50 years ago in 1971, Karl Martin Sandberg was born in Stockholm, to Lillemor Sandberg, a teacher, and a policeman father, whose name is curiously absent from public internet record. After dropping out of high school and starting a band, he became one of the most prolific and successful musicians in the world under the pseudonym Max Martin. Well, in layman’s terms, that’s what happened, but there’s more to it than that.
Max had dropped out of high school when he decided to pursue a rock career, settling into a band called It’s Alive, where he was the lead singer, Martin White. They played around Europe and there, eventually cutting a self-titled album in 1991 with a limited release. Two years later was when Max and co recorded their Earthquake Visions in a then-unknown Cheiron Studios on a record deal with the previously anoymous Dag Volle, better known as Denniz PoP, who’d just landed a worldwide hit with Ace of Base’s “All That She Wants”.
If you wanted to see what Max Martin singing looks like, watch this video.
After touring the album, Martin disbanded from It’s Alive to focus on studio production and songwriting with Denniz. In fact, he would sneak over after rehearsals to practice the pop he so dearly beloved and kept close to him, which his friends and bandmates routinely denounced.
Martin would become a full-on Cheiron employee in 1993, working as he describes it, “two years day and night in that studio trying to learn what the hell was going on” in a 2001 Time Magazine Interview, one of perhaps only a dozen or so interviews he’s given. Great as the mentor/mentee dynamic between Denniz and him was, it would prove to be tragically short, as PoP would succumb to cancer in August of 1998, only aged 35, just 8 years older than Martin.
It seems fitting, as a result, that Martin would go on to become the most successful songwriter of the 21st century in his honor, being credited with 23 #1 hits on the Hot 100 across 21 years, the most recent of which is The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”, which went #1 on the Hot 100 the week of April 4th, 2020, became Martin’s first-ever Year-End #1 after almost 4 years since his last, and is still #5 as of this article being published. It may be the Max Martin song to end all Max Martin songs.
But for every big hit Martin has written or produced; every Shake It Off I Want It That Way, So What or Dark Horse, there’s usually about 3 or 4 other lesser-known but still energetic hits, such as What the Hell, Till The World Ends, Domino, No Tears Left To Cry or Behind These Hazel Eyes. And then, then you get into some really deep cuts. How deep? Try Linda Sundblad deep. Who? Exactly.
Since Martin celebrated his 50th birthday last weekend, I decided to honour him by creating a chronological playlist of 50 of his most underrated and overlooked compositions and credits, from the very beginning in the mid-90s all the way up to 2020. To challenge myself, I deliberately chose singles which were neither co-written/produced by Dr. Luke, in order to maintain the dissociation from him which Martin has maintained since 2015, and I also restricted myself to one song per artist, including features. This meant I had to uncover artists from the deep depths of music obscurity, including European acts nobody in North America has ever heard of, and artists who you’d never expect would’ve collabed with someone like Max Martin.
Ultimately, here is the list I have compiled over several days of what I consider to be 50 of Max Martin’s most underrated songs. To avoid confusion, I’ll be dating the songs by their first official release date, this means if a song was placed on an album one year then release as a single in the years that followed, the earlier release will be officially dated.
3T feat. Herbie – Gotta Be You
Ace of Base – Never Gonna Say I’m Sorry
Solid HarmoniE – I Want You To Want Me
Jessica – How Will I Know
E-Type – Here I Go Again (eurodance)
Five – Until The Time Is Through (proto-IWITW/Sometimes)
Gary Barlow – For All That You Want
Drain STH – Simon Says
Britney Spears – Can’t Make You Love Me
Westlife – When You’re Looking Like That
Lambretta – Bimbo
NSYNC – Tell Me, Tell Me Baby
Play – Is It Love
Celine Dion – In His Touch
Bon Jovi – Complicated
Marion Raven – End Of Me
No Angels – I Had A Feeling
Carolina Liar – I’m Not Over
Sugababes – Unbreakable Heart
Living Things – Oxygen
Leona Lewis – Outta My Head (max writing kylie)
Allison Iraheta – Friday I’ll Be Over U
Carrie Underwood – Quitter
Adam Lambert – If I Had You (one of the best of 2010)
Robyn – Time Machine
Shayne Ward – Close to Close
Miranda Cosgrove – Dancing Crazy
Glee – Loser Like Me
P!nk – Slut Like You
Taio Cruz – Fast Car
Justin Bieber feat. Nicki Minaj – Beauty and a Beat
Christina Aguilera – Your Body
Avril Lavigne – Wish You Were Here
Katy Perry – Walking On Air
Cher Lloyd – Dirty Love
MKTO – Forever Until Tomorrow
Jennifer Lopez – First Love
Tori Kelly feat. LL Cool J – California Lovers
Natalie La Rose feat. Fetty Wap – Around the World
Demi Lovato – Cool For The Summer
Ellie Goulding – Codes
Ariana Grande – Greedy
Nick Jonas – Under You
Lana Del Rey feat. The Weeknd – Lust for Life
Taylor Swift – King of My Heart
Noah Cyrus featuring MØ – We Are…
Normani – Motivation
Jessie J – One More Try
Tove Lo featuring Doja Cat – Equally Lost
Lady Gaga – Stupid Love
About Author
Few corrections: