Songs Written in 10 Minutes That Made History

Songwriters each have their own unique approach, and their methods can vary significantly. Some prioritize lyrics, melody, or rhythm when crafting chart-topping hits. Others take a more structured approach. Many artists have chart-topping hit songs that were composed in just 10 minutes, and even less, with just spur-of-the-moment ideas.

To create this list of chart-topping hits written in 10 minutes or less, 24/7 Tempo consulted several lifestyle and media publications, including Business Insider and Rolling Stone. We also read quotes from many of the musicians on this list, discussing the songwriting process and how long it took to write their hit songs.

This post was updated June 19th, 2025, to reflect additional information.

• Written by: Guns N' Roses
• Time taken: Five minutes

It doesn't get more classic than the hit song "Sweet Child O'Mine" by Guns N' Roses. Even though this number 1 hit song remained at the top of the charts for more than 20 weeks, the song only took about five minutes to write.

• Written by: Queen
• Time taken: 10 minutes

According to Freddie Mercury, he wrote the hit song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in less than 10 minutes. He credited his poor guitar playing skills as the reason he was able to write it so fast, claiming he only knew a few chords so he was limited in what he could come up with.

• Written by: The Beatles
• Time taken: less than five minutes

The famous Beatle's hit, "Yesterday", apparently came to songwriter and musician Paul McCartney in a dream. When he woke up, it took less than five minutes to get the tune down on paper. That includes all the chords and words!

• Written by: R.E.M.
• Time taken: less than five minutes

Peter Buck, guitarist of R.E.M. happened to stumble upon the riff for "Losing My Religion" as he was learning to play the mandolin. He ended up writing it in less than 5 minutes and Michael Stipe, R.E.M.'s singer, ended up writing the lyrics later on. This song became the hit on their next album, "Out of Time."

• Written by: The White Stripes
• Time taken: written during a sound check

The most recognizable song by The White Stripes, believe it or not, wasn't written intentionally. Frontman Jack White came up with the melody during a soundcheck in 2002. Although Ben Swank, one of the other band members, wasn't impressed, the song was added to their next album and became their greatest hit.

• Written by: Charlie Puth
• Time taken: 10 minutes

"See You Again" by Charlie Puth was written in only 10 minutes, even though it ended up being an award-winning song. This song has a lot of meaning behind it, since it was written for the final scene in "Furious 7" following Paul Walker's death. Puth co-wrote the song with DJ Frank E in less than 10 minutes in the studio.

• Written by: Ed Sheeran
• Time taken: 10 minutes

Inspired by a romantic breakup, "Photograph" was written by Ed Sheeran in just 10 minutes. It went on to be one of the massive hits from his second album.

• Written by: Mumford & Sons
• Time taken: written during a sound check

"The Cave" by Mumford & Sons was another song written during a song check. While the band was playing in a small pub in Edinburgh, they started messing around with different melodies. This ultimately led to the creation of "The Cave" in just a few minutes.

• Written by: Adele
• Time taken: 10 minutes

Adele was clearly a speedy songwriter from a young age. She apparently penned "Hometown Glory" in just 10 minutes, and she was only 16 at the time. It was written in response to her Mum trying to convince her to leave London for college.

• Written by: Lady Gaga
• Time taken: 10 minutes

The song responsible for bringing Lady Gaga into the spotlight only took 10 minutes to write. This upbeat song was meant to talk about a brighter future. Lady Gaga was battling depression during the time they wrote "Just Dance." The song ended up hitting the top of the charts and staying there for 13 weeks.