The Rock Gods Behind The Curtains

The Rock Gods Behind The Curtains

You’ve been blasting these tracks since high school.  Screaming the lyrics on road trips, in bars and maybe even in the shower.  What if we told you some of your favorite rock anthems weren’t even written by the artists singing them?   Welcome to the shadowy world of rock’s secret songwriters.  Where Legends write hits for other Legends.

Let’s kick things off with Dave Grohl.  Everyone knows him as Nirvana’s drummer and the leader of Foo Fighters, but this guy’s fingerprints are everywhere.  He’s lent his writing chops to Queens of the Stone Age, Killing Joke and even co-wrote with Lemmy from Motörhead.  Grohl’s like the rock version of a Swiss Army knife:  loud, reliable, and always sharp.

Prince, wasn’t just a purple-clad pop wizard.  He quietly handed Stevie Nicks the keyboard riff and vibe for “Stand Back,” one of her biggest solo hits.  She literally called him from the studio, he laid down the part and boom, rock history.  

And then, there’s Linda Perry from 4 Non Blondes.  Remember “What’s Up?”   What you don’t know is that she basically rebuilt Pink’s early career and helped Courtney Love drop some of her grittiest solo tracks.  That raw, punch-you-in-the-gut emotion?  That’s all Perry behind the curtain, pulling the strings like a rock n’ roll puppet master.

Trent Reznor, Mr. Industrial Angst himself, has had his dark hands in more than just Nine Inch Nails.  He co-wrote and produced for Marilyn Manson.  No wonder it all sounded like a haunted factory in hell.

And don’t sleep on Butch Walker.  This guy was behind hits for Fall Out Boy, Avril Lavigne and even worked with Weezer.  He’s like rock’s best-kept secret weapon.

So next time you crank up that killer riff, pause for a second.  The voice might be familiar, but the genius behind the song?  That might just be another rock god you didn’t expect.

Rock may never die, but apparently, it loves a good ghostwriter.