10 Classic Rock Songs That Were Written For Someone Else

Not everyone who tries to make it in the industry is looking to get famous around the world. There's a fine line between being famous and being successful, and they end up being two very different lifestyles for anyone who tries to toe that line. After Gregg Alexander ran away from fame after breaking up The New Radicals, he actually had an impressive second life as a songwriter behind the scenes.

In his early demos of New Radicals songs, Alexander really struck gold with the Game of Love, with a knockout chorus that feels reminiscent of the kind of '70s pop that remains classic to this day. By the time that the tour commitments ended though, Gregg ended the project, not wanting to put up with the constant rollercoaster of being in a successful rock band. Somewhere in the back of his mind though, he must have thought that this song was too good to be put out to die.

Around the same time that Gregg decided to get out of the business of rock and roll, Santana was getting a second wind of his own with duets, having already had a monster hit with Smooth featuring Rob Thomas. Bringing in Michelle Branch, Gregg actually managed to give the Game of Love the fate it deserved, replacing his trademark squawky voice with Branch's pipes and letting Santana's guitar soar above it all. Compared to the songwriters who just disappear into obscurity, this oddly feels like Gregg just passing over his fame to someone else.