Classic Rock

7 Hit Songs You Didn't Know Were Written by The Beatles

What Happened

Throughout their careers, John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote dozens of songs for other artists, many of which became major hits without most listeners knowing their true origins. These songs, credited to the famous Lennon-McCartney partnership, helped launch careers and topped charts around the world.

The seven most surprising hits include:

‘Fame’ by David Bowie (1975) - Lennon co-wrote this funk-driven track and played guitar and vocals on it. The song became Bowie’s first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

6 Famous Songs with Secret Meanings That Sparked Wild Theories

What These Songs Really Mean

Music has always been a vehicle for artists to express more than what meets the ear. While some songs wear their messages on their sleeves, others bury deeper meanings in metaphor, symbolism, and coded language that only reveal themselves to careful listeners - or sometimes, not even then.

The six songs highlighted by Mental Floss represent a fascinating cross-section of how artists from different eras used their platforms to communicate complex ideas. “Stairway to Heaven,” often cited as one of rock’s greatest achievements, contains layers of spiritual and philosophical meaning that Robert Plant and Jimmy Page wove through mystical imagery. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” tells what many believe to be a deeply personal story through its operatic structure, while other tracks from artists like David Bowie and Pink Floyd embedded social commentary within their experimental sounds.