Did You Know “The Middle” Could’ve Been Demi Lovato Or Camila Cabello’s Song?
What if “The Middle” had been released by Demi Lovato, Camila Cabello, Anne-Marie, Carly Rae Jepsen or Tove Lo? Can you imagine? Do you think one of those singers would have made a better job than Maren Morris? Variety recently posted an article in which they show an interview they had with the original creators of “The Middle”, Sarah Aaron and Monsters & Strangerz, who tell the incredible story and the "struggle" in a way of releasing the song. They revealed "The Middle" was written in January last year and that it passed through the hands of many singers but after many rejections it ultimately went to Zedd, who created the amazing beat of the final version with some assistance from Grey, and then a global decision was made to choose Maren Morris as the vocalist. Demi Lovato recorded a first version that she ended up discarding because she realized it didn’t fit with the “soul and urban” sound she wanted to go for with her recent album and so she ended up released “Sorry Not Sorry” as her first single. And in the case of Camila Cabello, she rejected her version because she didn't want any other song overshadowing “Havana”.
This is a very interesting article to read because it casts light on the process we sometimes forget or don't know it happens behind the scenes of releasing a song with a clear potential of being a monster pop hit. It may be a long process (in this case a whole year) but when you know you have a hit on your hands, you have to do it right and find the right people.
January 2017: Songwriter Sarah Aaron and Monsters & Strangerz, who met during a writing camp the previous year, riff on a synth progression and, in 45 minutes, come up with the chorus for “The Middle” off of a Wurlitzer riff that Lomax was tinkering with.
February to March: The guys finish production on a demo version of “The Middle” with Lomax adding a Vocoder to the hook. The sound would become a key component in future versions of the song.
April: A finished demo version is sent to Demi Lovato via her manager Phil McIntyre. “Demi really liked it but Sarah was not happy with the verse,” says Stefan Johnson. Worried that additional changes would “mess it up,” Johnson recalls: “Sarah was, like, ‘No, I need to re-write [some verses],’ and she did and they ended up being the best ones.”
May: The producers fly to Miami to cut a vocal by Lovato. “She sounded awesome and we were really hyped on it,” says Stefan Johnson. “But then we didn’t hear anything after a couple weeks and other people were hitting us up about the song, so we asked: ‘Is this gonna be a single for Demi?’” Lovato was conflicted between “The Middle” and “Sorry Not Sorry,” eventually opting for the latter (written by Oak Felder), he explains. “We got the call. Demi thought it was too pop, she’s trying to go more soulful and urban. We were super bummed.”
June: “We really wanted the Demi single, but we also weren’t discouraged because so many other people wanted the song,” recalls Jordan Johnson. Publisher Andrew Gould of BMG intervenes, sending the song to Dave Rene, who manages hit DJ-producer Zedd and newcomer act Grey. Word filtered down that Grey was going to play “The Middle” for Zedd. “That got everyone excited,” says Lomax.
July: “When we got the Zedd version, it was like a home run,” says Johnson. “It sounded like it was supposed to. It was our demo production taken to the finish line. We went in for a day of edits with Sarah, Grey and Zedd and put together a wish list of artists: Camila Cabello, Julia Michaels…”
August to September: Cabello is into the song and goes to cut her vocal with Zedd. “He sends us a version that’s incredible,” says Stefan Johnson. “I sent Camila a text about it, and she’s usually very responsive, and there was no reply. So I’m, like, what’s going on?” By this point Cabello’s “Havana” is climbing the charts and Johnson watches it take off “from 25 to 20 to 15…” And eventually to No. 1.
October: It’s “Defcon 4” at Monsters & Strangerz. With an Oct. 18 release date for the Cabello version two weeks away, the call arrives. “Camila’s out. She doesn’t want any song to overshadow ‘Havana,’” Stefan Johnson recounts. That’s when the song goes out to all comers and a slew of versions come back, including vocals by Bebe Rexha, Tove Lo, Bishop Briggs, and Carly Rae Jepsen, among others. Listening to the vocals, some takes are nearly indiscernible from the final versions. Yet, each is missing a certain something. Says Jordan Johnson: “Some of them are good but none feel like Sarah [Aarons]. Or Demi or Camila.”
November: Anne-Marie is a vocal powerhouse who’s popular in her native England, but still a relative unknown in the U.S. Monsters & Strangerz had worked with her before, and Zedd was down to giver her a shot. Says Stefan Johnson: “She cut a version by herself and Zedd really liked it. So he flew her out [to L.A.] and they cut a version together. Boom. Anne-Marie, Zedd and Grey. The release date is Jan. 6 and they even sent us the artwork.” A year’s worth of work and “the most phone calls I’ve ever had about any song,” he laughs. “You hope it’s worth it after all that.”
December: According to Stefan Johnson, a call to Monsters & Strangerz from their manager on the 30th goes something like this: “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Target is going to premiere the song on Jan. 28 during the Grammys as part of a huge campaign. The bad news? We don’t have a singer. Anne-Marie’s out.” With DJ and publisher politics at play, DJ-producer Marshmello is releasing a song featuring Anne-Marie called “Friends” (No. 14 on pop radio as of April 19), and there’s a reticence by Zedd to have a track out with the same singer at the same time. Plus, Warner/Chappell has the master for “Friends” and Anne-Marie is signed to Warner Music, so that “takes priority,” says Johnson. “I was, like, this is just the worst. We’re done. We have no more ideas. There’s nothing left.”
January 2018: Country singer Maren Morris is “the angel that saved us all,” says Jordan Johnson. Unbeknownst to the production trio, Morris had cut a version on her own that no one had heard. Zedd listened, liked it, and flew down to Nashville at the top of the year to record her vocal. “She sounded incredible,” says Lomax. “It was the best one yet, no question.” Adds Stefan Johnson: “The lyrics took on a whole new meaning when Maren sang. All of a sudden, you believe it. The taps are running. Dishes are broken. It sounded a little Nashville and felt right. We were pumped. They sent new art with a new name again. And there was a new release date: Jan 26. Still, we were, like, we won’t believe it until we see it on the Grammys.”
Morris’ vocals (extra raspy due to a strained vocal cord that was being treated) coupled with a new bridge and added embellishments (like the tick-tock rhythm during the breakdown) turned out to be just what “The Middle” needed. And perhaps as importantly, the single, released by Interscope and Columbia and promoted by Interscope Geffen A&M president of promotion Brenda Romano, positioned Morris for crossover success. Says Sony/ATV’s Berman-Hill: “Maren is already an enormously accomplished artist [and] I hope it opens the door to the pop and international audience who may not be as familiar with country music or what a great talent she is.”
Monsters & Strangerz have yet to meet Morris, who was on her honeymoon when “The Middle” first reached No. 1, but Johnson senses from her vocal takes that she had a goal in mind. “This song was her ‘I can do this and watch me do it’ moment,” he says. “Now she has no ceiling.”
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Although I would love to hear Demi and Camila’s version one day, there’s a part of me who thinks Carly Rae Jepsen would have smashed this song. “The Middle” has a similar vibe to “Run Away With Me” and Carly slayed that song. But they probably wanted a bigger name to get “The Middle” so whatever.