It’s not like it’s a new thing. Songwriting credits have often been handed out to people who had no musical ability at all. Or at the least the ability to write a song. Case in point: Producer Jerry Wexler suggested the title “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” to Carole King and Gerry Goffin. They graciously offered a credit to Wexler. It’s pretty much the only Goffin-King song with a third collaborator’s name.

That may be the case again for Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. Their new duet, “Stuck with U” has six songwriters’ names on it including their own. That alone suggested four writers plus Bieber and Grande so they could be paid publishing royalties. (Celine Dion was famous for that in her heyday.)

When “Stuck with U” first appeared on Wikipedia, it was just the half dozen. (You may wonder how six people could write a song. Is it like a factory line?)

Anyway, now the name of Scooter Braun has been added to the credits. That would make seven people who labored to write a very unoriginal piece of pop. (It sounds suspiciously like Rihanna’s “Love on the Run.”) Braun has only one other songwriting credit in the world– on the Bieber song, “Purpose.” On that one, he’s only one of six writers. Braun– whose real name is Scott Samuel Braun– simply doesn’t write songs. Or produce them.

It’s likely that he came up with the title, “Stuck with U,” since the duet is a contrivance for the pandemic. He does manage both artists. And there’s money to be gotten out of it. All the proceeds from “Stuck with U” are allegedly going to charity. But this does give him two songwriting credits. Let’s say three more and the Songwriters Hall of Fame will no doubt induct him.

Since Friday, by the way, “Stuck with You” has had just 20,000 paid downloads– not a lot– and another 69,000 worth of streams for a total of about 92K give or take. No word yet on whether Rihanna’s writers have given it a spin.

Bono has posted an eclectic list of songs that “saved his life” for his 60th birthday. His favorite song that saved his life his own recording ofg “Miserere” with Pavarotti and Zucchero. He also liked his duet with Sinatra, and a record he and U2 did with Kendrick Lamar. Not one song by a classic soul artist, just one from the Beatles, none from them individually, one early Stones single. Well, these lists tend to be subjective and immediate. Next year it could all be different. Happy Birthday, Paul Hewson!

1. Luciano Pavarotti, Bono & Zucchero – Miserere
2. Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the UK
3. Kanye West – Black Skinhead
4. Billie Eilish – Everything I Wanted
5. David Bowie – Life on Mars?
6. The Beatles – I Want to Hold Your Hand
7. Ramones – Swallow My Pride
8. The Clash – Safe European Home
9. Public Enemy – Fight the Power
10. Patti Smith – People Have the Power
11. John Lennon – Mother
12. The Rolling Stones – Ruby Tuesday
13. Elton John – Daniel
14. Andrea Bocelli – Con Te Partiro
15. Elvis Presley – Heartbreak Hotel
16. Johnny Cash – Hurt
17. This Mortal Coil – Song to the Siren
18. Kraftwerk – Neon Lights
19. The Fugees – Killing Me Softly With His Song
20. Prince – When Doves Cry
21. Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers – Get Lucky
22. Madonna – Ray of Light
23. JAY-Z featuring Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
24. Talking Heads – Love Goes to Building on Fire
25. Lou Reed – Satellite of Love
26. The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony
27. Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
28. New Order – True Faith
29. R.E.M. – Nightswimming
30. Adele – Chasing Pavements
31. Arcade Fire – Wake Up
32. Pixies – Monkey Gone to Heaven
33. Oasis – Live Forever
34. Iggy Pop – Lust for Life
35. Gavin Friday – Angel
36. Massive Attack – Safe from Harm
37. Kendrick Lamar featuring U2 – XXX
38. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Redemption Song
39. Echo and the Bunnymen – Rescue
40. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
41. Pearl Jam – Jeremy
42. Bob Dylan – Most of the Time
43. Beyoncé featuring Kendrick Lamar – Freedom
44. Depeche Mode – Walking In My Shoes
45. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Into My Arms
46. Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence
47. Coldplay – Clocks
48. INXS – Never Tear Us Apart
49. New Radicals – You Get What You Give
50. Angélique Kidjo – Agolo
51. Lady Gaga – Born This Way
52. Frank Sinatra & Bono – Under My Skin
53. David Bowie – Heroes
54. Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
55. Sinéad O’Connor – You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart
56. Van Morrison – A Sense of Wonder
57. Bruce Springsteen – There Goes My Miracle
58. Daniel Lanois – The Maker
59. Peter Frampton – Show Me the Way
60. Bee Gees – Immortality – Demo Version

