Words by:
Dan Bull
Follow @DanBull7609
If you liked a radio-friendly, beat-driven, earworm of a song last year, the chances are Ryan Tedder had a helping-hand in writing it. Not content with OneRepublic’s Counting Stars hitting the top spot for two non-consecutive weeks (either side of Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball) in October, seven weeks after the track’s initial release, Tedder also played a part in Ellie Goulding’s Burn, James Blunt’s Bonfire Heart and Beyonce’s XO to name but a few. And that was just last year.
As the man behind Bleeding Love, Halo, Battlefield and Apologize, Ryan Tedder is clearly a tour de force of songwriting and production; an unstoppable machine that will one day undoubtedly find himself regarded with the greats.
With more hits under his belt than The Fighter (see #5), you’d be forgiven for missing some of those that didn’t quite fare as well. No need to, ahem, apologize though, as we’ve compiled twelve Ryan Tedder tracks you might have missed, right here:
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12. B.O.B. – So Good
Perhaps best known for his collaboration with Paramore’s Hayley Williams (Airplanes), B.o.B enlisted the help of Tedder (alongside Chris Brown, Taylor Swift and Morgan Freeman amongst others) for his second album, 2012’s Strange Cloud. The result was a blend of piano-driven rap verses with the sort of euphoric arms-in-the-air chorus that only the OneRepublic-frontman could write. While B.o.B name-checks Michelangelo and Picasso along the way, Tedder is the artist who shows no sign of stopping.
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11. James Blunt – Stay The Night
As well as co-penning the lead single to last year’s Moon Landing, Tedder and Blunt joined forces for Stay The Night, the first track lifted from 2010’s Some Kind Of Trouble. Although James is no stranger to writing infectious, sing-a-long-friendly pop gems (You’re Beautiful, Wisemen…) Ryan offered an injection of upbeat breeze and sunshine to compliment the acoustic-focussed sound.
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10. K’naan – Better
With a Coldplay sample (Viva La Vida’s Lost!) and a OneRepublic producer, rapper K’naan (perhaps best known for his Coca-Cola song Wavin’ Flag or his appearance on Keane’s delve into rap, Stop For A Minute) was clearly after hits on his fourth studio release, Country, God or the Girl. Although other tracks were favoured as singles, there’s no denying the anthemic ambience Tedder’s influence brings to the track.
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9. Zedd feat. Ryan Tedder – Lost At Sea
Russian-born, German-raised Anton Zaslavski may well be the European trance scene’s answer to Tedder, with an ever-increasing list of collaborations which already includes production for Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber and remixes for The Black Eyed Peas and Skrillex amongst others. Lost At Sea, from Zedd’s 2012 debut album Clarity, combines the trance layers he’s perfected beneath a seemingly effort power-ballad-esque melody sung by Tedder, proving that he’s a master of many genres.
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8. Sugababes – Thank You For The Heartbreak
Sweet 7, the Sugababes’ ‘final’ album, became their lowest charting release since their debut One Touch in 2000… which, bizarrely, didn’t feature any of the members of the group found on this track. Following-on from electro-heavy singles Get Sexy and Wear My Kiss, Thank You For The Heartbreak is an 80s-influenced disco anthem co-penned by Tedder and produced by Rihanna and Beyonce regulars Stargate. Definitely one that got away.
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7. One Direction – Right Now
For their third album (a more mature collection and one which would need to appeal to their legions of fans across the world) 1D needed the right men for the job. Enter Ryan Tedder, who, along with Louis, Harry and Liam, penned one of the album’s more solid, pure pop anthems; a power-ballad that builds from an acoustic-lead intro into an arena filler. It could be the best song OneRepublic never released.
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6. James Morrison – Please Don’t Stop The Rain
Following on from the soul-inspired sound of his debut Undiscovered, James Morrison veered towards a more mainstream market with his follow up Songs For You, Truths For Me. Whilst the Nelly Furtado-featuring Broken Strings was a moment of genius, Ryan Tedder’s influence on Please Don’t Stop The Rain managed to form a compromise between Morrison’s organic sound and Tedder’s ability to make writing a hit song look effortless, particularly on the repeated “let it fall“.
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5. Gym Class Heroes – The Fighter
The Fighter very nearly broke the UK’s Top 40 after peaking at #44 upon its release in 2012. Despite its lack of chart presence, however, it remains a testament to Tedder’s production ability that a hip-hop influenced act (whom also cite Jimi Hendrix and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as inspirations) would enlist the help of the producer who is arguably more famous for his power ballads than his rap collaborations.
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4. Maroon 5 – Love Somebody
Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine is no stranger to writing a radio-friendly hit, and has made no apologies for the fact that he wants his songs to be huge. With the help of Ryan Tedder (who co-wrote and produced), Love Somebody gave the band a dance-influenced ballad which, taking into account the electronic ticks alongside their ‘traditional’ band set-up, wasn’t a million miles away from the singles released from Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto.
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3. Christina Aguilera – We Remain (From ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’)
Christina’s career hasn’t ever reached the peaks that looked possible following the monumentally successful Stripped album (released twelve years ago!). We Remain, however, is one of the highlights from the Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack, which is a feat in itself considering the talent involved (Coldplay, Sia and Lorde amongst others). Ignoring the electro-influences of her previous releases, Tedder absorbs Xtina’s undeniable vocal in an epic track centred around the themes of the film.
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2. Adele – Rumour Has It
On one of the few Adele tracks that could be classed as ‘upbeat’, Ryan Tedder combines simple drum beats, vocal loops, hand claps and a bluesy piano breakdown to create one of the standouts of one of the most successful albums in history, 21. It provided one of the highlights of Adele’s Royal Albert Hall show and, should the Eavis’ ever get their wicked way and book her for Glastonbury, she may need to enlist Ryan to write a few more of these to keep the tempo up.
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1. Birdy – Wings
Birdy’s second album was always going to be a challenge. Following her hugely successful debut (which showcased a 15 year-old’s simply-stunning take on recent indie releases to rapturous critical acclaim) the pressure was on for original songs that would measure up to the cover versions. Birdy (born Jasmine Van den Bogaerde) took it on with the effortlessness that seems to run through her veins. With Ryan Tedder co-writing and producing, Wings – the lead single, and stand out track from last year’s Fire Within – blended Birdy’s pure yet surprisingly mature pop sound with Tedder’s knack for giving a track the drive to continue playing in the listener’s head for the foreseeable future.
