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They are the people behind the songs we all love to sing along to. They have composed the best songs and catchiest hooks. Some of their songs are veritable anthems that we grew up to. They are the top ten richest songwriters in the world.

10. Mick Jagger - $300 million

He is the lead vocalist and founding member of The Rolling Stones, considered to be the greatest rock and roll band in the world. His distinctive voice and style have been trademarks of the band since the beginning. He is considered an idol of the counterculture, the antithesis of the clean image portrayed by The Beatles. He wrote the songs “Miracle Worker,” “Hard Woman” and “Sweet Thing.” Jagger also wrote “Old Habits Die Hard,” which was used in the 2004 movie called “Alfie.” The song won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

 

9. Michael Jackson - $350 million

 

He is the gloved one, the Prince of Pop, the man who shook the world with his music and moves. His “Thriller” album is the best selling album of all time. He amazed the world with his performance of “Billie Jean” during the 25th year anniversary celebration of Motown Records. He composed songs like “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “Black or White,” “Heal the World,” “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Remember the Time,” “We are the World” and a whole lot more.

 

8. Jimmy Buffett - $400 million

 

He is known for his laidback songs and island escapism lifestyle music. He is part of the Coral Reefer Band. He has earned millions from his songs, including “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “Margaritaville.” These two songs became the basis for a couple of restaurant chains that he owns. He also wrote songs like “Come Monday,” “Fins,” “math Suks,” “Son of a Son of a Sailor” and “Volcano.”

 

7. Dolly Parton - $450 million

 

The song “I Will Always Love You” is considered as one of the best selling singles of all time. It was sang by Whitney Houston as part of the soundtrack of the 1992 movie called “The Bodyguard.” The song was actually written way back in the 70s by Dolly Parton, who took the song to number one in the country charts twice. Other songs by Parton include “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” “Say Forever You’ll Be Mine” and “Touch Your Woman.”

 

6. Jay-Z - $475 million

He is one of the greatest rappers of all time. Two of his albums, “Reasonable Doubt” and “The Blueprint,” are part of the 500 greatest albums of all time as ranked by Rolling Stone magazine. He has had 12 number one albums, the most by any solo artist. He has already sold more than 50 million albums around the world and has received 17 Grammy Awards in the process. He is the husband of R & B superstar Beyoncé Knowles. Jay-Z has composed songs like “Crazy in Love” and “Déjà vu” by Beyoncé, “Heartbreaker” by Mariah Carey, “Made in America” and “Why I Love You” with Kanye West and “Coming Home” by Sean Combs.

 

5. Mariah Carey - $500 million

Her duet with Boyz II Men called “One Sweet Day” is the song that has stayed at number one for the most number of weeks at 16. She has sold more than 200 million records, making her one of the best selling music artists of all time. She has 18 number one singles, the most by any solo artist. She was named best selling artist of the 90s and of the entire millennium. She has won five Grammy Awards, 31 Billboard Music Awards, 11 American Music Awards and 17 World Music Awards. She has written songs like “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Dreamlover,” “Emotions,” “Hero,” “Loverboy,” “One Sweet Day,” “Touch My Body” and “Vision of Love.”

 

4. Sean Diddy Combs - $550 million

He has been known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and Diddy. He is considered to be the richest person in hip-hop. He has garnered commercial and critical success for albums like “No Way Out,” “Forever,” “The Saga Continues…” and “Press Play.” He has written songs for Faith Evans, including “Ain’t Nobody” and “You Used to Love Me,” and The Notorious B.I.G., like “Nasty Girl” and “Hypnotize.” He also wrote “Phenomenon” for LL Cool J and “Summertime” for Beyoncé Knowles.

 

3. Bono - $600 million

He is the lead singer of the superband called U2. He and his bandmates have managed to reinvent themselves and stay relevant even after three decades. He has composed songs like “Pride (In the Name of Love),” “Elevation,” “All I Want is You,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own,” “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” and “Staring at the Sun.”

 

2. Paul McCartney - $800 million

 

From The Beatles to Wings to duets with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson to his solo career, Paul McCartney is probably the most successful songwriter and recording artist of all time. He has written 32 songs that have gone all the way to number one in the US Billboard charts. His 1977 song “Mull of Kintyre” is one of the best selling singles of all time in the UK. His song “Yesterday” has been covered by more than 2,200 artists, making it the most covered song in history. He even managed to turn John Lennon’s criticism of his songs into a hit, penning “Silly Love Songs” in response to his ex-bandmate’s charge that his love songs were silly. He has composed songs like “Band on the Run,” “Hey Jude,” “Let it Be,” “The Long and Winding Road,” “Eleanor Rigby” and a whole lot more. All-star concerts will never be complete without McCartney singing to end the show.

 

1. Andrew Lloyd Webber - $1.2 billion

He has composed some of the most memorable musicals on stage. He wrote the songs for “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Evita,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Cats.” He has received seven Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, one Oscar Award, one Golden Globe and seven Olivier Awards in the process.