Betty Wright, the great soul singer, writer, and producer has died at age 66. She was a star of Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd’s Atlantic Records, hitting it big in 1971 with “Clean Up Woman.” She won a Grammy three years later for Best R&B song for “Where is the Love.” Her “Secretary” takes dictation on a regular rotation on Sirius XM’s Soul Town.

Born Bessie Regina Norris in December 1953, she was a star at 18. When I met her in the 90s, I was astonished to see how young she was– a decade or more younger than Aretha, Sam Moore, etc. She was a smiler, too. She had a big, wide smile and was a kind of positive person who loved music and all the people around her. It was infectious because when Wexler, who produced her big hits talked about her he always smiled, too.

Sam Moore wrote on Facebook: “Loved her ever since she was a little girl standing on a soda pop crate telling me “When I grow up I want to sing like you Uncle Bubba” and sing she could and sing she did!”

Betty was from Miami, where she discovered the great George McRae (“Rock Your Baby”) and his then wife Gwen (“Rocking Chair”). She was closely associated with Henry Stone’s famous TK Records, where she worked with Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch, aka KC and the Sunshine Band.

After her big run in the 70s, Betty also turned to writing and producing. She discovered lots of other R&B artists. But her best known extra-curricular work was with UK blue eyed soul star Joss Stone. She was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award in the “Best Pop Album” category for producing Joss Stone’s album “Mind Body & Soul.” She co-wrote quite a bit of the album. It led her to own comeback album in 2011, “Betty Wright: The Movie.”

Steve Greenberg of SCurve Records, who worked with her on Joss Stone and her own music, Tweeted: “I am devastated by the loss of the great Betty Wright to cancer. She was such an important person in my life, as a collaborator, a mentor and a friend. She was one of a kind.”

Betty’s death at 66 from cancer is really tragic. She would have done so much more. She will really be missed by her fans and friends. Condolences to her family.

PS Trivia: Jerry Wexler told us once that the instrumental break in “Clean Up Woman” (which wasn’t written by Betty) was lifted from “Soul Man.” “We didn’t have a middle and we needed something,” Jerry said. These days it would be called an “interpolation.” (Isaac Hayes, he said, approved.)

Paul McCartney has posted his tribute to Little Richard this morning. The Beatles opened for Richard in Hamburg in 1962. Billy Preston was a teenager who came with Richard in his band. That’s how Billy met the Fab Four. Seven years later he’d be on a rooftop in London with them making history. In the interim, the Beatles immediately recorded “Long Tall Sally.” So many of John and Paul’s vocal stylings were influenced by Richard’s shrieks and woops.

Paul writes:
‘From ‘Tutti Frutti’ to ‘Long Tall Sally’ to ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ to ‘Lucille’, Little Richard came screaming into my life when I was a teenager. I owe a lot of what I do to Little Richard and his style; and he knew it. He would say, “I taught Paul everything he knows”. I had to admit he was right. In the early days of The Beatles we played with Richard in Hamburg and got to know him. He would let us hang out in his dressing room and we were witness to his pre-show rituals, with his head under a towel over a bowl of steaming hot water he would suddenly lift his head up to the mirror and say, “I can’t help it cos I’m so beautiful”. And he was. A great man with a lovely sense of humour and someone who will be missed by the rock and roll community and many more. I thank him for all he taught me and the kindness he showed by letting me be his friend. Goodbye Richard and a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop.’

From 'Tutti Frutti' to 'Long Tall Sally' to 'Good Golly, Miss Molly' to 'Lucille', Little Richard came screaming into my life when I was a teenager. I owe a lot of what I do to Little Richard and his style; and he knew it. He would say, 'I taught Paul everything he knows'. pic.twitter.com/96bOzphhs8

— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) May 10, 2020