3 Unfinished Songs That Became Classic Rock Hits

It doesn't take a songwriter (or a musician, for that matter) to know that a lot of time and effort goes into creating a song, whether it's for commercial release or simply for the creator's self-expression. But sometimes, these budding creative outputs fall through the cracks and never truly see completion — and sometimes, for reasons beyond the creator's control. In the annals of music history live a handful of songs that, despite receiving attention and admiration from fans, may not exactly represent what their original creators fully intended them to be, as they were never finished.

In putting together this list, we defined "unfinished songs" as songs that were never truly completed (i.e., polished and recorded in a proper studio for release as a single or part of an album) by the person or people who originally conceptualized and worked on them. Moreover, this rundown includes songs that were completed by other people (e.g., bandmates of a deceased musician), saw commercial release as singles, and landed on at least one Billboard chart. From a music legend's unearthed raw demos to a history-making song capped off by an unintentionally iconic placeholder, these songs found a place in fans' hearts, despite being some of the greatest "what ifs" in music history.

One of the myths you can stop believing about the Beatles is that the members never worked with each other again after John Lennon and Paul McCartney left the band in 1969 and 1970, respectively. On the contrary, there were quite a few occasions during which two or more members (though never the full group) collaborated, and even got as far as planning to get the band back together for a charity gig in 1979. Sadly, Lennon was killed in 1980, and their reunion never came to fruition. However, that doesn't mean the Beatles were never able to release new music as a band again. In 1995, the Beatles released their first new single in a quarter-century, titled "Free as a Bird." It was also the first of three Beatles songs featuring Lennon that were released after his death.

To complete "Free as a Bird," McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr worked with a short recording of Lennon from 1977 that was provided by Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. The demo wasn't exactly of top-tier quality — reportedly, Lennon recorded himself singing via a boombox placed on his piano, which explains the tinny sound — and so the "Threetles" had quite a bit of work cut out for them. Technical difficulties notwithstanding, the trio managed to produce a song (and an accompanying music video, shot from the perspective of a flying bird) that stayed for 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at the sixth spot.

A formidable figure in R&B and soul music, Otis Redding went on to create a first-of-its-kind hit that sounded different from the songs he typically made. Sadly, Redding did not live to see its success. 

In August 1967, Redding began writing "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." Inspiration struck him while he was taking a short break from touring, relaxing with his road manager on a houseboat. Redding started with just two lines that he repeated over and over while playing his guitar. This idle musical exercise gradually evolved into a nearly completed song, one that Redding reportedly sought to take in a different direction musically, likely influenced by the singer's fascination with the Beatles and Bob Dylan. In November and December, Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper recorded the song; unsure as to how to improvise the end of the song (a songwriting quirk he was known for), Redding whistled, intending to write the final verse and re-record the song at a later date. But the opportunity never came; just days later, Redding and six others passed away in a plane crash.

Cropper completed the song by adding audio of seagulls and crashing waves (which was Redding's idea) and keeping Redding's whistling. The song was released about a month after Redding's death; in March 1968, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming not only Redding's first No. 1 hit, but also the first posthumous No. 1 single on the chart. 

Though the tragic real-life story of John Lennon ended with him never being able to reunite with his bandmates, the 1996 release of "Real Love," the second of three posthumous Lennon songs under the banner of the Beatles, helped refresh the memory of the Fab Four in the minds of their fans, even 26 years after they disbanded. "Real Love" climbed to the 11th spot on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the list for seven weeks.

The collaborative effort of the remaining "Threetles" to complete and release Lennon's "Real Love" wasn't the first attempt to create a polished, completed version of it. Lennon himself crafted six versions of the song from 1979 to 1980, refining it alongside a different (albeit similarly named) song, "Real Life." It's worth noting that the 1996 version of "Real Love" wasn't the first time the world heard it, as the sixth version of the song was part of the soundtrack of a 1988 documentary about Lennon.

Still, one can argue that "Real Love" only truly came to life when George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney infused it with their own musical talents. (Interestingly, the recording that the surviving Beatles worked on was reportedly of poor quality, with plenty of clicks, hisses, and hums that had to be meticulously removed.) American Songwriter even described "Real Love" as "the one [among the three posthumous Lennon songs] that feels most like a group effort, where all four men are integral to the whole."