20 hit songs artists almost cut from their albums

Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox of Eurythmics loved “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” but their label wasn’t quite as taken. Luckily for the band, a DJ got ahold of the track, which showed label executives that it was worth including on the album named after the song. 

Radiohead almost left “Creep” off their album Pablo Honey. Lead singer Thom Yorke wasn’t especially fond of the lyrics, and drummer Johnny Greenwood nearly tanked the recording on purpose. Despite it making its way to the album, the band still doesn’t seem to like it much, as they’ve declined to play it live many times. 

Marvin Gaye wanted to include “What’s Going On” on his album, but he had serious pushback from his label. Thanks to his prior success, he had leverage and won out. The song was used as the album’s title, and it went on to be one of Gaye’s most enduring hits. 

Imagine a world in which “Billie Jean” doesn’t exist. Such was almost the case as Quincy Jones didn’t want Michael Jackson to include it on Thriller. But Jackson saw it as a hit, and he was later vindicated when it went number one and won a Grammy. 

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of Queen’s most famous hits — if not the most famous. But Freddie Mercury and company almost left the song off A Night At The Opera for various reasons, including its length. But the six-minute song remained, and the rest is history. 

Small Faces did serious numbers with their song “Lazy Sunday” from their album Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake, but the band didn’t take it seriously at first. They recorded it almost in jest, but it turned out to be a hit. 

When “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan was presented to employees at his label, they were split in their opinions of the song. The marketing department was particularly uninterested in it, which nearly kept it from being on Highway 61 Revisited. Before its official release, Dylan had a DJ play it, and he proved crowds were into it. 

If you believe in something, advocate for it. Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins was told by a producer that “1979” wasn’t good enough to be on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, so he spent the night working on it and proved his naysayer wrong. 

Even musical geniuses like those who make up Nirvana have had doubts about their work. Nirvana almost cut “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from Nevermind because they worried it sounded too much like work from the band Pixies. 

Prince even gave the song “Kiss” away to another artist — the band that his bassist was in. But once he heard it again after producer David Rivkin got his hands on it, he took it back and included it on his album Parade. His bassist quit after the debacle. 

The only reason Gotye almost excluded “Somebody That I Used To Know” from his album Making Mirrors is because it took him so long to finish writing it. Clearly, he got the work done, and the song went on to be one of his biggest career hits in the United States. 

Who can accurately guess the whims of public consumption? Keith Richards didn’t believe “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was going to be well-liked. That, along with some other misgivings from the band, nearly kept The Rolling Stones from including it on Out of Our Heads.

Charli XCX was everywhere in the summer of 2024, which she deemed “Brat summer” in honor of her album. This was thanks in part to the song “Apple” and the massive dance trend it inspired on TikTok. But Charli revealed on social media that she nearly didn’t include the song on the album. 

Most of Guns N’ Roses wasn’t taken by “Sweet Child of Mine” upon first listen. Slash was particularly uninterested in it, but Axl Rose liked the sound and had lyrics for it quickly. The song ended up on Appetite for Destruction, and, well, you know what happened next. 

Thin Lizzy nearly left “The Boys Are Back In Town” off their album Jailbreak because there was only so much space available on the physical recording. But their team encouraged its inclusion, and the song has been used in dozens of commercials since. 

James Hetfield of Metallica wrote “Nothing Else Matters” as a coping mechanism, and he never intended for it to be published. But after his bandmate Lars Ulrich spoke with him, he let it be included on the band’s self-titled album. 

“Where the Streets Have No Name” drove U2 just a little bit crazy. It took a long time to finish it, and it was nearly left off the album The Joshua Tree. 

It’s hard to imagine that music execs were once worried about Taylor Swift’s transition from country to pop, but they were. They didn’t want her to include “Shake It Off” on her album 1989, but she fought for it, and she ended up with a No. 1 hit. 

John Mellencamp did not have an easy time finishing “Jack & Diane.” From pushback from his label about the song’s original content to struggles recording it, Mellencamp was ready to give up on it. But Mick Ronson helped him finish it and ended up on American Ford. 

Martha & the Vandellas’ song “Jimmy Mack” went through a lot before it was finally released. It was recorded about two years before finally being included on the album Watchout!, and about three years later, it was released as a single, ending up a top 10 hit on Billboard.