
Brass in Pocket
Honeyman-Scott's guitar lick came first, and Hynde told her producer he could release the thing over her dead body.

Honeyman-Scott's guitar lick came first, and Hynde told her producer he could release the thing over her dead body.

Nicknamed the BlackBerry Song because every line could be text-messaged, and Timbaland trades verses instead of just producing.

A darbuka drum, finger cymbals, and almost nothing else; the Neptunes' emptiest beat became Kelis's biggest hit.

Written for Rod Stewart, declined by Tina Turner, and parked at number one for ten weeks by Newton-John.

Liberty DeVitto hated reggae, so the demo's lilt became a shuffle; the radio bans only sold more copies.
Lenky Marsden's Diwali riddim is mostly handclaps and space, and Sean Paul rode it to three weeks at number one.

The Neptunes wrote it for Michael Jackson's Invincible; he passed, Timberlake took it, and the falsetto glides straight into disco.

Auto-Tune used as an instrument rather than a fix, T-Pain producing himself, Yung Joc riding a snap beat.

Four singers, one Rockwilder beat, and Missy Elliott turning a Labelle cover into 2001's best-selling single worldwide.
Recorded live with Henri René's orchestra in October 1953, and Kitt's purr makes every extravagant request land.

Rohan Fuller's Applause riddim, a Hot 100 number one, and dancehall running American radio through 2006.

Ghost Town DJ's 'My Boo' flipped by Mike Will Made It, Future co-writing, and Ciara singing barely above a whisper.

DR Period built it on the Commodores' "Easy," and Cam'ron and Juelz Santana rode it to number three.

Stargate's synth organ, Drake's first number one, and Rihanna turning a chorus of nonsense syllables into flirtation.

A new jack swing pivot from L.A. Reid and Babyface, and by Reid's account the vocal took one take.

Dre put music under Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's a cappella original, and Snoop made the story his.
One riff played idly in Jones's apartment, and Gramm making him stop and play it again.

Written as a rock song for Cyndi Lauper, then rebuilt with Patrick Leonard into Madonna's fifth American number one.

Scott Storch's synth strings borrow from Middle Eastern melody, and nine weeks at number one followed for 50 Cent.

Marti Sharron said the writers jumped around at the playback and named it for that; June Pointer does the rest.