The following is an edition of Mac’s Tracks, The Mirror’s music column. All views, thoughts and opinions belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Drury Mirror.

We don’t always know their names, but we probably should.

People love to argue about which performers of the day are the most creative or original—and many times, the fact that an artist uses songwriters is used against them.

Taylor Swift is an exception to the rule, acting as her own singer/songwriter. However, many other hit-generators have individuals crafting their songs alongside them.

This is not a new phenomenon or a sign of musical laziness. The Motown era saw Holland-Dozier-Holland, one of the most prolific music-writing teams to date with The Supremes’ “Baby Love,” “Mr. Postman” performed by the Marvelettes, and Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get A Witness” among their arsenal. They pioneered that classic Motown sound, but it does not reduce the talent of those who gave soul to their lyrics.

Not always a negative

The trend toward writing your own music developed with the rise of rock n’ roll and hip-hop as songs generated social commentary and the personal lives of their singers and bands. Notable duos include Paul McCartney and John Lennon of the Beatles, Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. As if I haven’t harped on it enough, my namesake appears on plenty of McCartney/Lennon collaborations as it was the studio name they used to release the music.

Before her solo rise to stardom, Sia crafted over a plethora of hits for other artists including names like Katy Perry, Rihanna and Christina Aguilera. Her career is an odd one, with her dual-color bob wig more well-known than her actual face.

If it weren’t for “Chandelier,” she probably would have resigned herself to behind-the-scenes work for the rest of her career, and been quite happy about it.

Kuk Harrell is the Chicago producer behind hits like Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” A consistent collaborator with Rihanna, Harrell said in an interview with Billboard that he “wanted to bring out the best aspects of her voice in a way that isn’t too much.”

When talking about the process of defining her ANTI album, Harrell remarks, “[We] didn’t just jump in the studio, put four bars together and sing a hook over it. In this album, you can hear we focused a lot on detail.”

Further, as explained by Nathan Slavik with DJBooth, bringing someone on to develop your bridge or chorus is not a sin. The tone and personality of the artist are found in their verses rather than the parts of the song designed to be catchy. It’s a bigger deal for hip-hop and rap as the verses express the musician’s own style and ideas—not something that is super necessary or common in pop.

A team of hit-makers

Having a songwriter is not a measure of personal talent for these billboard-topping artists, either. There is a certain amount of pride drawn from letting others know all of your work is your own and a huge difference between songwriters vs. ghostwriters (looking at you, Drake), but there’s no shame in getting a creative team together to perfect a tune.

The scrolling screen during movie credits is a perfect example of the people behind the scenes in the music industry as well that keep our radios fun and memorable.

Some people have the voice. Some people have the words.

Article by Maclen Johnson.