Fred's work as an artist is really a world away from the stuff he has had success with as a producer / behind the scenes figure (in a good way though, has been great to see him finally finding some success of his own in the last couple of years). It's really strange to think that some of the most unique and standout electronic hits of the last year come from the same guy who co-produced -checks notes- Ed Sheeran's 'I Don't Care'.

 

Didn't know he was involved with 'Shotgun' as well!

No 44- Drake (7)- 33 weeks

 

 

Chart Toppers:

 

• What’s My Name (2011)

• RIP (2012)

• One Dance (2016)

• God’s Plan (2018)

• Nice For What (2018)

• In My Feelings (2018)

• Toosie Slide (2020)

 

Undoubtedly one of the stars of the streaming era, Drake demonstrated remarkable staying power with “One Dance” alone sticking around for 15 weeks solid at No 1. His relationship with Rihanna helped keep him high profile and you can expect him to add to this tally as the years tick by.

 

No 43- Oscar Hammerstein (7)- 34 weeks

 

 

Chart toppers:

 

• Rose Marie (1955)

• No Other Love (1956)

• Climb Ev’ry Mountain (1961)

• You’ll Never Walk Alone (1963)

• Happy Talk (1982)

• The Club Is Alive (2010)

• 7 Things (2019)

 

Additional weeks from “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (1985 & 1996 & 2020)

 

Here’s the other half of Rogers and Hammerstein (Rodgers wrote the music with Hammerstein doing the lyrics). They met in 1920 but did not start formally working together until 1947 and quickly became a byword on Broadway for hit shows, he picked up Tony’s Oscar’s and a Grammy along the way and when he died the lights on Times Square were turned off for 1 minute.

 

No 42- Justin Bieber (7)- 37 weeks

 

 

Chart toppers:

 

• What Do You Mean? (2015)

• Sorry (2015)

• Love Yourself (2015)

• Cold Water (2016)

• I’m The One (2017)

• Despicito (2017)

• I Don’t Care (2019)

 

Another singer who wisely co-writes his own tracks which as we all know, is where the real money is. He’s come a long way from the youtube teen sensation to one of the most influential popstars of the 2010’s.

 

And now we move onto those writers with 8 chart toppers....

Those Fred Again... facts blew my mind! :o

No 41- David Guetta (8)- 9 weeks

 

 

Chart toppers:

 

• When Love Takes Over (2009)

• I Gotta Feeling (2009)

• Sexy Bitch (2009)

• Getting Over You (2010)

• Club Can’t Handle Me (2010)

• Titanium (2012)

• Lovers On The Sun (2014)

• I’m Good (Blue) (2022)

 

French DJ and remixer, Guetta was plugging away at being a hit maker for 7 years before he got a No 1 hit at 41 years old. He’s combined his first love of being a DJ with a pop career and held his appeal in both respects over the years.

 

No 40- Robbie Williams (8)- 10 weeks

 

 

Chart toppers:

 

• Sure (1994)

• Millennium (1998)

• It’s Only Us (1999)

• Rock DJ (2000)

• Eternity (2001)

• Road To Mandalay (2001)

• Radio (2004)

• Candy (2012)

 

I doubt anyone needs an introduction to this man, in Take That he only co-wrote 1 of their chart toppers but it was hooking up with Guy Chambers that brought the real money in. After they stopped working it kind of dried up and Williams had could only make the top again twice since 2001.

 

No 39- Claude Kelly (8)- 12 weeks

 

 

Chart Toppers:

 

• My Life Would Suck With You (2009)

• In My Head (2010)

• Please Don’t Let Me Go (2010)

• Grenade (2011)

• Price Tag (2011)

• Dance With Me Tonight (2011)

• Domino (2012)

• Troublemaker (2012)

 

 

Kelly started out as a session singer before getting introduced to RedOne and Akon and his star was in the ascendancy. Olly Murs and Jessie J provided him with the majority of his chart toppers but certainly for two years he was crash hot, he went on to become one of the vocal coaches on the US version of “X Factor”.

 

 

That's a great bunch of pop songs that Claude Kelly has been involved with!

 

I was expecting both Robbie and Guetta to be a little higher for some reason. I'm intrigued to see who else turns up in the top 40.

