 famous songs that took less than a day to write

Lady Gaga has previously confessed that she wrote “Just Dance” in the matter of ten minutes. Apparently, she was also hungover, which is just a testament to her natural songwriting abilities. They say the best writing happens when you’re drunk, but while nursing a hangover? Only Lady Gaga can pull that one off.

Allegedly, Black Sabbath wrote their hit “Paranoid” in about 20 minutes. In fact, they were attempting to rush a last-minute filler track for their album. The under-three-minute song, which was originally an afterthought, became one of their top songs. 

Bassist Duff McKagan allegedly told Hit Parader in 1988: “The thing about 'Sweet Child O' Mine,' it was written in five minutes. It was one of those songs, only three chords. You know that guitar lick Slash does at the beginning? It was kinda like a joke because we thought, 'What is this song? It's gonna be nothing, it'll be filler on the record.'” Well, similar to “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath, it became a massive hit and one of their most popular songs.

The-Dream once told Dazed that he wrote Rihanna’s hit song “Umbrella” in one session. He noted that the first recording was pretty much exactly as you hear it today, aside from a few changed words. The song went on to top the charts.

The entirety of “Royals” by Lorde, melody included, might not have been finished in a day, but Lorde apparently wrote all the lyrics in about thirty minutes, which is impressive in and of itself. She later refined the lyrics and finalized the song in the studio at a later date.

Previously, fans believed that Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” were written on the same day. However, in an interview, Parton clarified that they were likely written a few days apart. That being said, both songs must have been written within a day or two, which is remarkably fast when it comes to creating original music.

Christine McVie once revealed that she wrote “Songbird” in just about 30 minutes. In fact, she was basically gifted the entire song in her sleep, waking up with it completed in her mind. That’s more than just talent — it’s magic. She explained that she didn’t even finish sleeping through the night, for fear she would forget it by the morning. Instead, she waited until it was time to hit the studio with her producer in the early hours.

Sia once noted that she wrote the lyrics to “Chandelier” in about 15 minutes, while the chords only took around four minutes. That being said, the entire songwriting process took less than an hour. Originally, the massive hit was written for Rihanna or Beyoncé, but Sia eventually decided to release it herself, which garnered a great deal of attention. 

Ironically enough, “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen was written, well, under pressure. It was also written under the influence of alcohol and cocaine, which is likely how the artists created the song in such a short sprint. Bowie has even admitted that he doesn’t remember recording the song or the album as a whole. 

Allegedly, "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" — a monumental yet accidental hit by Beastie Boys — was written in one single day. Originally, the boys created the track as a parody of a partier’s lifestyle. However, that song gained them major traction in the industry. 

The music for R.E.M.’s infamous song “Losing My Religion” was written in about five minutes — an insanely quick process. Just as impressive, Michael Stipe wrote the lyrics to the track within an hour. All of it was completed in a total of about one day.

Allegedly, Taylor Swift wrote her popular hit “We Are Never Getting Back Together” in just one hour, created within a single day. As the story goes, a mutual friend of Swift and her ex walked into the studio when Swift and her producer were working, mentioning a rumor that she and her ex were getting back together. To which, Swift insisted they were NEVER getting back together (like, ever). And thus, the song was conceived within minutes.

Many reports claim that Adele wrote her first draft of “Skyfall” in about ten minutes. Of course, this only includes the original lyrics; the overall production takes much longer. Even so, you have to be a lyrical genius to pull that off.

Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin once revealed that the band wrote “Rock And Roll” while recording an entirely different song. They were messing around playing different riffs when, eventually, they decided to let the music flow away. Within minutes, they wrote “Rock and Roll,” and within an hour, they recorded it.

Noel Gallagher of Oasis wrote the band’s hit song and first-ever single, “Supersonic,” in one day. Apparently, the band had already recorded their entire first album, but couldn’t decide which track to release as a single. Once they heard “Supersonic,” they knew what they had to do.

Amy Winehouse wrote her infamous, beloved hit “Back to Black” in just a day. In fact, she drafted the lyrics the day after her producers provided her with a piano track. It only took her about three hours to get the words down and work them into the melody. 

Allegedly, Taylor Swift wrote her famous song “Love Story” in about 20 minutes. She once said she experienced a burst of inspiration while sitting on her bedroom floor and couldn’t stop the words from flowing out of her. Every writer understands this euphoric feeling.

Harry Styles and his co-writer Kid Harpoon (Thomas Hull) wrote his heartbreaking song “Falling” in about 20 minutes. The self-reflective, emotional ballad came together quite quickly. Styles admitted that he took inspiration from his experience of slipping (or “falling”) back into a low emotional point, where his sense of self was wavering.

John Lennon previously said that he wrote the song “Instant Karma” in under 24 hours. In fact, it was released within days of being written. It goes down as one of the fastest-released songs in history, with its entire turnaround spanning just 10 days.

Paul Weller of The Jam wrote the band’s hit song "That's Entertainment" in about 10 minutes. The best part? He was drunk in a taxi at the time. Allegedly, he found inspiration in both his physical environment and poetry, like any true artist would.

The core of The Rolling Stones’ hit song “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction” was written in about a day. In fact, Keith Richards said the riff to the track came to him in his sleep, and he recorded it in the middle of the night before returning to sleep. What’s more? Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics to the song while sitting by a pool in Clearwater, Florida, one day. 

Nick Jonas wrote the lyrics to the Jonas Brothers’ hit song “SOS” in the heat of the moment one night, fueled by his emotions. He once explained that he based the song on a personal experience after tagging along on a “friend hang” that he thought would be a one-on-one date. After bringing the lyrics to the studio and presenting them to his producer, he completed the rest of the song in just one day.

The Goo Goo Dolls' most infamous track, “Iris,” was originally written for the soundtrack of the film City of Angels. However, most fans don’t realize the band wrote the song in just one day. After watching an advance screening of the movie, John Rzeznik immediately poured his heart into the track, feeling inspired by the film.

Adele reportedly wrote her debut hit “Hometown Glory” in just under 10 minutes. Not to mention, she was only a teenager at the time. According to multiple reports, she allegedly took inspiration from an argument she had with her mother and hastily wrote the track.

David Bowie originally wrote the song “All The Young Dudes” for the band Mott the Hoople, who were rumored to be on the verge of a breakup. Writing quickly, he completed the song within an hour or two and offered it to the band, hoping to change their minds. They agreed to record it, and Bowie went on to produce their entire next album. The singer-songwriter eventually recorded it himself, too.