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These songwriters penned some unforgettable music that you know and love.
February is Black History Month, and to celebrate, here are some classic songs that you may not have known were written by these talented black songwriters.
1. "It Takes Two," performed by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston, was written by Sylvia Moy and William "Mickey" Stevenson.
Left: UMG/YouTube, middle: Photo by Brian ZAK/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images, right: Photo by Lester Cohen / Getty Images for Showtime/Motown / Via youtube.com
2. "Great Balls of Fire," performed by Jerry Lee Lewis, was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer.
Left: Photo by RB/Redferns / Getty Images, middle: Photo by Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images, right: Beat-Club/YouTube / Via youtube.com
3. "Manic Monday," performed by the Bangles, was written by Prince.
Left: Photo by Midori Tsukagoshi/Shinko Music / Getty Images, right: Photo by Ross Marino / Getty Images
4. "I'm Every Woman," originally performed by Chaka Khan, was written by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.
Left: RHINO/YouTube, Right: Raymond Boyd / Getty Images / Via youtube.com
5. "Human," performed by The Human League, was written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Left: Photo by Stuart Mostyn/Redferns / Getty Images, right: Leon Bennett / Getty Images for BET
6. "(You Got It) The Right Stuff," performed by News Kids on the Block, was written by Maurice Starr.
Photo by Ron Pownall/Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
7. "Hollaback Girl," performed and co-written by Gwen Stefani, was co-written by Pharrell Williams.
Left: Gwen Stefani/Youtube, Right: Photo by Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images / Via youtube.com
8. "Where Are You Christmas?," performed by Faith Hill, was co-written by Mariah Carey.
Left: Christmas Music Videos / YouTube, right: Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage / Getty Images / Via youtube.com
9. "High Hopes," performed by Panic! At The Disco, was co-written by Tayla Parx.
Left: Panic! At The Disco/Youtube, right: Photo by Tommaso Boddi / Getty Images for Warner Music / Via youtube.com
11. "Take a Bow," performed by Rihanna, was co-written by Ne-Yo.
Left: Rihanna/YouTube, right: Photo by Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images / Via youtube.com
12. "Firework," performed by Katy Perry, was co-written by Ester Dean.
Left: Katy Perry/YouTube, right: Photo by: Tommy Garcia/E! Entertainment / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images / Via youtube.com
13. "One In A Million," performed by Aaliyah, was co-written by Missy Elliott and Timbaland.
Left: Blackground Records 2.0/YouTube, middle: Photo by Chance Yeh / WireImage / Getty Images, right: Photo by Rachel Luna / WireImage / Getty Images / Via youtube.com
14. "When the Levee Breaks," performed by Led Zeppelin, was co-written by Memphis Minnie.
Left: Photo by Chris Walter / WireImage / Getty Images, right: Photo by Hooks Bros/Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
15. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was performed by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, and co-written by Lymon and band members Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago.
Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns / Getty Images
16. "Nothing Compares 2 U," performed by Sinéad O'Connor, was also written by Prince.
Left: Sinéad O'Connor/YouTube, Right: Photo by Theo Wargo / WireImage / Getty Images / Via youtube.com
17. "We Are The World," performed by supergroup U.S.A. for Africa, was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.
Left:,Photo by Blank Archives / Getty Images, right: Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
18. "Play," performed by Jennifer Lopez, was co-written by Christina Milian and Cory Rooney.
Left: Jennifer Lopez/YouTube, middle: Photo by Paul Archuleta / Getty Images, right: Photo by Mindy Small / FilmMagic / Getty Images / Via youtube.com
19. "Fascination" performed and co-written by David Bowie, was co-written by Luther Vandross.
Left: David Bowie/YouTube, right: Photo By Raymond Boyd / Getty Images / Via youtube.com
20. "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," performed by Whitney Houston, was co-written by Chuck Jackson.
Left: Whitney Houston/YouTube, right: Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns / Getty Images / Via youtube.com
Make sure to head right here for more of BuzzFeed's Black History Month coverage.
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