No 36- Ben Kohn, Tom Barnes & Peter Kelleher (8)- 15 weeks

 

 

Chart Toppers:

 

• Read All About It (2011)

• No Regrets (2011)

• Wings (2012)

• Changing (2014)

• Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself (2015)

• Someone You Loved (2019)

• Before You Go (2020)

• Forget Me (2022)

 

Otherwise known as production team TMS, they have been friends since school before beginning a career in music. They are currently the writers of choice for Lewis Capaldi.

 

No 35- Jorgen Elofsson (8)- 18 weeks

 

 

Chart Topper:

 

• If I Let You Go (1999)

• Fool Again (2000)

• My Love (2000)

• Evergreen (2002)

• Anyone Of Us (Stupid Mistake) (2002)

• Unbreakable (2002)

• That’s My Goal (2005)

• A Moment Like This (2006)

 

Another member of the famous “Cheiron” team who seems the writer of choice if you are Simon Cowell or Louis Walsh circa early 00s. He was a failed popstar himself before giving up trying to make it and turning his hand to songwriting. After joining the Cheiron team he wrote or rather co-wrote Britney’s “Sometimes” and “(You Drive Me) Crazy” before working on the first Westlife single, and subsequent X Factor winning tracks.

 

No 34- Michael Jackson (8)- 18 weeks

 

 

Chart toppers:

 

• Billie Jean (1983)

• We Are The World (1985)

• I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (1987)

• Do The Bartman (1991)

• Black Or White (1991)

• Earth Song (1995)

• Blood On The Dancefloor (1997)

• Feel It (1998)

 

The king of pop of course had a hand in most of his chart toppers and was the driving force behind USA for Africa. In sampled form he topped the charts in 1998 and years after it was a hit, “The Simpsons” creators admitted that it was in fact Jackson who co-wrote and provided backing vocals on “Do The Bartman” (though the co-writing credit was disputed by the other co-writer at a later date).

 

I hadn't heard of TMS before, never really paid much attention to who co-wrote with Lewis.

No 33- Sam Smith (8)- 19 weeks

 

 

Chart toppers:

 

• La La La (2013)

• Money On My Mind (2014)

• Stay With Me (2014)

• Lay Me Down (2015)

• Writing’s On The Wall (2015)

• Too Good At Goodbyes (2017)

• Promises (2018)

• Unholy (2022)

 

Love them or loathe them you can’t deny that they are one of the most prolific writers of chart toppers over the course of the last decade. Smith’s breakthrough came with Disclosure and then Naughty Boy which proved the perfect Launchpad for their solo career.

 

No 32- Cathy Dennis (8)- 20 weeks

 

 

Chart toppers:

 

• Never Had A Dream Come True (2000)

• Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (2001)

• Have You Ever (2001)

• Anything Is Possible (2002)

• Toxic (2004)

• About You Now (2007)

• I Kissed A Girl (2008)

• Once (2010)

 

No-one foresaw the 90s popstar Cathy Dennis would return as one of the most successful songwriters of the 2000s, but that’s just what happened. With her own Career of 5 top 20 singles over by 1997 she looked like yesterday’s popstar but having some of the 00s biggest hits it meant that she made far more money in the following decade.

 

No 31- Noel Gallagher (9)- 9 weeks

 

 

Chart toppers:

 

• Some Might Say (1995)

• Don’t Look Back In Anger (1996)

• Setting Sun (1996)

• D’You Know What I Mean? (1997)

• All Around The World (1998)

• Go Let It Out (2000)

• HinduTimes (2002)

• Lyla (2005)

• The Importance Of Being Idle (2005)

 

The principle songwriter of Oasis, Gallagher has the oddity for a songwriter of penning 9 UK chart toppers of which none have lasted more than a week there! Given he wrote most of the tracks on his own he does however much more kudos for it!

 

And with that we arrive at the top 30 which needs at least 9 chart toppers written!

Was wondering when we'd see Cathy and Noel, both feel like they should have been higher up the list!

No 30- George Michael (9)- 20 weeks

 

 

Chart toppers:

 

• Wake Me Up Before You Go Go (1984)

• Careless Whisper (1984)

• Freedom (1984)

• I’m Your Man (1985)

• A Different Corner (1986)

• Edge Of Heaven (1986)

• Jesus To A Child (1996)

• Fastlove (1996)

• Last Christmas (2020)

 

Always the songwriting force behind Wham! Michael formed a blueprint for the modern boyband member who wanted to go solo. Whilst he did like a fight with his record label, which kept him busy and out of the limelight for some of his best years, in truth he wasn’t the most productive writer which counts against him here. Still a good tally though.