Top 10 Songs You Didn't Know Were Written by Charlie Puth

This was the second single released off of Ava Max’s 2020 album, “Heaven & Hell.” The song performed well, and features lyrics all about being true to who you are, loving yourself and embracing your differences. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and we think the same could be said for creating this song. It features no fewer than seven co-writers, including Max herself and Charlie Puth. This wasn’t the only time Puth lent his talents to the album either. He also helped co-write another impressive track called “Tattoo.”

Charlie Puth didn’t release his first full-length studio album until 2016. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t getting to work making amazing music for years prior to that. The star put out two extended plays as an independent artist, and another after signing with a major label. Of course, he was also busy writing for, and with, other artists. Among the people he worked with was CeeLo Green. Puth co-wrote the track “Working Class Heroes (Work)” for Green’s fifth solo album, “Heart Blanche,” which was released in 2015. He also co-produced the track along with Green and a few other folks, really putting his stamp on it.

Puth pulled double duty again here, with credits as both a co-writer and co-producer on this Trey Songz track. The slow R&B groove definitely sets a sultry mood, and is sure to put you in the mood for a romantic slow dance. In fact, Puth is such a big fan of the number that he’s since revealed he wishes he had kept it for himself! And we can’t help but wonder how that would’ve sounded. There’s no doubt that Songz did a stellar job with the song, but it’s always interesting to wonder what might’ve been!

With Keith Urban on the guitar and the amazing Stevie Wonder providing some vocals and jamming on the harmonica, Derulo’s “Broke” is a star-studded song. But one artist you might not have known was part of its creation is Charlie Puth. He was actually a co-writer - and the sole producer - on the song. He also co-wrote and co-produced a second track for Derulo’s “Everything Is 4” record called “Pull-Up.” This was prior to the release of Puth’s first studio album, but his name on the liner notes probably had some fans taking notice. Especially considering Wiz Khalifa track “See You Again” - which Puth co-wrote and was featured on - had already made waves by then.

We know singers typically work with multiple artists to bring their albums to life. But Zara Larsson really took that concept to the next level with her diversified second studio effort. As she mentioned in an interview in 2016, part of what excited her about the record was the way each track had different writers and producers. And one of those collaborators was Charlie Puth, who wore both creative hats on “So Good.” The catchy tune from the identically titled album also featured Ty Dolla $ign, and there’s no denying it was a hit.

While Puth has built up an impressive discography full of hits over the past few years, most of us initially knew him as the man behind the 2015 hit “Marvin Gaye”. Yet prior to that song’s release, he worked with a number of artists, including Pitbull, to write “Celebrate” for the “Penguins of Madagascar” soundtrack. It was actually one of the first tracks he collaborated on, and he definitely delivered. As this list proves, Puth’s songwriting career speaks for itself. So we’d like to think the penguins served as a sort of stepping stone, helping him get to where he is today.

2015 was a rather busy time for Charlie Puth. Considering all the songs he’s credited on from that year, it’s a wonder he had any time at all to work on his own material. That’s probably why his first album didn’t come out until 2016. But the sheer volume of tracks he’s written aside, we’re also amazed by his ability to navigate a sea of vastly different musical styles. With “I Feel Good”, he took a ride on the country side of things with singer-songwriter Thomas Rhett and featured artist LunchMoney Lewis. It certainly seems as though Puth is capable of anything!

According to Liam Payne, he met Charlie Puth at a music studio in Los Angeles and the pair became instant friends. “Bedroom Floor” had already been written by Puth and a number of others at this point. But Charlie wasn’t sure if Liam would be comfortable with the falsetto parts. Well, it only took the former One Direction member singing one line to show that he most definitely could handle it. However, the song fans love today originally sounded a little different. After recording it, the pair got some valuable help from the multi-talented Steve Mac, and the track eventually grew into the hit we all know now.

Adam Levine is another artist with whom Charlie Puth became good friends while collaborating. In addition to a new buddy, he also got writing and producing credits on Maroon 5’s “Lips On You”! Initially, the star wanted to keep his involvement with the song on the down-low. The reason was a rather understandable one, as he felt that his name being on a track would affect how people felt about it. Instead, he wanted listeners to genuinely react to the piece itself, without any sort of bias. Still, he took the information leaking in stride!

They say the best things in life occur unexpectedly. And we’d have to agree, as Charlie Puth’s involvement with this hit happened very organically. Charlie, The Kid LAROI, and others were just having fun together when Puth came up with the music for “Stay”. Well, LAROI really dug it, and wanted to make a song of it. Luckily for us, he did, with Puth getting both a producer and writer credit on the track. As for Bieber’s involvement, that was LAROI’s idea too. He clearly has impeccable vision, as he knew the Canadian artist’s vocals would bring the whole thing together.